In the previous video in the course, I explained why you might want to utilize multiple scenes
in OBS Studio.
There’s a lot of cool stuff you can do with scenes.
And a better, more advanced trick involves actually nesting scenes within each other.
Using a scene as a source within another scene.
Seems silly, but can be super useful.
Let’s take a look.
Any high-tier live production needs a variety of scenes to show and quick, precise switching
between them.
The Elgato Stream Deck gives you 15 keys with customizable LCD screens behind each, that
can execute macros, application launchers, scene switching and source muting for OBS
- and you can nest folders for more actions and UNLIMITED POWAHHHH.
Grab yours today via the link in the video description.
I’m EposVox, here to make tech easier and more fun, and welcome back to my OBS Studio
tutorial course.
I have many, many more videos on the software in the playlist linked in the description.
Check that before asking questions, and check the introduction video to learn how this course
works, if you get confused.
There’s probably no end of uses for nesting scenes within OBS Studio, but I have found
a few which seem to be particularly useful.
One use is to get around the annoying issue of sources being “global” and showing
any changes you make to them in all scenes.
So, for example, if I wanted to make a layout with gameplay footage full-screen and then
overlay a facecam in the top right-hand corner, I can set that up.
Make the webcam view a little smaller and crop off some of the empty space on the sides
and top so that it’s just me in the frame.
The problem is that then when I go to make a full-screen webcam view, it will apply the
crop filter to this usage of the webcam, as well.
An easy workaround I have found is to just make a “Webcam nest” scene with the fullscreen
webcam.
Then I can add that scene as a source to my “Gameplay Facecam” scene instead of adding
the webcam directly.
Apply the crop filter that scene source and it doesn’t affect use of the webcam itself.
So then in my “Fullscreen webcam” scene, I can just add the webcam with no filters
applied.
Sweet.
Another more advanced use of scene nesting is how I handle my stream alert overlays.
Instead of adding individual browser sources, image files, and text reads to each scene
to compose my layout, I just made a scene called “Overlays” that I can add to each
scene I want it on.
Then, if I update the “Overlays” scene, any updates are passed to every scene it’s
nested in, saving me a lot of time.
My bottom bars showing top donation, recent follower, and so on are also nested in their
own scene so I can hide it all at once.
Sometimes I don’t want the bottom part of the screen covered, you know?
So the hierarchy works like this: My PNG for my bottom bars and 3 text sources
for the text that goes in the bars is in a “Bottom Bars Overlay” Scene.
Then I have a main “Overlays” scene, which has that bottom bars scene added in it as
a source, along with a browser source for my twitch alerts, a “Now playing” text
source, a donation ticker text source, and a few green-screened memes that I can call
up at will.
Then I have hotkeys assigned to individually show or hide these sources based on what I’m
doing.
And by doing this all in one “Overlays” scene, I can just add that scene to all of
my main scenes and update them all at once.
It sounds super complicated - can you count how many times I’ve said the word “scene”?
- but it’s super handy.
If you want to have an alternate layout where your normal webcam or gameplay view is next
to live chat, or you have your normal gameplay view with overlays next to your webcam or
someone else’s stream view, you can also use scene nesting to make this work.
Like I said, the possibilities are endless if you’re creative enough!
I hope this episode of my OBS Studio tutorial course has been helpful for you.
If it was, drop-kick that like button and subscribe for awesome tech videos.
If you like game streaming, come follow me on Twitch and drop a message in chat.
Until next time, I’m EposVox, Happy Streaming!
Thanks for watching this episode of my OBS Studio tutorial course.
More videos like this and a full master class are linked in the playlist in the video description.
Click to learn more.
Also consider joining us on Patreon to help keep tech education free.
Go to Patreon.com/eposvox to sign up.