How to Use Green Screen for Streaming on Twitch, Steam, Discord

If you’re passionate about broadcasting engaging and visually appealing Twitch or Steam live streams, then a green screen is the obvious choice. Not sure where to begin with or confused by all the mixed information on social media? No need to worry!

In this guide, we’ll walk you through setting up a green screen backdrop and explain all the ways to use the chroma key technique for live streaming. We’ll also give you a quick tutorial on chroma-keying in OBS Studio and list the common mistakes beginners make, explaining how to avoid them.

Without any further ado, let’s dive straight in!

A green screen is a sheet of green fabric used in live streams and videos-on-demand (VODs). It’s suspended in the back settings, allowing content creators to add a custom image or video to their broadcast as a virtual background.

A green screen is a sheet of green cloth that serves as the backdrop of a frame. In contrast, chroma-keying is the actual technique used to replace the green color of the screen with a different background.

In short, the green screen is a blank canvas, while the chroma key is the process of digitally filling that canvas with an image or video.

A green screen provides a uniform color backdrop that can be easily replaced with other images or videos. First, the camera captures both the subject and the green screen background. Next, the chroma-keying software compares each pixel’s color value to a predefined range of green hues. Finally, the software digitally replaces green pixels with either a static or a live green screen background.

The process results in a composite video where the subject appears in a different location or environment than originally filmed in.

Yes. The color of the screen does matter when it comes to chroma-keying. Green and blue screens are commonly used as backdrops because these colors are farthest away from human skin tones. This helps the chroma key software easily differentiate between the subject and the background, reducing the risk of any potential visual artifacts.

There are several reasons to use a green screen for streaming:

To set up a green screen for streaming, you’ll need the following equipment and tools:

Yes, you can use green paper or a DIY green screen for streaming. However, it may be less effective than a professional green screen backdrop. Paper tends to be more reflective than fabric and may cause chroma-keying problems.

Setting up a green screen kit for streaming requires careful planning and attention to detail. In this section, we’ll discuss everything you need to pull off a perfect green screen setup.

Step #1: Get the Green Screen Kit and Streaming Equipment Ready

While green screens are commonly used, you can also use a blue screen if you want to wear green on-screen or showcase a green product.

To hang the screen, use clamps and tighten any wrinkles. If the screen is particularly wrinkly, steam or iron it. Ensure the green screen has no hot spots or uneven lighting.

How to light a green screen for streaming?

The 3-point lighting setup is the best green screen lighting setup for streaming. This setup consists of three lights:

How far away should a green screen be?

You should sit or stand at a distance of at least 3 to 5 feet from the green screen. If you observe shadows getting casted on the green screen or a “spill”, then you’re probably standing too close to it.

What is “spill” in chroma?

‘Spill’ refers to the ambient green light the green screen reflects onto the subject. You don’t want any spillage onto you as it confuses the chroma-key algorithm. The farther away you are from the green screen, the less spillage the camera will pick up.

Once your green screen kit is ready, it’s time to set up your camera, preferably on a tripod. The tripod will allow for a clean and easy chroma key with no additional variables such as camera sway or shake.

What are the best camera settings for a green screen?

For the best results, use a resolution of at least 720p. But ideally, you should aim for a 1080p resolution with minimal video compression.

What is the best shutter speed for a green screen?

1/125 is the ideal shutter speed to use with a green screen. This will reduce motion blur and help the chroma key software differentiate the subject’s edges better.

Additionally, use a camera lens with an aperture of F/4.0. This will give your recording a natural bokeh effect and help minimize any wrinkles in the green screen. Lastly, keep the ISO low to avoid noise and film grain. An ISO of 400 is recommended.

If the footage feels too underexposed in the test run:

Use a cardioid polar pattern mic, as it captures audio from the front and cancels residual background noise. The mic can be either dynamic or condenser, depending on the nature of your content.

If you want to record instruments, we recommend using a condenser mic because of its superior high-ends. Otherwise, a dynamic mic is ideal in most situations because of its superior lows and mids.

You’ll need a PC to run chroma key software. Fortunately, you don’t need a top-end gaming PC as even mid-range systems are powerful enough to chroma key your broadcast.

