Three ways to connect the cameras
Most two-camera setups mix these: a webcam on the desk and a phone or camera for a second angle.
| Route | What you need | Where you switch angles | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| USB webcams | One free USB port per camera, each tested on its own | OBS scenes | Several cameras on one hub or controller can run out of USB bandwidth: see USB bandwidth for cameras and capture; the USB port planner places each camera on a port of its own |
| Phones | An app such as DroidCam on each phone, and its source in OBS for each | OBS scenes | Wi-Fi gaps; DroidCam suggests a USB cable for a steadier picture. Use your phone as a webcam covers the setup |
| HDMI cameras through capture cards | A camera with clean HDMI out and one capture card per camera | OBS scenes | Each card takes its own USB port; use a camera as a webcam checks the camera first |
| HDMI cameras into an ATEM Mini Pro | Up to four HDMI cameras, its 12 V power supply, and one USB-C port on the computer | Buttons on the ATEM; OBS sees one camera | Its webcam output is HD, 1080p at up to 60 frames a second |
Set up the angles in OBS
These are OBS Studio’s own names (version 32).
- Add each camera once: in Sources click +, choose Video Capture Device, name it after the angle (“Desk cam”, “Wide”), and pick the camera under Device. Set the resolution and frame rate the camera supports; OBS shows nothing if the device doesn’t support what you set.
- Make one scene per angle. To show the same camera in another scene, right-click it, choose Copy, and in the other scene choose Paste (Reference), so OBS opens the camera once instead of twice.
- To show two cameras at once, side by side or one small in a corner, make a scene for it and bring both cameras in with Paste (Reference). Then drag the red box around each camera in the preview to place and size it. A source higher in the Sources list sits on top of the ones below it, and holding Alt while you drag an edge crops the picture.
- Put your microphone, alerts and overlays in every scene, the same way, so the sound never changes when you switch.
- Leave Deactivate when not showing off for cameras you switch to live. OBS says a camera turned off this way can take a moment to show again when its scene comes back.
- Switch with a hotkey for each scene (Settings, Hotkeys) or a Stream Deck key: setting up Stream Deck for OBS shows the scene action.
- Turn on Studio Mode to line up the next angle before viewers see it: the scene you are editing shows on the left, the live one on the right, and Transition sends it live. Viewers can’t see whether Studio Mode is on.
Keep one microphone, and check sync per angle
Many webcams and every phone have a microphone of their own, and an HDMI camera can send its sound with the picture. Keep one microphone for your voice and leave the others out of the mix, or the room will be heard several times over. On a Video Capture Device, Use custom audio device ties a separate microphone to that camera’s source when you want them to move together.
Each route reaches OBS with its own delay, so a voice that is in sync on the webcam can be late or early on the phone. Clap once on each angle in a test recording and use fix audio and video sync to measure each one.
When an ATEM Mini Pro makes sense
With three or four HDMI cameras, an ATEM Mini Pro saves a capture card per camera and a USB port per card: it re-syncs and converts all four HDMI inputs, you cut between them with buttons, and its USB-C output appears on the computer as a webcam. It also mixes two 3.5 mm audio inputs and can stream or record by itself. The trade-off is HD: its inputs take up to 1080p60, and the picture it sends is 1080p. For 4K from one camera, a capture card that lists 4K is the better route; the camera checker tells you whether a camera can stay live over HDMI or USB.
Test every angle together
With every camera connected and the computer as busy as during a stream, record two minutes and switch through every scene twice. Watch the file for a camera that freezes, drops out or comes back late, and listen for a sound that changes between angles. If a USB camera drops when another starts, move one of them to a port on a different controller before you change anything else.
Settings for the platform you stream to
Once it is wired, each platform’s own figures for bitrate, keyframes and audio, with the date we checked them: Twitch · YouTube Live · Kick · Facebook Live · TikTok LIVE. The bitrate calculator gives the number to type into OBS for your output.
Going live for the first time? Follow the steps to stream on Twitch, go live on YouTube, stream on Kick, go live on Facebook or go LIVE on TikTok, from the account to ending the stream.