| Relevant to: | Guests | Speakers | Event Managers & Assistants | Account Owners |
| ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
OBS (or Open Broadcasting Software) is a free and open-source software for video recording and/or live streaming...
... and you can use OBS to Stream into Events.com Virtual as well!
There are multiple things you can do with OBS including adding a fun virtual background, recording/ playing videos, and live streaming to Youtube.
That being said though, this is a medium to advanced-level technique, depending on what you'd like to do with OBS.
So, without further ado... presenting your how-to guide for using OBS and Events.com Virtual.
Table of Contents:
Installing OBS
- Download and install OBS on your computer device.
Please note that OBS does require a considerable amount of computer processing power, so if you are working on a relatively older computer, streaming OBS into Events.com Virtual may not be ideal.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to set up OBS on your device.
Scenes and Sources
Scenes and Sources are like the heart and soul of OBS. They're what help you control and create the output you stream into Events.com Virtual.
Sources are exactly what they sound like - the various sources of audio or video content you can live stream or record. For example, your webcam, or pre-recorded video, or even an image!
On the other hand, Scenes are the culmination of the types of Sources you want to play at once.
Sounds confusing? Let me break it down... let's say before your actual presentation started you wanted to have an image and a piece of text saying the presentation will begin soon, that's all considered one scene. Another scene could then be your webcam and shared screen. So, a scene is essentially when you need to swap between Sources.
So, now let's look at how you can actually add Scenes and Sources...
1. In the Scenes box in the lower left corner of the application click the '+' icon to add a Scene.
2. Add a name for this scene and click 'OK'.
3. Your scene should now appear in that Scenes box.
4. Now in the Sources box, you can add the various sources you'd like to use for that scene. To add one, click the '+' icon and select the source you'd like.
Here's an overview of some of the key sources:
- Image: Upload a static image from your device
- Image Slide Show: Upload static images on your device, and have them play in a slideshow
- Media Source: Upload a pre-recorded video from your device
Please note, the audio from this video does not go through
- Text: Add some text directly to your scenes
- Video Capture Device: Your webcam!
- Window Capture: Capture a specific webpage you've got open
Remember Events.com Virtual video tiles are set to a 4:3 aspect ratio
5. Select 'Add Existing' if you'd like that same source to be available in other scenes later on as well. Otherwise select 'Create new', and click 'OK'.
6. Depending on which Source you've added, fill in the required details, and click 'OK'.
7. Now you can resize the source however you see fit using the size handles.
8. As you add more Sources in your scenes, you can also decide on the order of those sources. For example, if you'd like some text overlaying your webcam, you can simply move the webcam source to the bottom of the list using the up and down arrows
9. Now continue adding sources and scenes as you like! ✨
Check out the bottom of this article for a cool way to create a virtual background using OBS!
10. Once you've got all your scenes and sources sorted, you're ready to start streaming into Events.com Virtual! So, click 'Studio Mode'. This will open up two panels:
- Preview - This is essential for whichever scene is on stand-by or what will appear next
- Program - This is the scene that is currently LIVE or streaming into Events.com Virtual.
11. Select whichever scene you would like to start with, and this scene (and all its relevant sources) should appear in the Preview panel
If you'd like this scene to immediately appear when you turn on your video in Events.com Virtual, then click 'Transition' to move this scene into the Program Panel.
12. Once you're set to go, select 'Tools' and then 'Start Virtual Camera'. This is really important as it is what lets Events.com Virtual pick up whatever you create in OBS as a webcam source!
If you're using a Mac, you will need to download an additional plugin which you can access here. Then you'll need to restart your computer.
13. In your Events.com Virtual event now, click the arrow next to the Camera icon in your bottom menu toolbar, and change your Camera source to 'OBS Virtual Camera Device'
Please note that the name of your Virtual Camera Source may be different.
14. Turn your Camera on in Events.com Virtual, and instead of just your usual webcam, whatever is in your Program Panel should now be streaming into Events.com Virtual! ✨
As you can see above the image is mirrored on my end, but not to worry for guests the image appears the right way!
15. Now click on the next scene you'd like to have, and this should load up in the Preview Panel. Once you're ready to change over to this scene, just click 'Transition'
Tip: Configure your hotkeys so instead of having to click 'Transition' in OBS, with a few simple clicks on your keyboard, you can make the switch.
To configure this just go into your OBS settings, and click 'Hotkeys' and then next to 'Transition', add whatever keyboard shortcut you'd like (mine's SHIFT + SPACE), and then click 'OK'
See how this looks for a Guest in action...
