How to Live Stream on Youtube using OBS Studio
I think a lot of people were struggling with this. So how to live stream on Youtube using OBS Studio had to be written.
I am writing a step by step tutorial to help you get on that bandwagon which streamers, gamers, and video creators have been using for so long and raking in moolahs. The whole process of downloading and streaming seems like a headache, but believe me it is not. Go ahead and follow these simple steps, one by one and by the time you reach the end of the post, you yourself would be streaming too.
We are going to make use of OBS in this tutorial, which is an acronym for Open Broadcaster Software. It is a software that primarily lets you preview your scenes and sources before you actually stream.
Steps on How to Live Stream on Youtube using OBS Studio
First things first. Before we start, I am assuming that you already have a Youtube channel where you want to live stream.
Now moving on, you need to download OBS Studio, if you want to stream from your desktop or laptop.
How to Download and Install OBS Studio
Step 1: Navigate to the OBS website:
Step 2: Depending on your system, select your platform. Mine is Windows, so I am going to click on that.
When you do that your download will begin.
Step 3: Once the download finishes, time to open the setup file that was downloaded. Click it open.
Step 4: A dialog box would pop open. Just click on Next.
Step 5: The next screen would be a license agreement. Click on Next.
Step 6: The next dialog would be all about where you want to store OBS Studio. You can choose your preferred location, or let it go where it is going by default and click Install.
With that the installation of OBS Studio would begin.
Step 7: Once the installation gets completed, after making sure Launch OBS Studio is checked, click on the Finish button.
OBS Studio Look and Feel
Step 8: This is how the OBS Studio looks like. The first message that you might probably get could be of Auto-Configuration Wizard. You can choose to go with the Auto-Configuration Wizard or do things manually.
I am going with it for now, clicking on Yes button.
Step 9: In the next screen, you can specify the purpose you want to use OBS Studio for. Just click on the radio button that fits your bill, and click on Next.
Step 10: Here you can specify the video settings you would like to proceed with. If you are not sure, you can go with the current settings. You can always change this at a later stage too.
Step 11: Here you can select the service with which you plan on using OBS.
In this tutorial for how to live stream on Youtube using OBS Studio we are basically making the use of Youtube, so I am going to go ahead and click on that.
Step 12: Click on the service dropdown. These are all the services you can choose to stream at.
I am going to click on Youtube.
How to Get Stream Key from Youtube
When you do that you will notice the input parameters in the dialog box change based on the service you choose.
You can see that it requires a Stream Key in order to stream. But the good part is that they have provided a button to directly get stream key. How good is that!
Step 13: Click on “Get Stream Key” button.
You will notice that you will be navigated to Youtube.
Step 14: Time to enter your username and password to login into the Youtube account where you were originally planning to stream. Enter your credentials and it will patch you in.
Once you enter youtube it will automatically navigate you to a similar looking screen. You can provide basic info and description just as you would while creating a video.
Step 15: Do that first, then scroll down and look for the Encoder setup section.
Step 16: Click on Reveal and copy the key that is being shown inside the textbox. Once copied you click on hide again.
Step 17: Then go back to the open OBS Studio wizard and paste the key in the Stream Key textbox. Click on Next.
Step 18: The next screen will be a summary of how your system fared in the auto-configuration test. If you are happy with the settings, click on Apply Settings.
Step 19: After you have clicked on Apply Settings, you will have the following OBS Studio screen to witness.
If you notice the things that are stowed down below you will see there is something called, scenes, sources, audio mixer, scene transitions, and bunch of commands stacked in buttons.
How to Add a Source in OBS Studio
Step 20: Click on the + button in the sources box. By using this, you can add a source to your existing software.
It will give you a series of options to choose from. So if you want to add a mic, you can click on Audio Input Capture. If you want to project a game, you can choose game capture etc.
Here we are going to add our laptop webcam as a video capture device. So you know, well, you could basically live stream yourself.
Step 21: Select Video Capture Device to add your webcam as a source.
You can choose to add a name to identify your source. I am just adding a name “laptopCam” so I know what this source is basically.
Step 22: Once done, click on OK.
Things are getting interesting.
The moment I click OK I notice that I can see myself since the webcam has been switched on.
The properties box for the source that has been added opens. You can configure your device based on all the available options.
For e.g. You can choose to enter a custom resolution by clicking here:
If you move the properties window slightly, you will notice that OBS studio has already started projecting the source on the black screen.
Step 23: Once you are done with the properties, you can click on the OK button.
It will take you back to the OBS Studio screen, and show your live webcam feed on the black canvas. The source will have a strong red line around its corner using which you can adjust the size of the source or move around the webcam source wherever you want to keep it.
For e.g. I have moved myself to the bottom of the screen and toward the left.
How to Start Live Streaming on Youtube
Time to revisit your Youtube page.
It is a good idea to stream first privately to make sure your stream has all the right content, before you can make it public.
That option will be available in Privacy section of the Basic Info.
How to add Tags
Once you have done that, click on Advanced Settings.
Then click on Basic Info in the next screen.
From here you can add tags and other related info.
How to stream a game using OBS Studio
If you want to stream a game, you have to add another source.
You can do so by either selecting Display Capture or Game capture options available on the source options by clicking on the ‘+’ button.
You can provide the resolution in the next screen that opens.
Step 24: Once you are ready to stream, simply click on the Start Streaming button available on the right hand corner of the software.
Step 25: Navigate to your Youtube channel once again, and check the status at the top. It will automatically turn to Live.
Wait for a few seconds and it will start streaming whatever is being shown on your OBS Studio software.
That’s it! happy streaming!
Like this article? You can also check our article on how to check eligibility to earn money from streams on Facebook.
