There are a lot of settings that can be changed or adjusted in the left menu, but for now the only other settings you need to worry about are the ones on the Stream page.
- How to Stream on Twitch From a Computer
- What to Know
- What You Need to Stream on Twitch
- Necessary
- Optional
- AirBeamTV App To Cast Twitch to a Smart TV
- Download the AirBeamTV App
- How to Cast Twitch to LG Smart TV
- How to Record a Twitch Stream Using VLC Media Player
- How to Screen Record Twitch Streams Using OBS Studio
- How to stream on Twitch from a Mac or PC
- Main Screen Share, or picking what to stream
- Scenes
- How to stream on Twitch from the mobile app
- Custom Gaming Videos with Full-Featured Video Editor
- How to stream mobile gameplay to Twitch with OBS
- How to stream mobile gameplay to Twitch with Streamlabs OBS
- Other Considerations for Streaming
- Testing Your Internet Speed
- Should You Use One or Two Computers for Streaming?
- Other Hardware Requirements
- Minimum Laptop Specifications
- Microphone, Condenser or Dynamic?
- Headset
How to Stream on Twitch From a Computer
Brad Stephenson is a freelance technology writer and culture freak with over 12 years of experience. He writes about Windows 10, Xbox One and cryptocurrency.
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with over 6 years of writing experience for publications such as TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
What to Know
- Open Twitch Studio, log in, click Get Started and follow the instructions to adjust the settings, then click Done. Then click Start Streaming.
- You need a Twitch account, computer, and streaming software. Twitch Studio is the official Twitch desktop application.
- Third party software such as OBS Studio and Streamlabs OBS can improve your broadcast.
This article describes how to stream to Twitch from a Mac or PC using Twitch Studio, OBS Studio, and Streamlabs OBS.
What You Need to Stream on Twitch
Twitch is the most popular online streaming platform in the world, with thousands of users streaming hourly tapes of talking, singing, playing video games, and using apps.
Building a streaming setup on Twitch doesn’t require a large investment, but you’ll need a few things before you get started.
Necessary
- Free Twitch Account. This is where all your content will be hosted and broadcast.
- Computer for broadcasting. You can use the same computer you play the video games on or a different device if you like.
- Application for broadcasting. Twitch Studio, the official Twitch desktop app for Windows and Mac, is the easiest to use.
Optional
- Capture card. If you plan to stream your footage from another computer or from an Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch console, you’ll need a capture card.
- Microphone. Any headset you lie on will do the trick, although high-quality microphones are also available that can take your Twitch stream to the next level.
- Web camera. You can use the built-in webcam on your computer if you have one, but it’s worth investing in a standalone webcam to change its angle.
- Lighting. You don’t have to invest in lighting, but it will make your streams look much better. Cheap ring light is a good place to start.
For serious streamers, a good headset is not negotiable! with emerging games like PUBG and Fortnite, it just got even more important. The question is: wireless or wired?
AirBeamTV App To Cast Twitch to a Smart TV
The AirBeamTV app is a Screen Mirroring app that can be easily downloaded for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. By simply mirroring your screen wirelessly with a reliable app, you don’t need to add an extra HDMI or VGA cable to watch your favorite Twitch broadcasts on your home movie system.
Download the AirBeamTV App
There are many ways to download AirBeamTV:
- To mirror your Mac screen, select your TV brand and download the correct version of AirBeamTV for Mac now
- For iPhone or iPad, find us in the App Store or select your TV brand on our website and scan the QR code
How to Cast Twitch to LG Smart TV
First, download and open the free AirBeamTV app. It shouldn’t take long at all. When you open the app, your iPhone, iPad, or Mac should automatically start looking for the sending device you want to connect to. Choose your LG TV. As soon as you are connected, tap “Start mirroring” to start high-quality, reliable casting of your phone screen. Grab the popcorn, open the Twitch app, and start watching from the couch!
Suppose you are trying to mirror your iPhone screen to a Samsung TV. Go to the iTunes App Store to purchase and download the AirBeamTV app. After opening the application, the phone will automatically search for a TV to connect to. Connect to a Samsung TV. As soon as you’re connected, tap “Start mirroring”. To start viewing everything on the iPhone screen on the Samsung TV screen.
