Go live on YouTube and Twitch, from Mac or Windows

Going live, step by step

1. Start a new take and choose Go live. The same app records and streams; you choose which when you start.
2. Pick what to show. Your screen or a game window, a camera (a webcam, or your phone), and a microphone.
3. Choose where to stream. YouTube Live, Twitch, Facebook Live or LinkedIn Live, or Custom for any RTMP server. Then paste your stream key.
4. Go live. One small bar shows how long you've been on air, and lets you mute, turn the camera off, or end the stream.

Where to find your stream key

Each service gives you a private stream key that tells it the stream is yours. Floonova shows you where to find it as you paste it:

A stream key works like a password: anyone who has it can stream to your channel. Floonova keeps it in your computer's secure storage, and your stream goes straight from your computer to the service you chose.

The first time you go live on YouTube, YouTube can take up to 24 hours to switch live streaming on for your channel, so set it up a day ahead.

What your viewers see

• Up to 1080p, and 60 fps when the picture moves fast. Pick 60 fps in the stream quality panel for games.
• Your camera on top, as a round bubble or a rectangle. Move it, resize it or go full screen mid-stream, and viewers see each move as you make it.
• Your desktop sound and your voice, each with its own volume.
• Never the controls. The bar you run the stream from doesn't appear in it.
• Your logo, on Pro.

Gaming, reactions, teaching

Gaming: your game window, your face in the corner, and your game's sound, at 60 fps.

Reactions: put a video on screen and your camera on top. Stream only what you have the right to show; most services take down streams of other people's videos.

Teaching: code, slides or a whiteboard app, with you beside it, and your phone as the camera if your laptop's isn't up to it.

Free or Pro

Streaming is on the Free plan, in Full HD, with no time limit and no watermark. Pro adds your logo on streams and your phone's camera in Full HD. See pricing

Questions

Is live streaming free?

Yes: Full HD, with no time limit and no watermark, on the Free plan.

Can I stream to several platforms at once?

Each stream goes to one destination. Services that relay one stream to several platforms give you an RTMP address and key, which you can use under Custom.

Do I need OBS?

No. Floonova captures your screen, camera and sound, and sends the stream itself. See Floonova vs OBS Studio for how the two differ.

Can I use my phone as the camera while I stream?

Yes. Add phone camera works for live streams as well as recordings.

What's an RTMP server?

RTMP is how live streaming services receive a stream. Each one gives you a server address and a stream key. Floonova fills in the address for YouTube, Twitch, Facebook and LinkedIn; for anything else, choose Custom and paste both.