learning-to-livestream
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Learning to Livestream: Aesthetics
We hear the phrase "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" all the time, right? Unfortunately, our first streams always seem to be the most buggy and give us the most trouble. I know if I had it my way, I'd rather have my audience catch my stream now rather than when I first started. Of course, we don't have that luxury all the time. What can we do to give that first impression an extra boost? In past Learning to Livestream articles, I've addressed the issues regarding the quality of the stream itself. I won't rehash that. Instead, I will talk about one of my favorite subjects: graphics. The first part of my college and professional career was in graphic design -- mostly for print -- but in today's market, graphic designers cannot help but at least dabble in web and television graphics. It should come as no surprise that I did the same. Before you go thinking that you have to have some outlandish art degree to create graphics for your stream, finish reading the rest of this article. I'll show you a few tips to better your stream's first impression.
Learning to livestream: Configuring the software
Last week in this Learning to Livestream miniseries, we pulled apart my livestreaming computer, analyzed each part, and explained why I bought the pieces that I did. I loved the comments as well. Different players have differing opinions of which pieces are needed for which purpose. I appreciate the input; it makes us better streamers. The one key ingredient that I did not talk about last week was the software. Encoding and uploading software obviously play a key role in how well the stream works and the audience's enjoyment of your broadcast. Currently, the Stream Team uses XSplit for the majority of its broadcasts, so I will spend most of my space today explaining how to set that up. But there are alternatives. What do other pieces of software have to offer, and is there a setup that reduces the CPU lag for older systems? Continue on and we'll get into the nitty-gritty of livesteaming software.