There you have it! Your basic guide on how to stream into Events.com Virtual as a camera source ✨
Use Cases of OBS and Events.com Virtual
If you'd like to go beyond just using OBS for Events.com Virtual, there's a lot more you can do with it as well You can use OBS to edit and create videos using their Recording feature -or- Stream straight to your favourite channels such as Youtube, Twitch, Facebook and more!
We've put together a couple of cool use cases with Events.com Virtual and OBS below - check them out!
Share Screen with Webcam
With a little help from OBS you can now share both your webcam and your screen in a single stream! Exciting right?! Here's how you can set this up:
1. Open OBS and create a Scene.
2. Add a Window Capture Source and set this to capture whatever it is you would like to share, for example your presentation slides, or a particular website.
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3. Now add a Video Capture Device Source and set this to capture your normal webcam.
4. Resize your both your window capture and video capture device sources however you'd like them to appear. For example:
5. Then you're set to start streaming into Events.com Virtual! Just follow along from Step 10 above.
And here's what it looks like from a Guest's perspective:
And the same theory applies if you want to add a title to your speaker's video stream - just instead of adding a Window Capture Source, you add a Text Source.
Virtual Background
Since you can combine multiple sources into a single camera source with OBS, you can also create a virtual background!
To do this you will need:
- A webcam
- Solid Green Screen (or Blue or Magenta)
- OBS
1. Open OBS and create a Scene.
2. Add an Image Source this will be your Virtual Background (so choose wisely...)
3. Add a Video Capture Device Source (in other words your webcam)
4. Make sure the Image Source is below the Video Capture Device Source, so your Webcam will appear above the Image
5. Right-click on your Webcam and select 'Filters' or click on your Webcam Source and click 'Filters' above the Sources box
6. Click '+' button under 'Effect Filters', and select 'Chroma Key', and type a name for this filter
7. Under Key Color Type, select the colour of your Screen Background (Green, Blue or Magenta). Immediately you should see that colour get removed in the image above
Remember don't wear the same colour clothes as your screen background! (Otherwise you'll just appear as a floating head... unless that's what you intended of course...)
8. Once you're happy, click 'Close'
9. Now you can adjust your webcam source to fit the screen or re-size it however you want. And ta-da! An easy to create Virtual Background! Now you can use this as your camera source in Remo by following the same steps as above
Live Streaming with Youtube
With OBS you can stream live to Youtube and then have that play back into Remo via either of the content banners in Conversation Mode -or- the Share Video feature in Presentation Mode.
To do this, you will need to have Live Streaming enabled on your Youtube Account. This takes up to 24 hours.
Here's how you can do this:
1. In your Youtube Account, start a Live Stream (click the Add Video icon in the upper right corner of your Youtube Account, and select 'Go Live', and then follow the on-screen instructions to get set up.
2. When it asks for What type of stream, select 'Streaming software'
3. Under 'Stream Settings', copy your 'Stream key'.
4. Open up your OBS Settings, and select 'Stream'.
5. Next to 'Service', select 'YouTube/ YouTube Gaming', and then paste the stream key you copied in the Step 2. Click 'OK'.
6. Whenever you're ready to start streaming - click 'Studio Mode' in OBS, so you can queue up your scenes and sources, and select the first scene you would like to display.
Remember the scene you'd like to have playing live should be in the Program Panel and the scene you'd like to play next should be in the Preview Panel
7. Then click the 'Start Streaming' button in the lower right corner to send the feed into Youtube
Please note there may be around a 20 seconds delay between your OBS stream and Youtube Live
8. You should be able to see your OBS stream (whichever scene is in the Program Panel) in the display on Youtube
You can also test out transitioning your scenes here before you officially go live!
9. Click the 'Share' button at the top of your screen to grab the link where your Youtube Livestream will be live at.
10. When you're ready to start the live stream, click 'Go Live' at the top of your screen.
11. Depending on how you want to share this Livestream, paste the link into the appropriate place:
If you'd like the Livestream to play via the content banner...
- Go into your "Event Settings"
- Select "Advanced", and click on "Floor Content"
- Click on the "Add Content" option.
- Select Content Type: Video, Display Type: Floorplan
- Click "Save Banner"
If you'd like to share the Livestream in Presentation Mode...
- Press the 'Present' button in your Remo Event Space
- Click 'More' and then 'Share Video'
- Insert the link and click 'Ok'
For detailed steps, check out how to stream Youtube Live onto Events.com Virtual
Whichever way you choose, you can now control your Youtube Livestream through OBS, and share it with your guests in Events.com Virtual!
12. Once you're live stream is finished, you can click 'End Stream' at the top of your Youtube Screen, AND click 'Stop Streaming' in OBS.
Enjoy! ✨