StreamLive ProHow to set up a green screen virtual studio for live streams
A practical guide to a clean green screen: the backdrop, the light, the distance, the camera settings and the key, with StreamLive Pro.
A green screen lets you replace the wall behind you with any picture: a studio set, a branded background, slides. The software removes one colour (the key) and puts the new background in its place. Almost every bad result comes from the room, not the software, so most of this guide is about the room.
What you need
- A green backdrop without wrinkles: fabric on a frame, a pull-down screen, or a wall painted in chroma green.
- Two soft lights for the backdrop, and one or two for the person.
- A camera you can set by hand (exposure and white balance).
- A background picture or video at the same size as your broadcast (usually 1920x1080).
Green or blue?
Green is the default: cameras capture it with the least noise. Use blue if the person wears green or if there are plants in the shot. Whatever the colour of the screen, nobody in front of it should wear it.
In StreamLive Pro
- Web studio: open the camera's settings (the gear on the camera) and turn on Colour key. Choose green or blue, or pick the exact colour with the eyedropper, then adjust the threshold until the edges are clean. In the Podcast studio the colour can be detected automatically, and you can choose the background image for each camera.
- StreamLive Pro Studio (desktop, coming soon): a chroma key on any input, in the Inspector. 3D virtual sets with virtual cameras are planned and not ready yet.
Common problems
- A green edge around hair or shoulders: move the person further from the screen and add light from behind them.
- Holes in the person: the clothes are close to the key colour, or the threshold is too high.
- The background flickers: the screen is lit unevenly, or the camera adjusts exposure by itself. Lock it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a green screen without special software?
Yes. The StreamLive Pro web studio has a colour key on every camera, in the browser, with nothing to install.
Green or blue screen?
Green in most cases. Blue if someone wears green or there are plants in the frame.
Do I need expensive lights?
No, but you need even light. Two soft lights on the screen and one on the person already make a clean key.
Does StreamLive Pro have 3D virtual sets?
Not yet. Today you can replace the background with any image. 3D virtual sets are planned for the StreamLive Pro Studio desktop app.
Keep reading
Three ways to run a multi-camera live stream: the StreamLive Pro web studio, phones as extra cameras, or your own switcher software over RTMP.
How to make lower thirds for a live streamWhat makes a lower third readable, how long to show it, and how to add one in the StreamLive Pro studio, including Hebrew titles that read right to left.
How to live stream to several platforms at onceA complete guide to sending one broadcast to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and more — from the first connection to going on air.
Echo cancellation and noise suppression explainedEcho cancellation removes your speakers from your microphone; noise suppression removes background sound. What each does, its limits, and the StreamLive Pro settings.
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