When live streaming started to gain popularity, I was reluctant to go on board. I did not see how to transpose my approach from the editing room to the broadcast. Yet I strongly believe in the “learn by doing” school of thought. So despite my reluctance, I downloaded OBS, wrote an itinerary, and started a month-long campaign advertising my “very first stream” for charity.
Of course, it was a disaster.
For the uninitiated, live streaming seems like a snap. You press “Go live”, put your show, then press “Stop streaming”.
But there is, of course, much more than that. Live broadcasting is a skill. An art form, even. A successful streamer has to be a jack of all trades – an artist, a graphic designer, a financial analyst – an expert in A / V, SEO, TTV, and OBS. With all of these variables to consider, it’s easy to forget why people come to your feed in the first place: To engage with you (That’s right, I even used a scholarly source to back this up). Nothing gives your viewers a stronger sense of engagement than seeing their name appear on the screen next to your face. People will even donate their hard earned money to millionaires just to see this graphic appear on the screen for a few seconds.
These graphics are arguably the most important aspect of a streamer’s performance. Pop-ups that represent your cash and bit donations also represent your connection to your audience – and NewBlue’s Titler Live brings those graphics to life. While it is quite possible to configure most of your titles to play automatically (for example, when a donation is received), there are situations that require a more manual approach. In these cases, the Stream Deck offers a revolutionary alternative to the conventional process of turning your attention away from the screen in order to find and read a graphic. The button previews let you find the right title at a glance, and the customizable canvas works like a haptic interface that you can use by touch and memory.
Today, we’re going to discuss how to combine the automation of Titler Live with the accessibility of the Stream Deck to create a customizable “Recent Subscriber” alert that you can play on demand, providing your audience with a reminder of this. that they will see when they subscribe.
What you will need
For this tutorial, you will need streaming software (OBS, Wirecast, XSplit, etc…), Titler Live, and of course, a Stream Deck.
Step 1:
Open Titler Live and click on the Design Library
2nd step:
Open the Lower 3rds folder and select a pattern of your choice. For today’s needs, select a design that contains two text fields and no images. Personally, I like the look of Drift L3rd. Drag the design to the playlist.
Step 3:
Right click on the title in the playlist and select “Edit” to open the Title Designer. Change the text in the top field of the “Scene” tab to your preferred verbiage. In this case, we will simply write “RECENT SUBSCRIBER”. “THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBE” or “YOU ARE AWESOME! Are also acceptable substitutes. It’s yours.
Step 4:
Here is where things get a little technical, but please be indulgent with me. It’s not as complicated as it sounds. At the bottom of the Global tab is a section called Variable Settings. The first field allows you to select a source from which to receive data. Open the drop-down list and select “Twitch: Recent Follower”. The second field allows you to select a type of variable. We want the text field to show the subscriber’s name only, so we’re going to select Name.
Pro tip: You can think of the left field as “Why are you creating the title”. For example, if I designed a headline to display tip alerts from my Streamlabs account, I would select Streamlabs: Tip Alert. Every variable in a given title design will likely use the same option in this drop-down list. During this time, the field on the right will be different depending on what it is supposed to display. Common entries are things like names, amounts (for donations), dates, and text fields (for comments).
Step 5:
Save your work and exit the Title Designer to return to the Titler Live interface. Go to the playlist and under Input select Games> Twitch> Recent Follower.
Step 6:
This will open the Twitch tab next to Library, where you can enter your Twitch ID to sync Titler Live with your Twitch data, such as followers and subscribers. Once done, your Titler Live software will be fully synced with your Twitch channel, allowing you to create titles for things like cheers and followers in the future.
Step 7:
Next, open your Stream Deck software and, if you haven’t already, install the Titler Live extension by clicking on More Actions, scrolling to Titler Live, and clicking Install.
Step 8:
If you’ve used your streaming platform before, your canvas will likely be filled with buttons to switch scenes, turn webcams on and off, and other useful features. Scroll to the bottom of the action list and drag the Play Title action onto an unused button.
Step 9:
Select your new button and under Select Title, select your new title. Its name will match the Name field of the Titler Live interface.
Step 9:
Once done, your title is set to play every time you press the corresponding button on your Stream Deck, but the Name in Title field will automatically update with each subscriber!
Reminding your viewers what they’ll see when they subscribe is an effective way to increase audience engagement, and the Stream Deck is such a fun and powerful way to achieve that goal I never see coming back. to streaming without it. Personally, I like to see the reactions of my audience when a new stylish graphic pops up. Remember that you can also assign audio to play with each new title. Find out how in the help section.
See you next time,
Sean
Get a free Elgato Stream Deck with any Titler Live purchase or upgrade. Offer ends January 31.
