Going live on Twitch is a lot easier than many people think. In this tutorial we will show you all the steps to start your broadcasts and share your moments of glory and shame with everyone. At the end, also check the minimum requirements to be able to stream.
1. Instale o Open Broadcaster Software
The first step is to install a live broadcast program and the best option is Open Broadcaster Software (OBS). The software is completely free and has all the necessary functions for you to start your livestreams.
Click here to download the OBS.
2. Set up your Twitch account
Log into your Twitch account, click on the icon in the upper right corner and access the option “Creator control panel".
Then configure the basic fields needed to identify your broadcast: title, category, language, etc.
3. Configure o Open Broadcaster Software
Now for the longest and most tedious part. Run OBS, access the “File” tab and choose “Settings”. Then, in the left column, choose the option “Transmission” and configure as follows:
- In the field "Service”, choose “Twitch”.
- In the field "employee”, choose “Automatic”.
To fill in the field “transmission key”, go back to the creator control panel on Twitch and in the left column choose the option “Canal” in the settings category. Copy the code that appears in the “Primary transmission key” field and copy it to OBS.
The stream key is your stream ID. Once you copy the code from Twitch and paste it into OBS, your stream is ready to go.
4. Starting the live
To start your live, just press the “Start broadcast” in the lower right corner of the OBS main screen. However, you also need to choose which sources to stream. Will there be a webcam image? MIC? Only audio and game image? To configure these options, simply click on the “+” sign in the “Sources” and add all you want to stream. Generally the transmitted sources are:
- Audio Input Capture
- Audio Output Capture
- Print Screen
- Game Capture
- Video Capture Device
All added options will automatically stream to Twitch once you start streaming.
Optimizations and Customizations
Open Broadcaster Software still has several settings for you to edit according to your taste or according to your computer's specifications. Among the main ones are:
Settings>Output
- In the field "Output Mode”, choose the “Advanced” option and then choose “Broadcast”.
- In the field "audio track”, mark the number referring to the number of microphones you will use (it will hardly be more than two).
- In the field "Encoder”, tick the largest option available.
- In the field "bitrate”, increase or decrease according to your computer and internet specifications. This field will directly affect the quality of the stream. Increase and decrease this value until you find the best one for your device.
- In the field "CPU usage preset”, choose “veryfast” if the live is smooth or “superfast” if it is still stuttering.
Settings>Audio
- In the fields "Mic / Aux"And"Desktop Audio” you can check the “Enable push-to-mute” and “Enable push-to-talk” boxes. That way the audio will only be captured when you press the key configured in the “Shortcut Keys” menu.
Settings>Video
- In the “Common FPS Value” field, vary according to the performance of your computer and internet.
Settings>Advanced
- In the field "Process Priority”, increase to “Above Normal” if the live is still crashing.
- In the field "transmission delay”, increase according to your taste. This option is essential for anyone who streams competitive games (especially battle royales) and doesn't want opponents to know their location.
Other settings
In addition to the settings mentioned above, Open Broadcaster Software has numerous other options capable of customizing your stream exactly the way you want it. In this article we mention all the main ones for you to start the live and customize the essential aspects of the broadcast. Keep exploring OBS to make the channel your own.
Check out the list of the most popular Twitch memes!
Minimum requirements to stream on Twitch
To start your live on Twitch you need at least an i5 processor (or equivalent ADM) and 8GB of RAM.
Regarding internet speed, what you need to take into account is your upload rate and what quality you intend to transmit:
| Quality | Upload fee required |
|---|---|
| 240p / 360p / 480p | 1MB / s |
| 480p60fps | 1.5MB/s a 3MB/s |
| 720p30fps | 2.5MB/s a 4MB/s |
| 720p60fps | 3.5MB/s a 5MB/s |
| 1080p30fps | 3.5MB/s a 5MB/s |
| 1080p60fps | 4.5MB's a 6MB/s |
To measure your upload rate, click here.
