www.makeuseof.com How to Create a Multi-Camera Setup and Stream From Your PC for Free

If you're conducting an online presentation or seminar, having a multi-camera setup helps add a level of flair and professionalism. But how can you do that if you also want to stream it simultaneously?

While some services offer a seamless way of doing that, you usually have to pay a fee. But did you know you can do it for free using some smartphones and a couple of streaming apps? Here's how to get it done.

What You Need

This setup is a bit complicated, and you need hardware to work with. So before learning how to build this studio setup, you should first know what gear you need.

Since you're building a multi-camera setup, it just makes sense for you to have multiple cameras. However, it doesn't have to be a professional digital SLR camera. In fact, you can use this technique on a mix of smartphone cameras and webcams.

As long as your device captures video and there's a way for you to stream the feed to your computer, you can use it.

These apps are free to download and use. You can easily download them from their websites and use either one to stream. However, you need to have both apps installed on your computer if you want to use a multi-camera setup in your video conferencing app while streaming your desktop for free.

Now, why do you want to do this? That's because you might be hosting a live video conference where you're talking to a panel, but at the same time, you want to share it with your followers on other social media platforms who are not part of the panel discussion.

If you only use one streaming app, you can only have the multi-camera setup or the live-streaming of your video conferencing app—but not both.

Related: The Best OBS Studio Alternatives for Live Streaming

You should know that live-streaming takes up considerable resources on your computer. But if you're using two streaming apps, a video conferencing app, plus a presentation app, then your computer might start lagging.

For this reason, it's recommended that you have a reasonably modern device. Something like a 10th generation Intel i5 processor with a dedicated graphics card should be sufficient for this purpose.

You also need a second monitor so that your live video stream doesn't capture the tools you're using to manipulate the cameras.

Setting Up Your Cameras

You want to have multiple vantage points when you're putting up your cameras. After all, you're defeating the purpose of the setup if you place all your cameras in the same direction.

When doing this, choose a location where you can showcase your surroundings or where you can show your body language. For example, if your primary camera focuses on your face, you may want your other camera to focus on your body language. This makes your discussion more lively, as your viewers can see your hand movement when you're talking.

Related: How to Use an Android Phone as a Webcam

Alternatively, you can focus on your workstation when somebody else is talking, allowing the audience to see your screen and system instead of focusing on your face.

Remember: your computer must detect your cameras. Install their drivers if they're dedicated cameras, or if you're using a smartphone, use download and install webcam apps to make them run.

Creating a Virtual Camera Source

While you can use either Steamlabs or OBS Studio as a virtual camera source, we're going to focus on the former. You need to use Streamlabs as a virtual camera source, so you can independently control it outside your video conferencing app.

That's because you have to dig in deep in the video conferencing app's settings to change cameras, making it awkward, inefficient, and slow. But with Streamlabs, you can switch cameras with a single click or a shortcut button.

Here are the steps you need to follow to add cameras and create a virtual source:

Once you finish all the steps above, you can now manually use Streamlabs to change your cameras. You can even add effects and transitions to make changing cameras smooth and look more professional.

Capturing Your Screen and Audio

Now that you can change your cameras at will, it's time to stream your screen. Capturing and streaming your screen is a pretty simple affair. You simply need to create a source that focuses on the monitor where your video conference is, and you're done.

While this step will capture your screen and your computer's sound output, it will not record your voice. That's because your computer doesn't play your voice over its speakers. If it does that, you will experience terrible feedback.

So, to ensure that your social media viewers can hear you, you must add the microphone you're using in the video conferencing apps as an audio source on OBS Studio. That way, it will mix your voice in the stream with your computer's sound output, ensuring people can hear you and the other speakers.

Getting the Stream Running

Once you've set everything up, it's best to test the stream first. Create a sample stream before your event starts, ensuring everyone can be heard. To do so, go to your preferred live streaming service, then copy the Stream Key.

From there, go back to OBS Studio. Under the Controls subwindow, click on Settings. Then in the next window, click on Stream in the left-hand menu, and then paste the stream key you copied in the Stream Key text box. Once done, press OK. Then, under the Controls subwindow again, click on Start Streaming.

Your streaming service will then start receiving data from your computer. With that, you now go live and let the world see your online summit live.

Time to Go Live

Now that many people are going online to conduct conferences and summits, adding an effect or two will help you stand out. While setting up the system can be tricky at first, you only need to do it once. After you create the multi-camera setup, you can now use it again and again quickly and easily.

And while the camera changing effect might be subtle, it has a heavy impact on your stream. It allows you to be more dynamic, express yourself better, and even show your gear. And you get all those benefits without spending a dime.

Jowi is a writer, a career coach, and a pilot. He developed a love for anything PC ever since his father bought a desktop computer when he was 5 years old. From then on, he has been using and maximizing technology in every aspect of his life.

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