How to stream to YouTube using OBS Studio

Content:

• Step 1 – How to set up a Youtube broadcast
• How to link Youtube with OBS Studio
• How do I view past broadcasts in YouTube Studio?
• How to schedule a YouTube broadcast with OBS studio
• Should you stream on YouTube?
• Summarizing

YouTube Live is one of the most popular live streaming websites today, and with OBS studio, you can easily stream games, music, or anything under the sun. As Twitch gets more crowded every day, YouTube is becoming a more viable option.

Learn how to stream to YouTube using OBS Studio with this quick and easy guide.

Step 1 – How to set up a Youtube broadcast

Streaming to YouTube with OBS Studio is a fairly straightforward process. It’s easy for beginners and easier for those with streaming experience.

To get started, follow these steps:

• Then go to YouTube Creator Studio by clicking here, or type studio.youtube.com in your browser’s address bar.
• Once you’re in the YouTube Creator Studio dashboard, make sure you’re signed in with the account you want to stream from.

• There are two ways to start broadcasting in the YouTube Creator Studio toolbar. The first is to go to the upper right corner of the screen and click “Create – Start”.

• If this is your first YouTube broadcast, you will receive a countdown notification before you can go live. This time there is nothing you can do but wait.

• Once you qualify to stream, you have two options. You can choose to stream right now or set up a broadcast for a later date. For this guide, go to Right Now and click Start.

• The advantage of YouTube Live is that you can stream directly from your browser if you have a webcam. However, we are going to stream using OBS Studio. Navigate to streaming software and click “Go”.

• YouTube will ask you if the content of the stream is for children or general audiences. You can also set an age limit for your broadcast. For now let’s go without age restrictions and for the general public. Click Save.

• You will now see the full YouTube Studio toolbar. This is the control panel for your live broadcast.

• On the top left side of the screen, you will see a preview of the screen. It is currently empty with a request to connect to streaming software. You will have a live stream preview after you set up OBS Studio. You will also see detailed information about your broadcast, such as title, category, privacy, pending viewers, and likes.
• Look a little to the right and click the “Edit” button. This allows you to change the details and what your viewer will see.

• Feel free to enter a new thread name and description.

• Scroll down a bit and you can adjust the visibility of your stream via the drop down menu. Public means that everyone can see it . Private means that only you can see the stream . Finally, Unlisted means that only those who have a link to the stream can view your stream.

• Under the “Visibility” section is a restriction. It cannot be changed because it is already installed when you first open the YouTube Live Control Panel.
• Scroll through the restrictions and you’ll see a “Category” dropdown menu. There will be many categories to choose from. Of course, we want to stream games, so we’ll click on Games . The Game Name section will appear. Select the game you want to stream. However, not every game will appear in the drop-down menu. Just leave the field blank if that’s the case.

• Next comes the thumbnail section. You can add your own thumbnail for live streaming on YouTube. Click on the download thumbnail and change it to your preferred one.

• You can also add your live stream to a playlist. Create a new playlist if you don’t already have one.

• Check the box on the “Paid Promotion” tab if you are running a paid affiliate stream.
• The automatic chapters can be seen below. You can leave it checked by default. This makes it easier for your viewer to scroll through your stream if there are important events.

• Use tags if you want to make your stream easier to find. Use tags that are relevant to your thread.

• Language and subtitle certification, recording date and place, license, comments and ratings can be set by default. You can leave it for now and go to the settings section.

• Live chat should be checked if you want your viewers to interact with each other.
• In participant modes, anyone can send a message and participate if it is set to Any. The other option allows only subscribers to your channel to participate in your stream.
• Message Delay will allow you to set a delay between messages from your viewers. Just leave it as is if you want them to interact in real time.

• Once you qualify for monetization, a monetization tab will appear below the setting. But not yet, as you are just getting started.

• Back in the YouTube Studio dashboard, the stream chat will be visible on the right, with the stream settings in front of you, just below the stream preview.

• The most important thing you need to pay attention to in the stream settings is the stream key. The stream key is encrypted by default because it is sensitive information. Don’t show it on your stream or other people might go to OBS and stream directly on your channel from their end.

• You can also select the desired delay. Normal latency has the delay in which your screen is shown to your viewers, but you will have a better stream. Meanwhile, low latency or ultra-low latency is used if you want to interact with your viewers in real time.