Browse the elements of your layout with the left menu and move them with the mouse. You can also change different colors and upload a new background image if you want.
How to Record a Twitch Stream Using VLC Media Player
VLC is not only a media player but a simple screen recorder. This software allows you to quickly capture various live audio and video streams. If you have VLC Media Player and want to record a Twitch stream, you can use it to complete the task by referring to the tutorials below.
How to Record Twitch Stream VLC:
Step 1. Download and install Livestreamer on your computer and then open VLC Media Player.
Step 2. Open a command prompt and type livestreamer. Here you can change the url to a specific channel. Besides, you can choose Low, High or Source to record Twitch stream.
Step 3. After opening the VLC player stream, you can click the record button on the left side to record a Twitch stream immediately. When finished, select the stop button to stop recording.
How to Screen Record Twitch Streams Using OBS Studio
OBS Studio is one of the most popular open source screen recorders, compatible with macOS, Windows and Linux operating systems. It is mainly used for screen recording and live streaming. By working with it, you can download and start streaming quickly and easily. However, it is not easy for beginners. If you are new to this program, you’d better read the tutorials before using this program.
How to Record Your Stream on Twitch Using OBS Studio:
Step 1. Launch OBS Studio and go to the Settings tab at the top point of the screen. Then click Settings again to choose a location to store the recordings.
Step 2. Go back to the main OBS Studio window and right click on the Sources tab. Open Twitch and select the stream you want to record. Then hover over Add and add Monitor Capture or Window Capture to your sources.
Step 3. Once done, you can click the Start Recording button to capture Twitch streams on your screen. After you finish recording, press the Stop Recording button and the recording will be saved on your computer.
Step 1. Download and run EaseUS RecExperts on your Mac computer. To capture the whole screen, please click the “Full Screen” button on the main interface. If you want to adjust the recording area, please select the “Region.
How to stream on Twitch from a Mac or PC
Before you can start streaming from your desktop or laptop computer, you need to download the streaming app. Twitch supports almost a dozen different apps, but Twitch Studio is the easiest to use.
Twitch Studio is a proprietary Twitch streaming app designed specifically for streaming novice users. It’s still in beta, but comes with everything you need to get started. Once you’ve mastered it, you can upgrade to more advanced streaming apps like Streamlabs OBS.
1. Go to the Twitch Studio website and click the white Download Now button to save the downloaded file, then open the file and install it on your computer.
2. After opening Twitch Studio, log in to your Twitch account and authorize the connection of the application with your account.
3. On the Welcome to Twitch Studio screen, the app will ask if you need a setup tutorial. Click Get Started.
4. Configure the microphone and webcam. These are optional, of course – you don’t need to stream to Twitch either – but most streamers at least have a microphone. Twitch Studio will choose whatever your computer’s default devices by default, but if you have multiple devices connected you can switch between them.
Quick Tip: From the microphone screen, you can also click Personalize to adjust sound settings and perform a sound check. You can also edit these options later.
5. On the Scenes page, you will get three default scenes that most streamers use. Scenes are preset stream layouts – for example, you might have one scene where the game you’re playing is in the center of the screen with your webcam to the side, and another that centers the camera and minimizes the game.
6. The Stream Quality Settings page will analyze your hardware and internet connection to choose the best video quality and frame rate for the stream. You can run the test again, click Customize Settings to select options manually, or click Go to Application to finish.
You will now be taken to the streaming home page. This is the page you will see every time you open the app from now on, and is the place where you can control the broadcast settings and finally start livestreaming.
You have many options to configure. Here are the most important.
Main Screen Share, or picking what to stream
In the top left corner, you’ll find the Home screen sharing option. From there, you can choose what you want to stream, whether it’s a game, a web browser, or the entire screen.
Click an option to open a pop-up menu. You have three main options:
- It will automatically capture any application running in full screen mode. Otherwise it will emit a black screen.
- The window allows you to select a specific streaming application. It will stream everything that happens in this app even if you’re not focused on it.
