content creation

Take Your Twitch or YouTube Streaming Overlay Presentation to the Next Level With This Trick!

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During the peak of my Among Us frenzy, my wife and I stumbled on a jacksepticeye video of him and a number of other top gaming content creators playing the game together. During the voting phase, the camera punched inward to focus on Jack, making for a better viewing experience in that moment. Other streamers do this with their VODs as well, such as Pokimane, Disguised Toast, Ninja, and more.

The thing is, this zoom effect is done after the fact in a video editor. But could an entrepreneurial streamer implement that same effect in a live environment?

Yes!

I have implemented it on my stream and I love having for the sake of having an “aside” with viewers without taking them completely out of the game. Here is how you can implement this zoom-in during gameplay!

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Add the Twitch Chat and Event List in OBS the Easy Way

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One of the big criticisms levied at OBS versus other broadcast software is that it doesn’t have the chat and event list built in. Having to look at different windows to see all of the information you need as a streamer is a nightmare, which oftentimes drives users to alternatives.

Some go to Streamlabs OBS, which does offer these features, as well as direct integration with Streamlabs alerts and overlays. While this is more than enough for some, its walled-garden approach gives it a much lower ceiling from a technical perspective if you really want to push your streams to the limit. I used to use StreamElements OBS Live, but recent hiccups in the software would cause my OBS to crash on start-up. Uninstalling it did the trick and I’ll never recommend it again.

So what does one do now? Well, there’s actually a very easy trick to add your chat, event lists, stats, or anything you can see in a web browser inside OBS! Best of all, you don’t need to install any intrusive software to make this work!

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Stream to Twitch and YouTube Like a Pro With My Top 10 Tech Tips for OBS

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OBS is the go-to broadcasting software for streamers. It’s incredibly powerful and it’s free. If you don’t already have it, grab it here! Putting together your first stream isn’t that difficult, but you can really take your stream to the next level with a few tidbits of advice you may have missed along your journey.

Here are my top 10 tips for streaming like a pro in OBS!

Actually, there are 11 tips, but “top 10” works better for SEO purposes and #11 might be the most important tip of all. Let’s get to the tips!

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Take Your OBS Streams to the Next Level With These Third-Party Plugins

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As is, OBS is an incredibly powerful tool for streaming. But you can really take your stream to the next level with an assortment of third-party plugins. Much of what I do on-stream is powered by third-party plugins that allow you to zoom into my face as math equations swirl around my head, censor my screen, and even blow the Poke Flute for a shot at a shiny Snorlax!

You can do all of this and more by implementing third-party plugins in your OBS setup. Here are some of my favourite third-party plugins for OBS!

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Allow Your Twitch Viewers to Make and Display Their Own Achievement Notifications Through LioranBoard

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Players love unlocking achievements in games. But what if you had achievements that rewarded you for in-stream events? What if your chat could reward you for finally beating a boss after 100 tries, or taking a sip of water, or managing to not swear for five minutes? It’s possible!

With the power of LioranBoard, you can give your viewers control over your own achievement system! Viewers can type in their own achievements and then display them on screen. Here’s how to build an achievement system of your own!

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Advanced Green Screen Tutorial: How-To Only Chroma Key Specific Spots of Your Camera in OBS

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Using green screen technology is an awesome way to merge the physical and digital worlds together. For the past few months, I’ve been using a green screen and the chroma key feature in OBS to display a digital slideshow within a physical frame.

Though I love the effect it creates, the technology comes with limitations. Chroma key filters don’t just remove your green screen, they remove everything in view with a close enough shade of green. Your clothes, objects, and lights can all get eaten by the chroma key, which is an awful side effect.

Recently, I have discovered a way to minimize the chroma key’s area of effect. Using this particular setup, you can still wear green or use green lights as long as they don’t overlap with your green screen.

Heads up that this one is a bit messy to implement and it does require you to download a third-party OBS plugin. Also, since this requires a third-party OBS plugin, this trick won’t work in Streamlabs OBS. Sorry! But for OBS users, try this technique to focus the green screen effect to just your green screen!

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How to Easily Add Rounded Corners to Your OBS Camera View

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Rounding off the corners of your camera view is a slick effect one can implement on their stream to stand out. One could achieve this effect in the old days by creating an image mask. Image masks are still great for custom shapes, but there’s an easier way to achieve that effect thanks to an OBS plugin. Here’s how to do it!

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Make Your Camera Any Shape in OBS with Image Masks

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By default, your camera feed will appear as a rectangle. But did you know that you can make your camera appear in any shape you want? Yes, it’s possible to just round out the corners, go full-on circle, or any other shape your can imagine. Here’s how you can achieve this look in OBS or Streamlabs OBS!

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Someone Stole My YouTube Video. Then YouTube Terminated My Account.

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“Also, did you know that a spambot reposted our video?”

My brother Randy sent over a screenshot. On the bottom was the listing of our video that I uploaded 13 years ago to my personal YouTube account. Above it, a listing of our video but uploaded by someone else. Even though the illegal rip of my video had only accrued one view in eight months, it’s my legal right to stop the unauthorized distribution of my creative works.

Within minutes, I filed my first DMCA on YouTube. A few days later, YouTube…terminated my account.

Huh?

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My Streaming Studio Tour: 2021 Edition

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Stream setups come in all shapes and sizes. Some streamers work with multiple DSLR cameras, a high-end microphone, and a computer that could power a space station. Others make it happen by leveraging the built-in streaming functionality on their consoles. Some excel by broadcasting with only their phone.

Will be the first to admit that it’s a ton of fun talking about streaming tech and adding more tools to my setup. Even so, the value of one’s content isn’t defined by the equipment they have, but what they do with it. People make amazing things happen with lesser gear all the time.

As I continue to develop my streaming setup, I try to remind myself of this truth. My setup has gotten much better in the last year or so but none of this stuff matters if my content isn’t fulfilling to make and isn’t adding value to your life. Here’s what I use to create!

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