Make Your Camera Any Shape in OBS with Image Masks

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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Ways of Improving Your Twitch Stream (That Don’t Involve Spending a Fortune)

Making improvements to your stream doesn’t always have to involve spending money. If anything, the best improvements one can make don’t involve money at all. But for streamers on a budget, knowing where to make adjustments without breaking the bank can truly take you farther than spending money on the latest equipment.

Here are a few thought-starters for ways you can improve your stream without spending big bucks on new equipment!

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Merge the Physical and Digital Worlds of Your Twitch or YouTube Streams Through Creative Uses of Green Screen Technology

Green screens work incredibly well for the purposes of background removal. However, the application of green screen technology doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Inspired by MissMollyMakes, I incorporated green screen technology into my physical background. Here’s how you can do something similar!

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I want to start streaming. What equipment and software do I need to start? (And what can I get later)

You don’t need a high-end PC, top-of-the-line microphone, or DSLR camera to start streaming. If anything, avoiding those big ticket items if you don’t already have them for now is a wise decision.

Instead of focusing on having the best gear, now is the time to determine if this is a medium you want to pursue. Run a couple of test streams and determine whether you enjoy everything that streaming entails, from managing all of the equipment, to engaging in the chat, to handling all of the stress that comes with going live. If things don’t work out, at least you’re not sitting on thousands of dollars worth of equipment that will simply collect dust.

If you’re looking to get into streaming, here’s a quick guide on the stuff you’ll need right now – and the stuff you can get later!

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Troubleshooting Rendering Lag and Encoder Lag in Your Twitch, Mixer, or YouTube Live Streams

Of all the calamities that can occur on stream, lag is one of the most common and most annoying to wrestle with. There are many potential reasons for why lag occurs, all of which require different sets of solutions.

In the last installment, I covered how to troubleshoot network lag. Now let’s cover rendering and encoder lag. Unlike network lag, dropped frames caused by either rendering lag or encoding lag are tied to your PC’s performance. Here are some pointers for reducing the strain on your PC and maintain a smooth presentation!

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Troubleshooting Network Lag in Your Twitch, Mixer, or YouTube Live Streams

Of all the calamities that can occur on stream, lag is one of the most common and most annoying to wrestle with. There are many potential reasons for why lag occurs, all of which require different sets of solutions.

Though I plan on covering all three major sources of lag, we’re going to cover just network lag in this guide. The post got incredibly long just covering the ways one can troubleshoot their networking difficulties, so we’ll focus on that. If your stream is suffering from network lag, try out some of these tips!

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