• Your YouTube live stream will be available in your channel library after it ends. However, it can be turned off by checking the “Remove live replay after broadcast ends” checkbox.

How to link Youtube with OBS Studio

Now that we’ve set up our settings for Youtube streaming, we need to link Youtube with our streaming software, OBS Studio.

• Open OBS Studio.
• To prepare your YouTube stream, click “Settings” in the bottom right corner.

• Click “Stream”.

• Select YouTube from the “Tools” drop-down menu.

• There are two ways to stream OBS Studio to YouTube live. The first is to connect your YouTube account directly to OBS. The second is using the stream key. We’ll be using the second option, so click “Use Stream Key”.

• Now go back to your YouTube Studio Live dashboard and click Copy on your broadcast key.

• Return to OBS Studio and paste your broadcast key. Right click then paste or press ctrl + V.

• Click Apply, then OK.
• Click “Start Broadcasting” in the lower right corner of the screen.

• Details of your broadcast will appear at the bottom of the OBS. Here you will see if there are frame drops, live stream time, recording time, CPU usage, streaming frame rate and your bitrate.

• Go back to the YouTube Studio Dashboard and you will see that your stream preview now shows what your OBS is capturing. The dashboard also switched from Stream Settings to Analytics.

• The analytics will show the necessary information about viewers, chat speed, views and average watch duration.
• If you switch to the Stream Health tab, you will see if your stream is experiencing frame drops or if you have a quality stream.

• Once you’ve finished broadcasting, simply click “End Broadcasting” in the top right corner and you’re done.
• Don’t forget to click “Stop Streaming” in OBS as well, otherwise it will continue to stream data to your broadcast key. The preview will be displayed in the YouTube Studio toolbar while OBS continues streaming.
• That’s all. You are done and ready to stream to YouTube using OBS Studio.

How do I view past broadcasts in YouTube Studio?

Watching streams is a good way to capture memorable moments that could be included in a video collection. Follow the instructions to return to your previous threads.

• Open the YouTube Studio toolbar.
• Click “Content” on the left side of the screen.
• Click the “Live” tab.
• After the broadcast ends, all your previous live broadcasts will be shown, except for those not listed.
• You can start watching, editing and working with it just like with other YouTube videos.

How to schedule a YouTube broadcast with OBS studio

Scheduling a YouTube broadcast using OBS Studio is similar to setting up a regular broadcast.

• Open YouTube Studio and click Go Live. This will take you to the YouTube Studio live streaming control panel.
• You’ll see a live YouTube bar that looks like you’ll start streaming right away.
• Go to the left side of the screen and click the calendar icon.

• You will see a panel of upcoming streams. If you don’t have any upcoming streams, then of course it will be empty.
• Click “Schedule Broadcast” in the upper right corner of the screen.

• The Create Stream options appear. Fill in the required details such as stream title, description, category, and thumbnail. Click “Next” to proceed with the setup.
• You can set live chat options, participation and latency in the “Settings” section. Click “Next” to set visibility.
• Check which visibility option applies to your video.
• Then it’s time to set the broadcast schedule. Set the time and date for your broadcast, then click Done.

• When it comes to the actual live stream date, open OBS and start streaming. Just make sure you’re using the correct YouTube stream key, just like you would with a normal stream.

Should you stream on YouTube?

Short answer: yes. Streaming on YouTube is worth it if you also download other types of content. YouTube is also the second largest search engine after Google and chances are you will end up in viewer recommendations.

Longer answer: it depends. Using the YouTube route is the best option if you want to upload more content like gaming moments or lifestyle blogs. Think of YouTube as a one-stop shop for content creation. Also, Google handles this so it helps with rankings and visibility.

Twitch is currently the number one live streaming platform. However, joining Twitch is a gamble as a number of streamers join each day. You will have many competitors, but at the same time you will have a lot of potential viewers. For the full details, check out our YouTube and Twitch Streaming article.

Summarizing

Streaming is a difficult career choice, but everyone has a chance to be at the top. However, it is important to choose a platform that you stick with from the start, as focusing on one platform at a time will help you grow.

We hope this guide on how to stream YouTube with OBS Studio will help you start your streaming career