StreamLive ProPreview, Program, Take and Cut explained
Preview, Program, Take and Cut explained for live streaming: what each monitor shows, how a shot goes to air in the browser studio, and the keys that do it.
Program is what your viewers see right now. Preview is where you set up the next shot, privately, before it goes to air. Take moves the Preview shot to Program with the transition you chose; Cut does it instantly. This is how vision mixers such as vMix have worked for years, and the StreamLive Pro browser studio follows the same rules, so a mistake on Preview never reaches the audience.
The terms
| Term | What it means | In the StreamLive Pro browser studio |
|---|---|---|
| Program | The picture on air: what the networks receive and what is recorded | The monitor on the right, labelled Program; it says On air while you stream or record |
| Preview | The next shot, visible only to you | The monitor on the left, labelled Preview, with the name of the input on it |
| Input | One source: a camera, a guest, a phone, a screen, a file, a logo | A tile in the inputs strip |
| Take | Move Preview to Program with the transition | The Take button, or Space |
| Cut | Move Preview to Program instantly | The Cut button, or Enter |
| Transition | How the switch looks: an instant cut or a fade | The chip on Preview; Fade from 0.1 to 3 seconds, 0.5 seconds by default |
| Overlay channel | A layer that stays above Program whatever camera is on air | Numbers 1 to 8 on each tile |
| Tally | The coloured ring that tells where an input is | Red ring and ON AIR for Program, green ring and PREVIEW for Preview |
How a shot goes to air
- Click a tile. Clicking an input only stages it on Preview. Program, picture and sound, stays as it is.
- Prepare it. Move, resize or crop the input on the Preview monitor. Nothing on Program changes until you take it.
- Take or Cut. Press Take (Space) for the transition, or Cut (Enter) for an instant switch. The input that was on air moves to Preview, ready to come back.
- Use the numbers for speed. The number keys take an input directly. A double-click on a tile opens its settings; it does not put it on air.
Rules worth knowing
- New inputs wait. A camera, file or phone you add while something is already on air waits on Preview instead of jumping on air.
- Sound follows picture. A camera, video or guest input is heard only while it is on air. The host microphone, phone microphones and music are always heard. In the podcast studio every microphone stays on.
- Videos follow the cut. A video starts when it goes on air, pauses when it leaves, and restarts if it had finished.
- Overlays are separate. A logo or title on an overlay channel stays sharp during a fade and does not move when you switch cameras: Add a logo and overlays to your live stream.
- Editing on air is on purpose only. Dragging an input on Program needs Alt, or the Edit on air switch, while the Preview monitor is shown.
- Undo covers settings, not switching. Ctrl or Cmd+Z undoes changes to an input's settings, position and size. Switching itself is never undone: what went on air, went on air.
Keys
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Take |
| Enter | Cut |
| Left / Right | Put the input to the left or right on Preview |
| Alt+arrows | Move the selected input |
| Alt+= / Alt+- | Resize the selected input |
| M | Mute the selected input |
| Ctrl or Cmd+/ | Show the full list of keys |
A Keys like vMix profile adds F1 to F8 for overlays and the number pad for Preview. Switch it on from the key list (the ? button in the studio). Coming from vMix: Coming from vMix? Feel at home.
Turning Preview off
If you work alone with one camera, you can hide the Preview monitor; the studio remembers the choice in this browser. Without it you lose the private view of the next shot, so keep it on whenever there is more than one source, a guest or a screen share.
Where else you meet these terms
The desktop app StreamLive Pro Studio, not released yet, uses the same Preview, Program, Take, Cut and T-bar: StreamLive Pro Studio: the facts about the desktop app for Mac and Windows. For several cameras in the browser studio, see How to live stream with several cameras. For automatic switching to whoever speaks, see Automatic camera switching for podcasts: the camera follows whoever speaks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Preview and Program?
Program is what viewers see now. Preview is the next shot, visible only to you, so you can prepare it before it goes to air.
What is the difference between Take and Cut?
Take moves Preview to Program with the transition you chose, a fade by default. Cut switches instantly.
Do I have to use Preview?
No, but it is on by default because it prevents mistakes on air. You can hide it for a simple one-camera live.
Why can I not hear my second camera?
Sound follows picture: a camera is heard only while it is on air. The host microphone and music are always heard.
Is this the same as in vMix?
The rules were matched against vMix: clicking stages, Take and Cut go to air, and overlay channels 1 to 8 sit on top of Program.
Keep reading
Bring an OBS or vMix scene into the browser studio as a camera: start the virtual camera, pick it in Add camera, add its sound, and fix a black or missing virtual camera.
Control the browser studio with an Elgato Stream DeckRun the browser studio from an Elgato Stream Deck with Hotkey keys: Take, Cut, inputs to Preview, overlays, fade to black and mute, with the studio window in focus.
Keyboard shortcuts in the browser studioKeyboard shortcuts for the browser studio: Space to take, Enter to cut, numbers to Preview, overlays, mute, B for black, and a profile with F1 to F8 like vMix.
Live stream checklist: before, during and afterA printable live stream checklist: test broadcasts, stream keys, sound check, backup internet, what to do if the stream drops, and the work after it ends.
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