- The display will show everything on your monitor.
Usually you’ll want to use a window or display. These are the options that give you the most control over what’s in your stream.
Scenes
For starters, you have three default scenes: Gameplay that focuses on the app you’re streaming; Be Right Back, which displays a message on the screen telling you that you are taking a break; and Chat, which places the webcam in the center of the screen. Just click on one in the list to switch to it.
How to stream on Twitch from the mobile app
Streaming from the Twitch mobile app is significantly different to streaming from your computer. It doesn’t require any additional downloads, but you won’t have as many features to control.
1. If you haven’t already, download and log in to the Twitch mobile app (available for both iPhone and Android.
2. From any page, tap the camera icon at the top of the screen.
3. There are two options: Stream Games and Stream IRL. Choose the first if you want to broadcast your phone’s screen, or the second if you want to stream your phone’s camera.
4. Allow Twitch to access your phone’s camera and microphone – If you’re trying to stream your screen on Android, you’ll also need to turn on “Overlays” – and agree to the mobile streaming policy.
5. If you selected IRL Stream, select a stream name and category, and then tap Stream. You will immediately start streaming the image from your phone’s camera.
6. If you selected Streaming Games, select the game you are playing and review the Streaming Tips page, then click Next.
7. Select your stream title, tags, language, and Go Live notification, then select both stream and device microphone volume.
Important: You cannot change the stream volume using the volume buttons on your phone. If you want to change the volume of the stream, you’ll have to go back to this menu and change the volume sliders.
8. When you are ready:
- On iPhone, tap the purple record button at the bottom of the screen.
- On Android, tap Open Stream Control, then tap the Twitch logo in the upper-left corner. With the stream controls open, tap the white button at the bottom of the screen.
On an Android device, you need to use the Twitch overlay to start livestreaming. Cramp; sketching by William Antonelli / Insider
9. Confirm that you want to start broadcasting.
10. You will start streaming. You can now close Twitch and open the app of your choice as the category.
When it’s time to finish the stream, go back to the Twitch App and hit the record button again.
Note: If you’re using Android, the Twitch overlay will remain in the top left corner of the screen until you open Settings and disable it again, or touch and drag it to the trash can at the bottom of the screen.
William Antonelli is a writer, editor and organizer based in New York City. As a founding member of the Reference team, he helped develop Tech Reference from humble beginnings into a juggernaut that attracts over 20 million visits per month. In addition to Insider, his texts have appeared in publications such as Polygon, The Outline, Kotaku and others. It is also the primary source for technical analysis on channels such as Newsy, Cheddar, and NewsNation. You can find him on Twitter @DubsRewatcher or contact him via email at [email protected].
Step 3. After opening the VLC player stream, you can click the record button on the left side to record a Twitch stream immediately. When finished, select the stop button to stop recording.
Custom Gaming Videos with Full-Featured Video Editor
Wondershare Filmora is one of the best video editing software to help you trim, edit and adjust any videos to your liking. You can easily add commentary and dubbing to your favorite games. At the same time, using different effects in Filmora will make your videos look visually striking.
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Many of the most popular games on Twitch also have mobile versions, so you can play popular games like Hearthstone and Minecraft on your smartphone and share your achievements in real time with millions of people around the world.
What’s your favorite method of streaming mobile games on Twitch? Leave a comment and let us know.
Twitch is one of the largest live streaming platforms for gamers. You can easily watch lots of tutorial videos on your favorite games, watch sports or any other Twitch video. Sometimes you may not have time to watch them in real time, or you want to save your Twitch broadcasts to your computer for later viewing, how?
How to stream mobile gameplay to Twitch with OBS
- Open Reflector on your computer and wirelessly display the image from your iPhone, iPad or Android device on your computer screen.
- Important: You need to verify a few settings to make sure your iPhone, iPad, or Android device’s screen is properly shared with OBS. With the fixture connected to the Reflector, hover over the mirrored fixture and click the settings gear next to the fixture name. Make sure Always on Top and Full Screen are turned off. These should be turned off to ensure that your OBS device screen sharing starts successfully. If you prefer, you can re-enable these settings after starting OBS screen sharing.
- Open (or download and install) OBS. An Auto Configuration Wizard should appear. Select “Optimize for Streaming” and “Next.”
- Define the video settings and select “Next.”
- As part of the service, select “Twitch” and enter the stream key. You can change this later in ‘Settings.
- OBS will test your PC and recommend settings ideal for streaming.
- Configure the overlays with the Scenes and Sources boxes in the lower left corner.
- In the Scenes box, click “+”. You can name the scene whatever you want.
- In the Sources box, click “+” as you would for a scene.
- Select “Window Capture” from the list of options and name it whatever you want.
- Select “[Spotlight]” with the appropriate name of your fixture from the menu. If you are using a Windows computer, select “Capture Windows Graphics” in the “Capture Method” section.”
Note: If Reflector does not appear, you may need to grant OBS access to screen recording in System Preferences. If your device still doesn’t show up, go back to step 2 to make sure you have the correct settings turned on for Reflector. - Click “OK” and your device’s screen will appear in the OBS stream window.
- Your sources will appear from top to bottom. For example, to make sure your webcam source is playing over the game, make sure it’s above your mobile device’s source.
- Open the game you want to stream.
- Close the settings and click “Start Streaming” in the lower right corner of the OBS software.
Now broadcast live to your audience on Twitch via OBS! Remember that your recipients will be able to see everything on your phone screen. Learn how to turn off notifications on your mobile device.
How to stream mobile gameplay to Twitch with Streamlabs OBS
- Open Reflector on your computer and mirror your iPhone, iPad or Android device to the screen.
- Important: You need to verify a few settings to make sure your iPhone, iPad or Android device’s screen is properly shared with Streamlabs OBS. With the fixture connected to the Reflector, hover over the mirrored fixture and click the settings gear next to the fixture name. Make sure Always on Top and Full Screen are turned off. These should be disabled to ensure Streamlabs OBS screen sharing is successfully started. If you prefer, you can re-enable these settings after starting Streamlabs OBS screen sharing.
- Open (or download and install) Streamlabs OBS. Grant permissions for webcam and microphone.
- Log in to Twitch and accept the terms of service.
- Configure the microphone, webcam, theme and optimization settings.
- Customize your overlays with the Scenes and Sources boxes in the lower left corner.
- Select “Live Scene” in the Scenes box, then go to the Sources box and click “+.”
- Select “Window Capture” and click “Add Source”. Name the source whatever you like.
- In the Window drop-down menu, select “[Spotlight]” with the appropriate device name, then “Done”. If you are using on Windows, select “Capture Windows Graphics” under “Capture Method.”
Note: If Reflector does not appear, you may need to grant Streamlabs OBS access to Screen Recording in System Preferences. If your device still doesn’t show up, go back to step 2 to make sure you have the correct settings turned on for Reflector. - Edit the size and position of your device in the preview. Your sources will appear from top to bottom. For example, to make sure your webcam source is playing over the game, make sure it’s above your mobile device’s source.
- Open the game you want to stream on your iPhone, iPad or Android device.
- Click “Broadcast Live” in the lower right corner.
- Fill in the stream information and click “Confirm and start live.”
Now you broadcast live to your audience on Twitch via Streamlabs OBS! Remember that your recipients will be able to see everything on your phone screen. Learn how to turn off notifications on your mobile device.
There is an almost endless list of ways to improve your Twitch stream, broaden your audience, and take your broadcast to the next level. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Other Considerations for Streaming
Testing Your Internet Speed
For starters, you can test the quality of your internet connection at www.speedtest.net
Just go to the website and press Go
When you’re done, you’ll see something like this:
The most important thing here is upload speed! Why? Because that’s basically what you do when streaming: uploading your content to the internet for others to see.
Here are recommendations for the different transmission quality options:
Bass: 240p
average: 360p
High: 480p
Optimally: it’s a mix between 480p and 720p
Optimal HD: Equivalent to 720p
Here is a list of the estimated connection-quality ratio:
Less than 0.75 Mb / second: 240p
Between 0.75 Mbps and 1.0 Mbps: I recommend low to medium
Between 1.0 Mbps and 2.0 Mbps: I recommend high quality
2.0 Mb / s to 3.0 Mb / s: Optimal option possible
Greater than 3.0 Mbps: Optimal HD is widely possible.
