Whether you’re interested in creating a fun tutorial for people to try at home, live streaming your favorite games, or even sharing your best jokes with a live audience, there’s a lot to love about creating content onYouTube.

When you want to directly interact with your audience in real-time, you may always set up a livestream, and theOpen Broadcaster Software (OBS)tool is usually the best way to make it happen.

Get your YouTube stream key

Step 1:Create a YouTube account if you haven’t already.

Step 2:You can’t participate in YouTube live streaming until you verify the account with a linked mobile number. Head to theverification page, log in to your account, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Step 3:Once verified, it’s time to head to YouTube Studio.  Select theCameraicon on the top right-hand side of the main YouTube page and then selectGo Live.

Step 4:Now selectSchedule Stream, and check to ensure that all the settings are correct and that the video is properly titled and described (this is great for video SEO and important if you want maximum visibility). The video should always be set toPublic.

Step 5: When ready, selectCreate Stream.

Step 6:With your stream created, a control panel will provide a preview window and tabs for stream settings, analytics, and stream health.

TheStream Settingstab is open by default. Look directly under the label to find the stream key you need for OBS. ClickCopyto send the long string of characters to the clipboard. You can also click theShow Stream Keyeyeball button to expose the string for 10 seconds and enter them manually in OBS.

Whatever you do, keep this number secret. You don’t want anyone else to have it since they could stream on your account without your permission.

Step 1:Download OBS from the official websiteand install it as you would any other program. Run it as an administrator, and head into theSettingspanel using the relevant button located in the bottom right corner.

Step 2:On the following pop-up screen, use theVideoandOutputtabs to select your chosen frame rates, resolution, and bit rate — they control your audio quality. To see the ideal settings for YouTube, check outGoogle’s relevant support page.

Step 3:Go to theStreamtab using the left-hand menu and selectYouTube -RTMPSfrom theServicedrop-down menu.

Step 4:In theStream Keyfield, type or paste your YouTube stream key. That links OBS with YouTube so the software streams straight to your channel.

Step 5:ClickAudioon the left-hand menu. Each audio device on that page represents one potential audio source in your livestream. If you want viewers to hear in-game or desktop audio, set one of theDesktop Audiosettings to your system’s audio output. If you want your viewers to hear you, select your microphone from the drop-down next toMic/Auxiliary Audio.

Step 6:Exit the settings panel by clickingApply>OK.

Step 7:In the main window, click thePlusicon under theSourcesheading toward the bottom. If you want to stream game footage, clickGame Capturelisted on the pop-up menu.

You have a few different options for capturing your footage. You can capture any full-screen application, a specific window, or a foreground window. You can also allow transparency, capture third-party overlays, and more. ClickOKto complete.

Want to add your headshot using an external camera? Click thePlusicon underSourcesagain, but this time, selectVideo Capture Device.Select your camera from the list of options under theDevicedrop-down and decide on its quality and FPS. When finished, clickOK.

Start streaming

With all of the above settings in place and your YouTube channel configured to accept your stream, there’s only one thing to do: Start live streaming! If you want to start right away, click theStart Streamingbutton located in the bottom right corner.

Now it’s time to start streaming. To begin, click theGo Livebutton in the top left corner of your YouTube dashboard. Once the OBS establishes the connection to YouTube, the broadcast will be visible in the preview pane. Keep in mind that there is a 20-second delay between your live stream and the public page where your viewers are watching.

Once you say goodbye to your viewers, you’ll need to end your broadcast. You can do this by selectingStop Streamingin OBS. Then clickEnd Streamon your YouTube dashboard.

Stream issues

You might encounter issues with your YouTube live stream due to problems with PC or internet performance. OBS allows you to open a log to find a solution to your problems. You can find this log by clickingHelp, then choosingLog Filesfrom the drop-down menu. Then, from the following menu, select eitherUpload Current Log FileorUpload Last Log File. You’ll see a new window giving you a URL for the uploaded log file. Make sure to copy the URL to your clipboard before clickingOKto finish.

Your log file becomes a resource employed by theOBS Log Analyzerto execute diagnostics on any issues you might be experiencing with your stream that need resolving. Open the analyzer and paste the URL into the text field. you’re able to click on the Log Analyzer’sAnalyzebutton to get a detailed analysis of your streaming activity along with suggestions on how to resolve performance problems. For example, your stream might be low-quality due to your game’s FPS. Alternatively, your PC resolution may be set too high, which would overload the GPU.

Here is a list of tools and services that will help you maintain sharp visuals on your stream: