Your Complete Manual on Live Streaming Platforms

The Ultimate Guide to YouTube Live Streaming

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Live streaming on YouTube is a great way to get more engagement from your audience, even if you do not have a huge following. As long as you have some reliable subscribers leaving comments on your videos you should be able to schedule a live stream and know it will have an audience. People feel a personal connection with their favorite vloggers so if you give your subscribers a chance to interact with you in real time they will probably plan to join in. The key to a good live streaming is to respond to comments and questions from people who are watching. Besides watching the live chat of your video you can create a hashtag for your stream and monitor it on twitter.

Table of Contents

• Why Livestream?
• Type of Content to Livestream
• What You Need to Livestream On YouTube
• 4 Ways to Setup Your Livestream On YouTube
• 8 Tips to Improve Your Livestream on YouTube
• How to Grow As A Livestreamer on YouTube

Why Livestream?

You have grown your audience, and now you want to take your channel to the next level and diversify your content.

Whether you are vlogging, gaming, or running tutorials on YouTube, there is potential to host a live broadcast. It’s not limited to any genre, you simply need to create content that people are interested in watching.

Before we get started into the How, let’s start with a few reasons Why you should be live streaming your content.

Connect and engage with your audience

When a viewer leaves a comment during a livestream you will be able to see it right away and respond. Having an instantaneous conversation with a viewer while they are watching your video will encourage more engagement and establish a ber relationship with your viewers — and you will know that these viewers are not bots.

Increase watch time and session watch time on your channel

If you are making YouTube videos on average 10 minutes long, and the viewer only watches half of it, that’s only 5 minutes of watch time, which is fine… But if you are live streaming for 45 minutes, and you are able to hold the viewer’s attention, you can surpass what your regular videos can do.

Make videos faster

As a YouTuber, you are always striving to be more efficient. Live streaming allows you to do that as you can set up and go. The content you end up creating during the duration of your livestream can then also be condensed into a highlight reel or a recap.

With a bit of planning before you go live, you can create a week’s worth of content in one go, instead of having multiple schedules for livestream content and your standard publishing videos.

Type of Content to Livestream

Live streaming has a lot of value, but what type of content should you be streaming?

Here are a few popular ideas for content that will attract viewers to your livestream:

Q&A session

Unboxing

Game or challenge

Sneak preview or review

Live events (just make sure the Internet can support it)

A demo or a tutorial

A live commentary or (if you are a gamer) Let’s Play video

What You Need to Livestream On YouTube

A Plan or Outline

It’s good to know what your livestream is going to be about before you start. Is there a key message you want to hit, an action you want your viewers to take, or a structure you want to follow.

Just because it’s live, doesn’t mean it all has to be improvised. If you go in without a plan, you might end up feeling flustered or getting stressed out. Allow for spontaneous comments or events to take you off your initial plan, but always return to your outline so you know how to wrap up your livestream when you have to.

Stable Internet Connection

You cannot conduct a quality livestream, if your Internet is bad. When evaluating your internet connection for live streaming on YouTube, look at the Upload speed. Depending on the quality of your video, these are the minimum upload speed rates your Internet will need to perform:

480p = 1.5 mbps

720p = 3 mbps

1080 = 5 mbps

In addition, be aware of external causes that may be slowing down your internet such as someone else using it, a poorly performing router, or a damaged cable.

Camera

If you have a smartphone or a laptop with a webcam built in, that is the best camera for you to get started live streaming. It’s good to have a milestone and work towards a more advanced camera, but until then, don’t feel discouraged because you don’t have expensive gear. If you have a smartphone, a laptop, or a basic webcam, that’s perfectly fine.

Microphone

You don’t need a great microphone for live streaming, you only need a good one. If you do want to spend several hundred to a thousand dollars for a professional studio microphone, nobody will stop you, but know this, a mic that is easy to use is as important as the audio quality as you develop a consistent live streaming schedule.

Streaming Software (For Higher Quality Streams)

Once upon a time, to livestream on YouTube, you needed additional software to capture content from desktop, camera, microphone, etc, called encoding software — but not anymore.

