Webcam is an easy way to go live using your computer, without the need for live streaming encoding software.
How to create a webcam live stream on YouTube
- Make sure that you've enabled your channel for live streaming. Webcam streaming is compatible with Chrome 60+ and Firefox 53+.
- Sign in to YouTube.
- In the upper right, click Create
Go Live.
- From the left menu, select Webcam
.
- Enter a title and description, and select a privacy setting. You can also schedule your live stream for a later date.
- Click More options
- Click Next. Your camera will then take a thumbnail.
- Make sure that you've chosen the correct webcam and microphone.
- Click Go live.
- To manage your stream, like add tags, change monetisation and chat settings and more, click Edit. You can change these settings at any time, whether your stream is live or not.
- When you've finished streaming, click End stream at the bottom. All streams under 12 hours will be automatically archived. You can access previous, current and upcoming streams in the Live tab.
Go Live.
.Use the Live Control Panel
When you live stream, you can use a compact version of the Live Control Room (Live Control Panel) to minimise the display area that you need for your stream. The Live Control Panel shows you important info from the Live Control Room, such as Views and Chat revenue, in a smaller display area.
To turn on the Live Control Panel:
- In the Live Control Room, go to the stream dashboard.
- In the lower left-hand corner, click Pop-out dashboard
.
.To close the Live Control Panel, exit the window.
Share screen on Live Control Room using webcam
While live streaming using Live Control Room through a webcam, you can now share your screen. After you have gone live using a webcam:
- Click SHARE SCREEN
, in the bottom centre, next to the mic button.
- Select your entire screen, a window or a tab.
- If you present a browser tab that supports webcam, it shares that browser's audio by default.
- To present a different tab, select the tab that you want to present and click Share this tab instead.
- Click Share.
To stop sharing your screen on Live Control Room:
- In Live Control Room, click Stop sharing or
- In the browser window tab, click Stop sharing
Add a trailer to your live stream
Get your audience excited about your scheduled live stream by showing a trailer. Your trailer will play for viewers on the watch page before the live stream starts.
Trailers can only be played on streams scheduled from the 'Manage' tab in Live Control Room.
- Upload your trailer to your YouTube channel like you would with a regular upload.
- Go to YouTube Studio > Go live.
- Create a scheduled live stream or choose a scheduled stream from the 'Manage' tab.
- In the top-right corner, click Edit.
- Click Customise.
- Under 'Trailer', click Add.
- Choose your trailer video.
- Click Save.
Eligibility
This feature is available to creators that have more than 1,000 subscribers and no Community Guidelines strikes.
Requirements
- Video type: Use any YouTube supported video type.
- Video length: 15 seconds–3 minutes.
- Aspect ratio and resolution: We recommend using the same aspect ratio and resolution as the premiering video.
- Audio and video rights: Make sure that the trailer does not infringe on other content.
Manage live streams
- Go to YouTube Studio or studio.youtube.com.
- From the left-hand menu, select Content.
- Click the Live tab.
- Live now: Videos that are currently live streaming.
- Upcoming: Videos that have yet to stream but are scheduled to be at a certain time.
- Live replay: Videos that have already live streamed.
You can also access and launch scheduled live streams in the Live Control Room.
- From the left-hand menu, select Manage.
- Click on the scheduled live stream that you'd like to launch.
- Click Go live.