StreamLive ProSide by side and picture in picture layouts in a live
Picture in picture and side by side layouts in the browser studio: an automatic layout by camera count, a layout per guest, and a camera you place in a corner yourself.
The browser studio gives you three ways to put more than one person on screen. Layout, then Studio, arranges every camera that is showing by how many there are: two side by side, three as a host with two stacked, four in a grid. Each guest also has an on-air layout of their own: full, split left or right, picture in picture in a corner. And any camera can be sized and placed by hand, for example small in the corner over a shared screen.
Before you start
- The studio is open with the cameras or guests you need. Adding cameras: Add a camera to the browser studio. Inviting guests: How to do a live interview with a remote guest.
- Any plan, including the trial. The number of guests in a room depends on the plan: /pricing?lang=en.
- Phones in landscape when they share a frame. A phone held upright becomes a narrow strip in a side by side cell, with black on both sides.
Steps
- Get the cameras showing. Each camera or guest you want in the layout must be visible in the studio. A guest who just joined waits off air until you bring them on: Talk to a guest off air, then bring them on.
- Open Layout. In the bar under the picture open Layout (guest layout, safe-zone guides).
- Press Studio. The studio arranges the cameras by count and tells you if there are none to arrange. The table below shows what you get.
- Or set one guest's layout. Open the gear on the guest's tile, Guest tab. Under On-air layout choose Full, Split → , ← Split, PIP BR (bottom corner), PIP TR (top corner), Camera or Hide. The guest list has the same choices with shorter names: Split, PiP, Cam, Full, Hide.
- Or place a camera by hand. Click the camera's tile to put it on Preview, then drag it, or select it and use Alt+= and Alt+- to resize and Alt+arrow keys to move. For a precise crop use the Position tab in its settings. Alt+0 puts it back.
- Check on Preview, then Take. A layout you build on Preview reaches viewers only when you press Take or Cut: Preview, Program, Take and Cut explained.
- Keep a corner camera above every shot. To keep your small camera over whatever you switch to (slides, a video, a screen), put it on an overlay channel: Overlay channels 1 to 8 and their keys (F1 to F8).
What Studio does by camera count
| Cameras showing | Layout |
|---|---|
| 1 | Full frame |
| 2 | Side by side, two equal halves |
| 3 | One large on the left, two stacked on the right (the news-desk layout for a host and two guests) |
| 4 | A 2 by 2 grid |
| 5 or 6 | A 3 by 2 grid |
| 7 or more | A 3 by 3 grid |
The arithmetic for a 1920x1080 broadcast: side by side gives each camera a 960x540 cell, and a 16:9 camera fills it exactly. A phone held upright is 9:16, so it fits only about a third of that cell's width; that is why phones should be turned sideways for shared frames.
Picture in picture: two common setups
- You over your slides. Share the screen (or show slides as pictures), then place your camera small in a bottom corner and put it on an overlay channel so it stays when the slides change: How to share your screen in a live stream, Present slides in a live stream.
- A guest over you. In the guest's settings choose PIP BR or PIP TR. The guest sits in the corner while your camera fills the frame.
Names under people
A guest's Display name (Lower-Third) and Subtitle (role / topic) are set on the same Guest tab, and the guest list has a Label size for each guest: Normal, Large or Hidden. For titles of your own: How to make lower thirds for a live stream.
What can go wrong
- "No active cameras to arrange". No camera is showing yet. Bring the guest on air, or add a camera, then press Studio again.
- A phone has black bars in its half. It is upright. Turn it to landscape, or give it the full frame.
- Faces are cut at the edge of a cell. Crop or move that camera on the Position tab, or ask the person to sit in the centre of their frame.
- The logo hides behind a guest. Put the logo on overlay channel 8 so it is drawn above everything.
- Some viewers see a vertical crop. Shorts cut from the broadcast are 9:16. Check the layout with Safe-zone guides for vertical and square viewers.
Frequently asked questions
How do I do picture in picture in a live stream?
Place a camera small in a corner on Preview, or choose PIP BR or PIP TR for a guest, then press Take. Put the small camera on an overlay channel if it should stay over every shot.
Can I put two people side by side?
Yes. With two cameras showing, Layout then Studio puts them side by side in two equal halves.
Is there a layout for three people?
Yes. With three cameras, Studio puts one large on the left and two stacked on the right.
Do viewers see the layout change while I set it up?
No, as long as you build it on Preview. It goes on air only with Take or Cut.
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