Gear recommendations:

Now that you’ve set up your green screen kit and other streaming equipment, the next thing you need is a green screen software.

OBS Studio is a popular choice among top streamers. It’s an open-source, free green screen software and can be used for green screen streaming on Steam, Twitch, YouTube etc.

Xsplit Broadcaster is another valid option. However, it’s a ‘freemium’ product that costs $60 for the base Broadcaster Premium package and $70 for the full premium bundle with no restrictions. The free plan is limited to just 4 scenes and also adds a watermark to your videos.

For what it’s worth, we prefer using OBS Studio because it gives you full functionality and requires no signup fee.

To install OBS, head to their official website and select the operating system you’re using to download the software. Once completed, run the setup to install OBS Studio onto your PC.

We’ll use OBS as our preferred green screen software for this guide. If you are using some other app, you can search for the set up tutorial on YouTube or Google. You can even look up on the company’s website to find the relevant information.

Let’s learn how to set up the chroma key inside OBS studio:

And you are almost there! Just need to add a missing background of your choice before you can run a test stream and go live.

By the way, if you’re planning to stream on Twitch, you can also use Twitch’s very own broadcasting software, Twitch Studio, for the green screen live stream setup.

Just like OBS Studio, Twitch Studio allows you to apply chroma-keying to your live streams and add a video or a static image in the background.

To set up a green screen inside Twitch, first install the Twitch Studio app. You can find the latest version of Twitch Studio right here. Once you’ve downloaded and installed the app, click on ‘Webcam’ and select ‘Chroma Key’ from the right-hand pane. To optimize the Chroma Key, select ‘Edit Chroma Key’ and use the ‘Similarity,’ ‘Edge Transparency,’ and ‘Edge Color Correction’ sliders.

While there’s no shortage of free green screen backgrounds for streaming, choosing the right background is crucial.

Continuing with our green screen setup inside OBS from where we left off in the last section:

Performing a test run helps you identify any potential issues in your stream and make necessary adjustments to ensure a good presentation.

Check the lighting and shadows. Carefully look for any visual inconsistencies or chroma key artifacts. Remember, correcting mistakes while running a test stream is much easier than in live settings or post-production.

Once everything’s done, it’s time to go live. To go live in OBS Studio, click on ‘Stream’ and select your preferred streaming platform from the Service drop-down menu. In the example below, we’ve selected Twitch. Click ‘Connect Account.’ In the Twitch Log-in window, input your credentials and select ‘Log-In.’

And that’s it, you’re live!

Once you’re broadcasting, you cannot do much from this point onward. So, just focus on your stream and if, by any chance, you notice some visual artifacts in chroma-keying, don’t panic!

Instead, bring the issue to your audience’s attention and try to explain your situation. If the problem is particularly serious, you can take a quick pause to fix the issue and attribute it to technical difficulties.

There are several software that can remove background without green screen, namely CyberLink PowerDirector, Apple iMovie, and Adobe Premiere Elements. OBS Studio too offers a plug-in called ‘OBS Background Removal’. You can find it on GitHub.

Unfortunately, the OBS plugin doesn’t come without its limitations. For starters, it’s highly CPU intensive. Secondly, the end result generally leaves a lot to be desired.

No Filter

OBS Background Removal

Even under an ideal scenario with a static green screen background, the algorithm struggled to fully remove the green from the kitten, especially around her fur and paws.

No Filter

OBS Background Removal

While the OBS Background Removal plugin and other software offering similar techniques have some potential, they still have a long way to go. For the time being, the best option by far is using a green screen + chroma key combination.

Both Xbox Series S and X consoles don’t offer a chroma key option. The only way is to connect them to your PC with an HDMI capture card and run the green screen set up. However, it’s possible to set up green screen on the PS5:

Here are some of the most common mistakes green screen beginners make:

To summarize, green screening for streaming may sound like a daunting task at first, but in actuality, it’s quite simple. All you need is the right equipment and knowledge to broadcast a convincing, professional-looking livestream.

Practice makes perfect, so don’t hesitate to try exciting new things to fully spread your wings and broaden your creative horizon. Happy streaming!

About Tracy Motz