Free tools to make your streams better or improve your workflow.
The premise is simple, but somehow I've let it go an entire YEAR since my last post in
this playlist, despite the fact that my list of resources I want to share just keeps piling
up, so let's dive in.
This video is sponsored by CuriosityStream.
Get access to my own streaming service, Nebula, when you sign up with the link below.
First up is Bio.Link.
This is another service that allows you to compile all of your necessary social media
and other links in one place for an easy link you can drop in social media profiles that
only allow for one - such as TikTok and Twitter.
BioLink goes above and beyond other link services, though, allowing not only a wide set of pre-existing
social media listings with icons ready to go, but custom links and custom icons for
them - even with GIF support - custom animated backgrounds, different link formats with your
own domain support coming soon, and more.
They have analytics built in, allowing you to see who has visited your bio.link page,
who has clicked on what, etc.
Plus, they've implemented a mailing list subscription setup - something I consider to be heavily
*under*-used by streamers and content creators.
Even better, the main premise of the site promises that it will be "always free", which
is nice to see.
This is potentially the most complete and thought-out link service I have seen to date,
I am very impressed.
Second up, we have a FFMPEG script from fellow stream educator, Nutty, which allows you to
drag your alpha channel exports of stream graphics on it and convert to VP9 WEBM files
for distribution or use in OBS, without the hassle and without the slowdown of the After
Effects plugins.
I released something similar in videos a few months back but just... never posted it to
my Github for some weird reason?
So we'll just point to Nutty's.
THAT BEING SAID, I did investigate recently and come to the conclusion that most streamers
maybe shouldn't be using VP9 and should be using ProRes or uncompressed instead, for
performance reasons - video on that linked below.
I'm still including this resource, as there are plenty of people who still want to stick
with VP9, regardless.
Next up is a security measure.
There's a new wave of malicious Twitch extensions going around where people can sniff your IP
address and leak it just by you visiting their Twitch page.
This is why people have been saying to ban users *without* clicking on their channel
a lot recently.
Someone by the name of CommanderRoot has created FireFox and Chrome extensions which allow
you to block some or all Twitch extensions to help keep you safe.
Add the extension to your browser, then click to configure it.
You can either block all Twitch extensions, all except ones you have manually allowed,
or allow all except ones you have manually blocked.
It's tedious to manage these one by one - though you can certainly just wait until you see
one worth allowing on a stream - but it's worth it to keep yourself secure.
Livecurtain allows you to quickly throw up a full-scene countdown timer.
This is useful for taking a pause to run to the bathroom during your stream, waiting for
students to connect to your online class, intermissions, and so on.
Obviously there are a lot of ways to set up countdowns - some more involved than others
- but this is the quickest and simplest way to just toss one up - either via screen capture
or browser source - and easily customize the theme, time, and modify it as you go.
Kamua is a browser-based video editor that can save you a TON of time when converting
your videos to vertical for social media.
It has fully-automated cropping and re-framing for vertical format, automatic captions and
subtitles in 60 languages, and can even identify the different cuts and scenes in a video to
help you choose the right one.
You get 1 gigabyte of free video usage per month before it costs - and yes, they do have
paid plans, but they start at just $2 per month, so it's super affordable.
I think the free tier could save people a lot of time - especially those of you who
ask me how to juggle the many different social media platforms you're somehow expected to
post to for growth.
If you want to learn how to quickly and easily edit your videos for TikTok or other social
media using another free tool, stay tuned to the extended cut of this video.
That's available over on my own streaming site.
My videos are higher quality there, ad-free, and often extended from the YouTube versions,
just like this one.
The site is called Nebula and we've partnered with CuriosityStream.
It features Youtube's top education creators such as MKBHD, Thomas Frank, and LowSpecGamer.
CuriosityStream saw what we were doing for educational content and wanted to partner
up - We've worked out a deal where if you sign up with the link below, you not only
get access to CuriosityStream and their library of thousands of educational and documentary
content, but you get access to Nebula for FREE!
For the entire duration of your subscription to CuriosityStream.
For a limited time CuriosityStream is offering 26% off of their annual plan - making it less
than $15 per year for BOTH CS and Nebula.
While you're there, check out "Cat Nation" to learn about the bizarre and unique world
of Japanese cat culture.
Head to CuriosityStream.com/epos for the best deal in streaming and get access to both sites
for under $15 per year.
It's crazy.
Just do it.
I have a giant list of free tools for streaming and content creation to share, so hit the
subscribe and notification bells so you can stay informed.
Thanks for watching and join us on Discord at Discord.gg/eposvox to talk more about improving
your stream.
Remember: Be kind, rewind.