Those encoding software, such as OBS , Wirecast , and VMix , are required if you are producing content that requires a high frame rate such as gaming, but not mandatory if you are simply vlogging or running a tutorial.

If you are using Chrome, you can stream live on YouTube without using an encoder .

A Capture Card (For Higher Quality Streams)

You will need a capture card when you are capturing footage from a different PC or console. If you are a gamer and you are using one PC to stream and one PC to play your game, then you should consider getting a capture card.

4 Ways to Setup Your Livestream On YouTube

There are 4 main ways you can start live streaming on YouTube. The one that works best for you depends on the content you are going to be streaming.

1. Camera/Go Live (Chrome Browser)

By accessing www.youtube.com/webcam on the Google Chrome browser, you can start streaming immediately through your connected webcam. This way is best for a simple Q&A or letting your viewers know your thoughts in a timely situation. This method does not require an encoder.

There are 3 ways to access livestream this way:

1. Click here to connect to your YouTube channel

2. You can access it from the top menu on YouTube

3. You can access it by clicking Camera under the Live Streaming tab in your Creator Studio

2. Google Hangouts On Air (Quick)

Another way to livestream without an encoding software is by using the Google Hangouts On Air feature.

This is great if you want the feel of your livestream to be similar to a board meeting, where you can invite people, split screen, and share screen to illustrate your point.

Here’s how you can access this Google Hangouts On Air:

Step 1: Go to Events under the Live Streaming tab in your Creator Studio

Step 2: Click New Live Event button on the top right corner

Step 3: Enter the event’s Info and Setting page. Fill out the details of your Livestream, and under Type, select Quick (using Google Hangouts On Air).

Step 4: You can schedule your livestream or Go Live immediately by clicking one of the blue buttons on the left-hand side.

3. Mobile

Live streaming via your mobile device gives you a lot more freedom to maneuver. You can walk around and give your viewers a tour — but remember to stay within the WiFi or LTE range. That means you still won’t be able to livestream well inside an elevator.

Here’s how you can livestream on mobile:

Step 1: Access the YouTube app and make sure you are signed in to the account you want to livestream from.

Step 2: At the top, click on the camera icon

Step 3: Click on Go Live

Pro Tip: When live streaming, always hold your smartphone horizontally. This allows your video to be oriented as a landscape, instead of a portrait.

4. Custom Encoder

The fourth way of live streaming on YouTube is with encoding software. This is the recommended method if video quality is essential, such as gaming videos.

Step 1: Download and install an encoding software. In this example, we’ll be using OBS .

Step 2: Open OBS

Step 3: Go to YouTube Creator Studio and enter the Stream Now page

Step 4: Under Encoder Setup, copy Stream name/key (Warning: DO NOT share this key with anyone)

Step 5: Return to OBS and enter the Setting menu on the lower right-hand side of the application

Step 6: Click into the Stream tab

a) Under Stream Type, select Streaming Services

b) Under Service, select YouTube/YouTube Gaming

c) Under Server, select Primary YouTube ingest server

d) In Stream Key box, paste the Stream Key you copied from YouTube

e) Click Apply and then OK

Step 7: Plug in your webcam

Step 8: In the main OBS dashboard, under the Sources menu, click the + icon and add Video Capture Device. You should now see visuals from your Webcam.

Step 9: Select the Resolution you want for your video and click OK

Step 10: Return to your YouTube Streaming Page and fill out the details of your livestream

Step 11: Go back to OBS and click Start Streaming

Step 12: See on YouTube Streaming Page at the top that you are Live. You are officially streaming. Once You are finished streaming, return to OBS and click Stop Streaming to end the stream.

8 Tips to Improve Your Livestream on YouTube

Do Speed Test

Before you start your livestream, do a speed test of your Internet. Check out from here.

Have Good Lighting

Be aware of your surroundings when you are about to livestream. You don’t need the top-notch lighting kit, you can simply sit beside a window and allow natural lights to illuminate your stream.

Shoot A Live Test (Unlisted)

Have a technical rehearsal by doing a livestream test, then rewatching it, and evaluating the quality of the audio and visual.

You don’t have to worry about your audience logging in and seeing your test if you set the Privacy of the stream to Unlisted.

Look at the Lens, Not the Screen

If you are streaming with the selfie camera on your smartphone or using your camera’s viewfinder to make sure you are in the frame, remember that you need to be looking at the lens — not the image of yourself.

Eye contact is important in building trust, and if you are looking at yourself, it will appear as if you are looking past your viewers instead of at them.

Show It To Your Viewers

Whatever you are talking about, if you can, show it to your viewers. YouTube is a visual medium, and that means your viewers can become disinterested if there’s nothing visual holding their attention.

In the beginning, you probably won’t have a multi-camera setup, so you cannot cut away from your livestream. However, you can share the screen and you can bring physical objects into a frame.

If you are talking about your dog, show her on camera. If you’re presenting something with a lot of steps, create a Powerpoint slideshow.

Consider what visuals or props you can add to your livestream to enhance your performance.

Find A Way to Make it Evergreen

Evergreen content refers to content that is relevant for a great length of time. Talking about an event isn’t evergreen, because the event will soon pass and become old news. However, giving some tips for how to plan an event would be evergreen content.

Since your livestream will be saved on YouTube and your viewers can replay and watch it. They’re more likely to enjoy it if the content is relevant and interesting.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Long

A livestream doesn’t need to be 40 minutes long. It only needs to be long enough for you to get your story across — and if you want to answer some questions and engage with your audience. As soon as your story is over, even if it’s only 5 minutes, that’s okay. Don’t stress about the length of your stream, it’s not an endurance competition.

Allow Yourself to Make Mistakes

Another thing you shouldn’t worry about at all is making mistakes. When you are doing livestreams pretend you are engaging with someone in real life. In real life, you aren’t able to edit out your mistakes, whether it’s a word mispronounced or coffee spilling. Roll with it and laugh it off.

How to Grow As A Livestreamer on YouTube

Let People Know When You Are Streaming

Give people enough time to schedule it in, don’t spring it on them in the last minute. Share it on social media, your website, and any other means.

Create a Streaming Link 2 Days Before

Share your livestream link via social media to remind everyone to tune in when you go live. Looking for your link? It should look something like this: <www.youtube.com/user/\[channelname\]/live>

Reach Out To the Communities Most Interested

If you are going to be live streaming about a specific topic, such as photography, you should reach out to those who are interested in the topic. Highlight what aspect of photography you are going to be streaming and attract new viewers to your content.

Be Aware of Time Difference

If you have an international audience, find time to livestream where you can get the optimal amount of viewers.

You can find the location of your main demographic in your YouTube analytics .

Create a Channel Trailer to Promote Livestream

Make a video and host it as your channel trailer, that way anyone who lands on your YouTube page will see the promo for your livestream.

Promote Through Feature Content and Channel

YouTube has a feature that enables you to use your existing content to promote your upcoming livestream.

Here’s how to set it up:

Key Takeaways

1. Live streaming will help you make more videos, engage with your audience, and grow your channel.
2. You don’t need expensive equipment to livestream on YouTube, you only need a webcam and a microphone.
3. YouTube has made live streaming as easy as a few clicks, no additional software needed unless you are gaming.
4. Always do a test run of your livestream to ensure the internet, audio, and visual are all working properly.
5. Create content and reach out to communities to promote your livestream.

Have you encountered any obstacles when setting up your livestream on YouTube? Let us know in the comments below, we are happy to help!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Effortless Online Guide: YouTube Video to GIF Magic (No Download)

How to Convert YouTube Videos to GIFs

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A GIF adds an extra element to any conversation and makes the reader feel connected to the post. Using GIF can turn useful if done rightly. It narrates a story in a single animated image for social media conversation. In this article, we will brief you about how to convert YouTube to gif, various GIF converters, their uses, and the pros and cons of each converter.

Let’s get started!

How to Convert a YouTube Video into GIFs?

1. YouTube to GIF Directly

Here is a quick way to convert the YouTube video to GIFs without typing a YouTube to GIF website.

