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Chroma key is massively popular with pre-recorded and edited content, but it can also be a great tool for live streamers. Learning how to use a green screen with streaming software like OBS Studio can add flair and creativity, no matter whether you're gaming or running a live podcast. Here’s our green screen tutorial for beginner live streamers.
To put it simply, chroma keying is the technical way to talk about using greenscreen. Chroma keying is very popular in various types of media, including weather channels and news reports.
This visual technique is used to select a specific range of colors and isolate them, which helps cut a subject (or person) from a background. Green and blue are most often used because they are not commonly found in skin tones and hair – though blond hair has been known to cause problems against greenscreen without the right lighting and settings.
How do you use a green screen when you’re live streaming? Chroma key is used in live streaming to put in fun backgrounds, show your screen while running a live podcast, and to take up less space during a gaming live stream.
Live streaming means none of the wiggle room that comes with post-production editing. That’s why you need to make sure you set up your shooting space well to achieve a better effect when live streaming.
You can find a chroma key green screen easily on ecommerce sites like Amazon and ebay. However, the lighting that comes with green screen kits might not be enough. You want the lighting on the green screen to be as even and soft as possible to ensure that you don’t have different shades of green. (This avoids complications later on when you’re setting up chroma key filters in your streaming software.)
If you’re using a blanket or fabric, make sure there aren’t wrinkles. You might want to add light sources to the left and right of your green screen.
Once you’ve set up lighting for your green screen, set up lighting for yourself (or whoever you’re going to have on camera). We recommend using a combination of ring light and a hanging light to create dimension and separate you from the green screen.
Don’t wear any green or reflective clothing while filming, because you’ll risk your clothing looking transparent in the final stream. Sit as far from the green screen as possible, so you don’t have any of the green reflect on your skin and so that you don’t cast a large shadow.
Most streaming software has chroma key tools that remove or replace green screens while live streaming, including OBS Studio (which is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux). Here’s a quick guide on how to use chroma key in OBS Studio.
1. Open up OBS Studio. Add your camera’s video source by pressing the + icon in the Sources pane, and select “Video Capture Device”. Type in a name for your camera. If your camera is installed, it should automatically populate the field.
2. Right click the video source you’ve created, and click on “Filters” in the dropdown menu that appears.
3. Click the + button under the Effects Filters section, and select “Chroma Key”. You can type in a name for this effect layer (for example, Green Screen Cam).
4. OBS Studio will automatically create and adjust the baseline settings. You can experiment with the sliding dials in the OBS chroma key filter to get a result you’re satisfied with.
Here’s what you should roughly aim for with the OBS green screen settings:
With the green screen OBS filters set, you can now add the source that will appear behind your silhouette. You can do that in a few simple steps:
1. Click the + button in the Sources pane.
2. Select the source you want to add to your background. This might be Game Capture or Screen Capture. Remember to name it something memorable.
3. If you’re using Game Capture, for “Mode”, select “Capture any full-screen application”.
There are also several other streaming tools with chroma key online, including on Twitch Studio. You can explore several tutorials on setting up your green screen online and on the official websites of each streaming software.
Whether you’re gaming, running a live podcast, or trying to make your Just Chatting live stream look a little more polished and professional, you can take it to the next level by adding overlays. Here at uno, we have a wide range of overlays that you can add to any OBS scene layout.
Uno overlays are easy to use and compatible with your favorite streaming software – including OBS Studio. Keep things simple and uncluttered with any of our social loop bugs or lower third overlays, or use one of our stream packs to have multiple overlays ready at your fingertips. You can use any of our overlays for free just by signing up to overlays.uno today.
If you’re struggling to remove shades of green caused by wrinkles in the fabric or shadows, you can use the OBS chroma key tool more than once for different shades. Always test, test, and test again before going live.
It’s also important to know that OBS green screen tools and other chroma key software will put a drain on your CPU. Try using the crop filter on your webcam or camera source before using the chroma key filter. You can also control your uno overlays on your mobile or iPad to lessen the computer processing load.
If you’re still struggling with how to use a green screen while livestreaming, or want help managing all your sources including your overlays, reach out to our community on Discord for inspiration and support.