To find out if your stream is lagging or if it is of good quality, we recommend that you test by viewing your own stream on a laptop or smartphone.
Should You Use One or Two Computers for Streaming?
When broadcasting on Twitch, your processor encodes your stream. It is therefore a key element in the design of a gaming / streaming oriented setup, so I would recommend a machine capable of multitasking in the best possible way.
With the arrival of the new generation AMD Ryzen processors, you can now equip an 8-core processor without breaking the bank. This will help you stream properly while limiting the FPS impact. If you have an Nvidia RTX card, you can also choose to encode with NVENC technology and thus free up CPU resources.
To further improve your setup, I would advise you to go for a two-computer setup. The first computer will take care of your game display, and the second computer can be used to manage the stream and chat with your friends. Only the most serious streamers generally choose this solution. It allows you to separate the gaming part and the streaming part by dividing the tasks into two different machines.
When you have a dual configuration, all the resources of the slot machine are allocated to the game, which helps you get the best possible performance. If you’re coding with a CPU, the second machine will have the advantage that it won’t require a powerful graphics card (or maybe not at all) or a monster setup. In this case, you can use a cheap laptop as a second computer as a dedicated screen will suffice (if you really want to save some money, a refurbished laptop might be a good choice).
Other Hardware Requirements
Minimum Laptop Specifications
As with any game you purchase, certain hardware requirements also apply when streaming from a laptop. I will list the minimum requirements below. You must have at least the following specs on your computer if you want the stream to be of good quality.
Processor: At least Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 should be used here. Regardless of the manufacturer, the processor must have a minimum of 4 cores. 6 cores are perfect as the CPU has to both maintain the game and do the encoding. If the CPU is overloaded, the audience will experience a lag.
Graphics Card (GPU): Purchasing a suitable graphics card should be based primarily on the requirements of the games you are playing. Either way, make sure you have at least 4 GB of internal memory. If you have a narrow-core CPU, for example with 4 cores, you should invest in a more powerful graphics card as it can then take over the encoding and thus offload the CPU. Moreover, a more powerful model can also prevent frame rate drops. Recommended models in this case are: Nvidia GTX 1650 Super (AMD equivalent: Radeon RX 5600) or RTX 2060 Super (AMD equivalent: RX 5700), each with 8 GB of RAM.
RAM: RAM is very important! Without enough RAM, it will all be wasted! So invest in at least 8GB of RAM, if you can invest more I would definitely recommend 16GB. However, 8 would also be enough.
Microphone, Condenser or Dynamic?
The microphone is the first point of connection when it comes to building a relationship between viewer and streamer. Before you reach for the first microphone available, you should ask yourself: condenser or dynamic? Both have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Dynamic microphones are popular with musicians because they are more durable and less prone to feedback. Rarely can you find more than a moving coil and a protective basket in dynamic mics, which makes them extremely durable. However, they are best suited for stage performances or recordings. If you want to rock Twitch with your singing talent, it’s probably best to serve you with a recording device like this .
Condenser microphones, on the other hand, are known to have finer sound structures and are therefore suitable for conversation. If you’re going to talk a lot, a good condenser microphone is a good option. However, unlike the dynamic version, you will need a phantom power supply to connect the microphone to your computer. You will also need an amplifier with an XLR port in between which can be connected to your laptop via USB. You can get the Razer Seiren X, which is solid as well as very cheap. If you want to go a little further, you’ll find that ASUS Strix Magnus is a powerful alternative that you can work with for a long time.
Headset
For serious streamers, a good headset is not negotiable! with emerging games like PUBG and Fortnite, it just got even more important. The question is: wireless or wired?
Wireless models have the great advantage of flexibility. You don’t need a cable, but you do need to charge your device regularly. Devices that use Bluetooth rather than proprietary technology, such as Logitech or SteelSeries, are mostly compatible with smartphones. Wireless is recommended for those who like to walk a lot!