Ultra.
It goes without saying that the best streamers continue to find ways to make their content more engaging for their audience. One easy way to shake things up is to add a secondary camera to your live stream. Trust us—two views are better than one. We know what you’re probably thinking—just when you were getting comfortable streaming with one camera, we’re proposing to add a second. However, we assure you it’s worth the extra effort.
Setting up a secondary camera is much easier than it sounds, especially if you use the new Collab Cam feature available through Streamlabs Desktop. Newsflash—Collab Cam isn’t only for adding a guest to your live stream, you can use it to set up a secondary camera to make your live stream just a tad bit more interesting. Keep reading to learn how, plus find some ideas for two camera streams using Collab Cam towards the end.
How to Setup Your Secondary Camera With Collab Cam
- Launch Streamlabs Desktop and confirm your preferred streaming platform is connected, your primary camera and microphone are good to go, and you’re ready to go live.
- Next, from your Sources Panel, head over to plus sign (+) and select Collab Cam to add it as a source.
- Once Collab Cam is added to your Source Panel, you’ll come across the Collab Cam welcoming page with brief instructions on getting started. Then, a pop-up should display with a shareable link that you can open in browser from a different computer or from your mobile phone. Share the link with yourself. If you close out the window and need the shareable link, simply double-click Collab Cam from your sources to get back to the screen with the link for you to copy and paste.
- That’s it! You can begin streaming using both your primary and secondary cameras.
8 Ideas for Fun Streams Using a Secondary Camera
If you’re not sure what kind of content you should stream using two cameras, check out some of our recommendations below.
Cooking
If you’re showing off your cooking skills or teaching viewers how to make your favorite dish, it’s worth setting up a second camera so they see every single step you make. Cooking is alot about technique, so your audience will appreciate having a bird’s eye view of the process.
Arts & Crafts
Make your next artsy live stream feel like an in-person experience by showing and telling while you create. Simply set up your camera (facing you) as you would normally and use your secondary camera to catch every paint stroke, stitch etc. No matter the craft, having two cameras makes your audience feel like they’re attending a one-on-one class with a friend.
Music
Whether you perform for your audience or teach them some of your skills, using a secondary camera to show your hand movements while playing an instrument is sure to make your live stream more engaging. Even if your musical talents don’t rub off on your audience, they’ll thoroughly appreciate you trying to guide them.
Pet Cam
You’re not imagining things—the internet is absolutely obsessed with pets of all kinds. If you have a pet at home, try setting up your secondary camera with Collab Cam as a pet cam. Pets have so much love to share so why not share it with your audience? If you’re streaming on Twitch and unlocked Affiliate with the help of our article, you can have your viewers redeem channel points or bits to “unlock” the pet cam.
Beauty Tutorials
When you’re creating intricate nail designs or teaching fans how to blend eyeshadow, details absolutely matter. A great way to let your viewers see your demo up close and personal without losing sight of you (the star they came to see) is by using a secondary camera so your audience has the best of both worlds.
Exercise Cam
It’s not uncommon for live streamers to complete a small exercise when they receive donations from viewers. From doing pushups to running a lap around the room, come up with an exercise that you can do every time you receive a donation (or a donation of a specific amount) and use your secondary camera to capture the moment in all of its glory.
FYI, check out our blog on charity stream incentive ideas if you need a couple to put in your arsenal for future streams.
Go for a Walk
When you’re streaming for a long period of time, taking the proper amount of breaks is essential. One good way to take a break without leaving your audience hanging is by using Collab Cam to add a secondary camera via your mobile device. This way, you can seamlessly switch from streaming from your camera to your phone and go to get some fresh air, vitamin D, or even take the dog for a walk.
Room Tour
If you’re like many creators, you’ve taken a lot of time to craft the perfect room for all of your content creation. Take your viewers on a tour and show them your room and any cool collections you have. Your community will love getting a closer look at some of the items you’re passionate about.
As we mentioned previously, adding a secondary camera to your live stream is an easy way to mix up your content and make it more engaging for your audience. Best of all, Collab Cam makes it as simple as sharing a link to yourself to get going. Try out Collab Cam on Streamlabs Desktop and let us know how it goes on Twitter.