Gif.com is a free and easy-to-use video editor available with multiple effects. This converter was created keeping in mind how people spend hours and money on paid platforms.

Follow the below steps to convert a YouTube video into gifs.

1. In the YouTube video page, add gif before youtube.com. For example, I want to convert the YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40fuGLmwHwk to GIFs, here is how it looks like after adding gif at the beginning: https://www.gifyoutube.com/watch?v=40fuGLmwHwk . Press the enter button on your keyboard and you will enter the gifs.com directly.

1. In gifs.com, you can play and pause the YouTube video and drag the bar to select a desired moment for gif. Press the “Create Gif” button on the top right side to convert the specific part of the YouTube video to gif.
2. You will then be directed to the result page to see your GIF created using the YouTube video, and you can change the GIF title and the tag.
3. Lastly, you need to copy the link and share it!

Pros of converting YouTube to GIFs with Gifs.com:

• The interface is easy to use and it provides lots of tools to adjust.
• Simple functionality.

Cons:

• The watermark on your created GIF can be removed only after purchasing the premium version.
• GIFs can be downloaded only by registered users.

2. FreeGifMaker.me

FreeGifMaker is one simple online tool that allows the creation of animated Gifs for free. A minimum of two pictures has to be uploaded out of ten. It takes few seconds and is super easy to make a GIF from a YouTube video. You can use FreeGifMaker.me in some easy steps.

1. Open the website http://freegifmaker.me/youtube-to-gif/ on your desktop.
2. Go to YouTube and copy the video URL you want to create a GIF of and paste it on the website mentioned above.
3. Then click “Load YouTube Video” below the URL and wait for a few seconds while the tool checks the video source.
4. Once the YouTube video is loaded, enter the gif duration, start time, and click on the “Make a GIF button.” It will redirect you to the result page.

• Pros:
• Conversion size is unlimited**.**
• There is no usage of ads.
• Easy to make Gifs.
• Cons:
• The upload speed is slow.
• The converter gives limited options for editing.

3. Wondershare Online UniConverter

Online UniConverter converts video into a high-quality animated GIF and allows editing. It is a simple converter with unique features.

If you want to convert your YouTube video into a GIF, follow the steps.

1. You need to upload your video through the “Choose Files” option. You can also copy the link from YouTube.
2. Wait for some time once you upload the file; you can then set your start time, end time, frame rate according to your needs.
3. Lastly, click on “Create GIF” and download your GIF. You can also save it through the dropdown option available besides “Download.”

• Pros:
• Easy to handle.
• A wide range of customization tools is available.
• Zero ads.
• Cons:
• Upload speed is slow.
• Conversion size is limited.

4. GifRun

It is a video maker that started in 2013, and GifRun converts videos from YouTube, Facebook, and other sources to high-quality GIFs. You can create Gifs free of cost from GifRun.

Here is how you can use Gifrun.

1. Open the website and paste the URL you want to convert into Gif. Later, press “Get Video” option below the URL box.
2. In this step, you can adjust the duration, start time, add text, and also pause and preview the video. Once you’re done altering the video, click “Create GIF.”
3. Lastly, click on the “Download” button beside the add text button, or share the link directly.

• Pros:
• Fast conversion and download.
• There is no upload limit.
• The video preview feature is available.
• Cons:
• UI is ad-infested.
• Supports YouTube videos only.

5. Makeagif

This GIF converter creates high-quality GIFs in no time. You need to paste the URL in Makeagif and nothing much. It can make GIFs from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms easily.

The only issue is that it supports one type of conversion with a maximum limit of 25MB.

Here is how you can make your favorite GIF in few steps.

1. Open makeagif.com and paste the YouTube URL in the box available.
2. Once you paste the URL, the website will automatically take you to the edit page to edit GIF length, start time, speed, and add caption and stickers. The next step is to select the category to which the video belongs available on the left side of the screen.
3. After editing, click on “Continue to publishing” then “Create GIF” at the lower right corner of the screen. Voila! Your GIF is ready to use.

