How To Stream To Youtube Using Obs

I manage a YouTube channel for the FreeDOS Project, where I record "how-to" videos with FreeDOS running inside the QEMU PC emulator software. When I started the channel in August 2019, I didn't know annihilation well-nigh recording videos. But with Open Broadcaster Software, also called OBS Studio, I've found recording these videos to be pretty straightforward. Here's how yous can do it, too.

Install OBS Studio

I run Fedora Linux, which doesn't include the OBS Studio software by default. Fortunately, the OBS Studio website has an installation guide that walks you through the steps to install OBS Studio via the RPM Fusion alternative repository.

If you don't already accept RPM Fusion prepare on your system, you tin add together the repository on Fedora using this 1-line command:

                                    $                            sudo              dnf              install              https://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm              -Due east              %fedora).noarch.rpm https://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm              -East              %fedora).noarch.rpm

Once the RPM Fusion repo is set up, you can install OBS Studio with this command:

                                    $                            sudo              dnf              install              obs-studio

If you have an NVIDIA graphics card, there's an extra step in the installation guide to install hardware-accelerated video support. But my graphics card is from Intel, so I don't need to run the extra steps.

However, OBS Studio does non support Wayland, at least not in the Fedora build. That means when I want to record videos with OBS Studio, I need to log into my GNOME desktop using an Xorg session. On the login screen, enter your password, click on the gear-shaped icon in the lower-right corner, and select GNOME on Xorg.

Configure OBS Studio

The starting time time you launch OBS Studio, the software runs an auto-configuration magician to determine the all-time settings for recording videos. This makes setup a breeze. If you're recording videos on the desktop, like I am, so click the Optimize just for recording radio button and click Next.

OBS Studio configuration

OBS Studio will run through a series of automatic tests earlier information technology confirms the all-time video settings for your system. On my organisation, that's 1920x1080 at 30 frames per 2nd (fps), which is good enough for recording my videos.

OBS Studio configuration

My setup

The default OBS Studio interface shows the video front and center and positions the controls at the bottom of the screen. While this is not a bad default arrangement, you can encounter in my early videos that I occasionally look away from the photographic camera as I change from a full-screen webcam video to my QEMU screen. That's because the default OBS Studio configuration places the Scene controls in the lower-left corner.

OBS Studio configuration

Breaking virtual eye contact like this is distracting, so I wanted some other way to change scenes without looking for the scene controls. I discovered that I could click and drag the OBS Studio controls to unlike areas on the screen. By positioning the scene controls at the top of the screen, near my calculator's webcam, I don't demand to look away from the camera to alter scenes.

OBS Studio configuration

And so, my get-go step whenever I ready OBS Studio is to drag the controls to the top of the screen. I similar to identify the Scene selector console in the center, so I don't take to await very far away from my camera to modify scenes. I go on the recording controls to one side considering I'm never on camera when I start or finish the video, then information technology doesn't matter if I expect away to first or stop my video recording.

OBS Studio configuration

Setting up scenes

You can set up OBS Studio to back up your preferred video way. When I started recording videos, I watched other how-to videos to see how they were organized. Most get-go with a cursory introduction by the host, and so switch to a hands-on demonstration, and end with a "give thanks you" screen to advertise the channel. I wanted to create my videos similarly, and you can do that with scenes.

Each scene is a different arrangement of sources, or elements in the video. Each source is like a layer, so if you have multiple image or video sources, they volition appear to stack on meridian of one some other.

How yous define your scenes depends on the kind of video you want to brand. I do a lot of hands-on demonstration videos, and then I have ane scene with a full-screen webcam video, another scene that'southward just a QEMU window, and yet another scene that'due south "moving picture-in-film" with me over my QEMU screen. I tin can also prepare separate scenes that show a "thanks" image and links to subscribe to my channel or to join the project on social media.

With these scenes, I can tape my videos as Live—significant I don't need to edit them subsequently. I tin utilise the Scene controls in OBS Studio to switch from the QEMU scene to the Total-screen webcam screen and back to the QEMU screen earlier wrapping up with separate scenes that thank my supporters and share data about my channel. That may sound similar a lot of work, just once y'all take the scenes set up, irresolute scenes is just clicking an item in the Scenes menu. That'south why I like to center the Scene selector at the top of the screen, so I can easily select the scene I need.

Here's what I use to record my videos and how I fix up the sources in each:

Full-screen webcam: I prepare a webcam source from my Vitade webcam every bit a video capture device (V4L) and use the Transform bill of fare (right-click) to fit the webcam to the screen. This also uses my Yeti microphone for sound as an audio input capture (PulseAudio).
QEMU: This is where I spend most of my fourth dimension in my videos. OBS Studio can utilize whatever window as a source, and I define my QEMU window as a window capture (Xcomposite) source. In example I need to reboot the virtual machine while I'g recording a video, I too set a Color Bars image as a background paradigm on a layer that's "behind" the window. This also uses my Yeti microphone for sound equally an audio input capture (PulseAudio).
QEMU + webcam: My viewers tell me they like to see me on camera while I'm showing things in my QEMU window, and then I divers another scene that combines the QEMU and Full-screen webcam scenes. My webcam is a small rectangle in i corner of the screen.
Patreon card: At the terminate of my videos, I thank the people who support me on Patreon. I created a striped pattern in GIMP and fix that every bit my background image. I then divers a text source where I entered a "give thanks you" message and a list of my patrons. Every bit before, I set my Yeti microphone for sound as an audio input capture (PulseAudio).
End carte: As I wrap up the video, I want to encourage viewers to visit our website or join us on social media. Like to the Patreon card scene, I apply a background pattern that already includes my text and icons. But to add together a little visual flair, I created a blinking cursor after our URL, equally though someone had typed it in. This cursor is non actually an animation simply an image slideshow source that uses two images: a bare rectangle and a rectangle with a cursor. The image slideshow flips between these two images, creating the appearance of a blinking cursor.

OBS Studio configuration

And action!

Once I create my scene collection, I'm set up to tape my videos. I usually commencement past talking over my QEMU window, so I click on the QEMU scene and then click the Start Recording button. Later on I've said a few words to set the stage for my video, I click on the Total-screen webcam scene to fully innovate the topic.

After sharing some data nearly any I'one thousand talking about in the video, I click on the QEMU scene or the QEMU + webcam scene. Which scene I cull depends on whether I need to exist seen during the video or if the "picture-in-picture" video volition obscure important text on the screen. I spend most of the how-to video in this scene, normally while playing a game, demonstrating a program, or writing a sample program.

When I'one thousand ready to wrap upward, I click on the Patreon menu scene to thank everyone who supports me on Patreon. Some patrons back up me at a higher level, and they become a specific mention and their name listed on the screen. Then, I click on the End carte scene to encourage viewers to visit our website, join us on Facebook, follow u.s. on Twitter, and consider supporting me on Patreon. Finally, I click the End Recording push button, and OBS Studio stops the video.

Using OBS Studio is a neat way to record videos. I've used this same method to record other videos, including pre-recorded briefing talks, welcome videos for a remote symposium, and virtual lecture videos when I teach an online class.

The next time yous need to record a video, attempt OBS Studio. I call up you'll find information technology like shooting fish in a barrel to acquire and use.

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