Ultimate Guide to Setting Up a Live Video Stream on YouTube Using OBS Studio

I run the Barn Owl Live cameras here in the Peak District, and they stream to YouTube around the clock. Most of my cameras run through dedicated streaming boxes, and I use OBS Studio when I want to add overlays or mix cameras together. I also use Streamer.bot, which I think is one of the best free add-ons you can give a YouTube live stream.

This guide covers everything I've learnt along the way. It's written for people like me: you might be going live for the first time, or setting up a camera to run all day and night. Either way, it's all in plain English.

What you need to stream to YouTube

You don't need expensive kit to get started. Here's the basic list:

• A YouTube channel with live streaming turned on (more on that below).
• A camera. This could be a webcam, a camcorder, or a network camera (IP camera) like the ones on bird boxes and wildlife feeders.
• Something to send the video to YouTube. This is called an encoder. It can be free software such as OBS Studio running on a computer, or a small hardware streaming box.
• A decent internet upload speed. Upload matters much more than download. Run a speed test and look at the upload figure. For a good 1080p stream you want at least 10 to 15 Mbps up, but a slow-moving wildlife camera can look great on less.

Tip: Use a wired network cable if you possibly can. Wi-Fi is the most common cause of a stream that keeps buffering or dropping out.

Turn on live streaming in YouTube

The first time you stream, YouTube needs to switch the feature on for your channel. Do this a day or two before you plan to go live.

1. Go to YouTube Studio and sign in.
2. Click Create in the top right, then Go live.
3. If you're asked to verify your channel with a phone number, do that.
4. Wait. The first time, it can take up to 24 hours for live streaming to be switched on.

Once it's on, the Go live button takes you to the Live Control Room. This is where you'll find your stream key, set the title and description, and keep an eye on how healthy your stream is.

Streaming with OBS Studio

OBS Studio is free, open source software for Windows, Mac and Linux. It's what most people use to stream from a computer, because it lets you mix cameras, add text and images, and switch between scenes while you're live.

Download OBS Studio

Step 1: Install and run the setup wizard

Install OBS and open it. The first time, it offers to run the Auto-Configuration Wizard. Say yes and choose Optimise for streaming. It tests your computer and internet connection and picks sensible starting settings. You can fine-tune them afterwards.

Step 2: Connect OBS to YouTube

Go to Settings, then Stream, and choose YouTube - RTMPS as the service. You then have two choices:

• Connect Account. Sign in to YouTube from inside OBS. You can then set your title and description and start streaming without copying a stream key. This is the easiest option for regular streams from a computer.
• Use Stream Key. Copy the stream key from YouTube's Live Control Room and paste it into OBS. This is handy if you stream to the same place every time.

Keep your stream key private. Anyone who has it can stream to your channel. If it's ever shared by accident, reset it in the Live Control Room.

Step 3: Add your camera and sound

In the Sources box at the bottom of OBS, click the + button and add what you want to show:

• Video Capture Device for a webcam or a camera plugged in through a capture card.
• Media Source for a network camera. Untick "Local File" and paste in the camera's RTSP address, which you'll find in the camera's manual or app. It usually starts with rtsp://.
• Display Capture or Window Capture to show your screen or one program.
• Image or Text for logos, overlays and captions. PNG images with a transparent background work best.

Microphones usually appear on their own in the Audio Mixer. Watch the level bars while you talk, and aim for them to sit in the yellow, not the red.

Step 4: Do a test stream

Before going public, set the stream to Unlisted or Private in YouTube, click Start Streaming in OBS, and watch it on another device. Check the picture, the sound and any overlays. YouTube usually takes a few seconds to show your stream, so don't panic if it doesn't appear straight away.

Step 5: Go live

When you're happy, set the stream to Public and start streaming. Keep the Live Control Room open, because it shows the stream health and any warnings from YouTube. When you've finished, click Stop Streaming in OBS.

The best settings for YouTube

These are YouTube's own recommendations for streaming in the standard H.264 format. You'll find them in OBS under Settings, then Output (set Output Mode to Advanced) and Video.

A few other settings that make a real difference:

• Rate control: CBR (constant bitrate).
• Keyframe interval: 2 seconds.
• Audio: AAC at 128 Kbps, 44.1 kHz stereo.
• Encoder: if your computer has a graphics card, choose its hardware encoder (NVIDIA NVENC, AMD or Intel Quick Sync, or Apple VT on a Mac). It takes the load off your processor. Otherwise, use x264.

Wildlife cameras and other slow scenes: you don't need the full bitrate. A bird box or feeding station changes very little from one second to the next, so 1080p at 25fps looks lovely at around 6,000 Kbps. In the UK, 25fps also avoids the flicker you can get from mains lighting. On a very slow connection, you can go as low as 720p at 15fps and still give people a good view.

Streaming with a streaming box

This is how I run most of my cameras. A streaming box, also called a hardware encoder, is a small device that takes the video from a camera and sends it straight to YouTube, without a computer.

Why use a streaming box?

• No computer needs to stay on. That saves electricity and means a Windows update can't restart your stream at 3am.
• They're very reliable. They do one job, and once they're set up they tend to keep going for months.
• They're small and quiet, so they can sit in a shed or loft right next to the camera and router.

The trade-off is flexibility. You can't easily add fancy overlays or switch between cameras the way you can in OBS. Some people get the best of both by using boxes for the always-on cameras and OBS for special streams.

Setting one up

Every box has its own menus, but they all need the same two things from YouTube:

• The server address. For YouTube this is rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2, or rtmps://a.rtmps.youtube.com/live2 if your box supports the more secure RTMPS.
• Your stream key, from the Live Control Room.

Enter both into the box, set the resolution, frame rate and bitrate using the table above, and switch it on. Within a few seconds your stream should show up in YouTube.

Tip: Some network cameras can stream to YouTube on their own. Look for "RTMP" in the camera's settings. If it's there, you may not need a box at all.

Running a 24/7 live stream

YouTube is happy for you to stream around the clock, and wildlife cameras are perfect for it. There are a few things I wish I'd known at the start, though.

• Long streams aren't saved as a replay. YouTube only archives a live stream automatically if it's under 12 hours long. Anything longer may not be saved at all. If you want to keep clips of special moments, record them yourself, or use YouTube's clip feature while you're live.
• Viewers can only rewind so far. With DVR turned on, people can pause and rewind, but on streams longer than 12 hours the rewind is limited.
• Use a reusable stream key so your box or OBS always sends to the same place. You can create one in the Live Control Room.
• Check the auto-start and auto-stop settings. They're in the stream settings in the Live Control Room. With auto-stop turned off, a short internet drop won't end your broadcast. Your encoder just reconnects to the same stream, and viewers keep the same link.
• Keep an eye on stream health. Check the Live Control Room every so often. It will tell you if the bitrate is too low or the connection keeps dropping.
• Power cuts happen. Set your router, streaming box and camera to start up on their own when the power comes back. A small UPS (battery backup) helps with brief cuts.

You can see how this works in practice on our live barn owl nest camera and our badger and fox camera.

Adding Streamer.bot to your stream

If there's one extra I'd recommend to anyone streaming on YouTube, it's Streamer.bot. It's free Windows software that connects to your YouTube live chat and to OBS, and lets you automate all sorts of things.

Here's the kind of thing you can do with it:

• Chat commands. Viewers type something like !info and get an instant answer. It's great for questions you get asked a hundred times a day. You can see the commands we use on Barn Owl Live.
• Timed messages that remind people to subscribe, or point them to your website every so often.
• Welcome messages for new viewers and people who come back.
• OBS control. Switch scenes, show or hide overlays, and react to what's happening in chat.
• Games, polls and leaderboards that make viewers feel part of the stream.

It connects to OBS through the WebSocket server that's built into OBS. Turn it on in OBS under Tools, then WebSocket Server Settings, and enter the details into Streamer.bot. There's a bit to learn, but the Streamer.bot Discord community is very friendly and helpful.

Why I rate it: a live stream with an active chat feels like a community, not just a camera. Streamer.bot takes care of the repetitive jobs, so you have more time to actually talk to people.

Fixing common problems

My stream keeps buffering or dropping frames

This is nearly always the internet connection. Switch to a wired connection, lower the bitrate, or drop from 1080p to 720p. In OBS, the bottom bar shows dropped frames. If they're climbing, your upload can't keep up.

OBS says "Encoding overloaded"

Your computer is struggling. Switch to a hardware encoder in the Output settings, lower the resolution or frame rate, and close other programs.

Display Capture shows a black screen

This often happens on laptops with two graphics chips. In Windows, go to Settings, System, Display, then Graphics, and try setting OBS to the other graphics option. For game capture, running OBS as administrator can help.

There's no sound on my stream

Check the Audio Mixer in OBS. Make sure the right microphone is selected and isn't muted, and that the level bars move when you speak. On a streaming box, check that audio is switched on in its settings, as some have it off by default.

My stream ended on its own

If the connection dropped and auto-stop was turned on, YouTube may have ended the broadcast. Turn auto-stop off for always-on cameras, as explained in the 24/7 section.

Questions people ask

Is OBS Studio really free?

Yes. OBS Studio is completely free and open source, with no watermark and no time limit, on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Can I stream to YouTube 24/7?

Yes. YouTube allows streams to run around the clock. Just remember that streams longer than 12 hours aren't automatically saved as a replay.

What bitrate should I use for YouTube?

YouTube recommends about 10,000 Kbps for 1080p at 30fps and about 4,000 Kbps for 720p at 30fps. Slow-moving scenes like wildlife cameras can look good on less.

Do I need a computer to stream to YouTube?

No. A hardware streaming box, or a network camera with RTMP built in, can send video straight to YouTube without a computer.

What is Streamer.bot?

Streamer.bot is free Windows software that connects to your YouTube chat and OBS. It lets you add chat commands, timed messages, games and automatic scene changes to your stream.

If you'd like to see all this in action, pop into our live wildlife cameras and say hello in the chat. And if you'd like our barn owl stream on your own website, here's how to embed it for free.