• Pros:

1. The UI is user-friendly.
2. Ads are minimal
3. Various GIF conversions are supported.

• Cons:

1. The conversion size is small.
2. Batch conversions are not available.

6. ImgFlip

It is a creative GIF website supporting various videos from other websites such as Vimeo and YouTube. ImgFlip has innovative customization tools for cropping, reshaping, adding text and, a lot more, but you just need to be aware of the ads.

Want to know how to create GIF? Go through these simple steps.

1. You can make GIFs both from Video and Images. To make GIF from a video, paste the YouTube URL in the box at the top, upload the tape from your device’s file.
2. After pasting the URL, you will be given lots of customization options. Choose the effect of your choice for your GIF.
3. Lastly, click on “Generate GIF” available on the right side of the screen. You can now share the GIF via your device or download it.

• Pros:
• Plenty of customization options.
• Fast conversion.
• Easy to upload and use.
• Cons:
• Ads pop up frequently.
• Offline conversion is unavailable.

7. GIPHY

It is a free GIF converter that helps you download free YouTube GIFs. You can also make GIFs from your photos, videos available on your device along with video URLs and images. The only problem is, to use Giphy you first have to log in to the app.

Follow the below steps to create a GIF from YouTube videos with Giphy:

1. Open Giphy on your device and click on “Create” on the top right-side of your screen.
2. Paste the URL in the space given below. A pop-up will tell you to log in. Log in to the website to continue.
3. The video you choose should be less than 15 seconds and under 100MB. You will be given editing options from which you can select the start time and duration of your GIF along with Captions and Tags.
4. In the end, press the “Create GIF” button to make the GIF. When it’s done, you will be redirected to the GIF page. You can then share your GIF on any social media site.

• Pros:
• Ads are absent
• Uploading is fast
• Wide range of free GIFs available
• Cons:
• Not perfect for green hands

8. Imgur

It is one of the best apps that offers tons of images, memes, and GIFs. You can make GIFs of less than 60 seconds with high quality, which you can share anywhere.

Here are three easy steps to make GIFs

1. Visit the page “imgur.com/vidgif” and paste your YouTube URL there.
2. Set a start time by clicking or dragging on the timeline. The total runtime is also adjustable, with 60 seconds as the maximum time for GIFs.
3. Lastly, press on “Create GIF” to see the magic. The GIF is converted from the YouTube video.

• Pros:

1. The users can share the post of their choice
2. Users can save posts.
3. Great collection of short GIFs and videos.

• Cons:

1. During loading, the screen flashes.

9 VEED.IO

Veed is a simple YouTube video converter that makes your work super easy. It converts YouTube videos into GIFs with various editing options like crop, trim, text ads, and many more.

Check out how to use VEED in 3 steps.

1. Start by pasting the URL of your YouTube video into VEED, Your video will be ready to convert into GIF.
2. Now you are all set to edit your video. You have the option to crop and trim the video. You can also include different font styles, colors, and sizes of your choice.
3. Lastly, download the GIF you made in VEED.

• Pros:
• Downloading the software is not mandatory.
• UI is simple and easy to navigate.
• The subtitle option is present.
• Cons:
• It takes a lot of time to upload video.
• Many basic tools.

10. Kapwing

Kapwing is a helpful video converter that can easily turn any video into GIFs with a click. It can also convert different files such as 3GP, GIF, WEBM.

To create beautiful GIFs with this video editor, follow these easy steps.

1. Open Kapwing video editor and upload your video from YouTube.
2. Choose the “Export dropdown” option and choose the format you wish to convert.

You can also preview the GIF and customize it as per your choice.

1. In the final step, export the video by clicking the “Export Video” button. Save and download the newly created GIF and share it anywhere with your friends.

• Pros:
• Great editing tools.
• Easy to use.
• Cons:
• Available only on the website.
• Too many tools for the same purpose.

Final Thoughts

With the increased use of GIFs on social media, you can now easily convert your favorite YouTube videos into GIFs on your own. All you have to do is simply choose the tools mentioned above and share it with your friends.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox