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Live streamers often find themselves juggling a lot of sources, software and platforms at once. Using a Stream Deck can cut down on multitasking by simplifying several actions and clicks into a single press of a button. In this blog, we’ll explain how to use a Stream Deck, how to create your first Stream Deck setup, and share some tips about our Stream Deck plugin.
The Elgato Stream Deck is a customizable control panel that can be used to manage multiple devices and interfaces. Although initially designed for gamers, they are great tools for live streamers. Use Stream Deck keys to switch between scenes, control your webcam, or record your live stream with just one key.
There are many advantages that Stream Decks have over a normal keypad and shortcuts. Not only can you add custom graphics and display them on each key’s mini LCD screen, but you can also endlessly stack actions into folders and organize them in profiles, and download multiple free and paid plugins with countless functions.
1. Connect your Stream Deck to your computer using the USB cable. Stream Decks are compatible with Mac and Windows. We suggest you avoid using a passive USB hub, as this can sometimes stop the unit from communicating with your computer, or slow your connection.
2. Download the Stream Deck app from the official Elgato website. You’ll have to scroll down a little bit before you find the app on the website. Filter between Mac and Windows to download the app compatible with your system.
Go to your Downloads folder and launch the installer file. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the app.
3. Browse the category dropdown menus for actions on the right side of the app. You can collapse and expand all categories. When you download additional Stream Deck plugins, you can find them by scrolling down the category dropdowns.
4. Click and drag the action to any empty key. This action will be automatically saved to the key as soon as it is assigned. You can now drag the key anywhere on the panel.
If you run out of keys, you can create new pages by pressing the + next to the page number at the bottom of the key panels in the app. Navigate between pages using the navigation arrow keys.
There are plenty of ways to learn how to use a Stream Deck that can make live streaming simpler. One way is to use Stream Deck with OBS and other streaming softwares to easily swap between scenes, launch overlays, hide or show webcams, record your live stream, and much more.
The Stream Deck app should already be set up with shortcuts for Twitch, OBS, and YouTube that can be mapped onto your keys. However, if you can’t find the shortcuts, you can also download the plugin from the Stream Deck Marketplace. You can also click on the Marketplace icon at the top of your Stream Deck app.
For example, here’s how to add a key to your Stream Deck setup that launches your BRB scene on OBS:
1. Open the category dropdown menu under the OBS Studio category.
2. Drag the “Scene” action into one of the empty keys.
3. In the action control panel below the keypad display, select your BRB screen from the dropdown menu next to “Scene:”. You can customize this button to include whatever icon or title you like.
Now you can launch your BRB screen while streaming with OBS by pressing the assigned key on your Stream Deck.
Once you’ve gotten the hang of assigning functions to different keys, you can build a Stream Deck setup that matches your needs. Change icons, organize actions into folders, and create separate profiles for different live stream accounts, for work, or for focus time.
1. Select the key that you want to edit.
2. Click the + symbol on the icon display.
3. Choose a new icon from the Streak Deck icon library.
4. Remove text from the icon by clicking on the T symbol and clear the check box next to “Show Title”.
If you find that navigating between pages takes up too much space on your Stream Deck, you can also organize actions into folders. There are no limits to how many subfolders you can create, so you can stack your folders endlessly.
1. Right click on an empty key, then select “Create Folder”. You can also drag and drop the “Create Folder” icon from the Navigation category dropdown.
2. Open the folder. You can drag any assigned function keys into the folder.
3. To return to the main page from any folder or subfolder, press and hold the return key.
Tip: You can also right click an existing action on the keypad display and select “Move to Folder”. This will create a new folder and automatically place the action inside the folder.
You can organize your actions and folders into separate profiles. Create unique Stream Deck setups for each profile, including one for live streaming, and one for editing post-live stream. Here’s how to create a new profile:
1. Click on the profile title at the top left of your Stream Deck app. If you’ve just downloaded the app, your profile will be named “Default Profile”.
2. Select “New Profile” from the dropdown menu. This will automatically take you to your new profile with an empty keypad display.
3. Click on the profile title again and select “Edit Profile” from the dropdown menu.
4. Right click on your new profile and select “Rename” to give your profile a name.
You can now easily swap between profiles by selecting from the profile dropdown menu.
You can easily control any one of our live, animated overlays by downloading our free Stream Deck plugin from the Stream Deck Marketplace. You can also download our special icon set.
Once you’ve downloaded our uno Stream Deck plugin, here’s how to set up your first overlay Stream Deck key:
1. Scroll down the category dropdowns to the Uno Overlays category.
2. Drag the “Uno Control” action into an empty key.
3. Log in to overlays.uno and go to My Overlays. Double click the overlay you want to use to open the online interface.
4. At the top right corner of your screen, click the key symbol to copy the overlay’s Uno Token.
5. In the Stream Deck app, paste the Uno Token in the Uno Token field.
6. Select an action from the Action dropdown menu. For example, if you want to the Stream Deck key to start the countdown timer, select “Play timer”.
Having trouble using our Stream Deck plugin? Want advice on what Stream Deck setup to use? You can browse the FAQ section of Elgato’s help page, or join our Discord server to get first-hand advice from our community on how to use a Stream Deck for your next live stream.
