How to Live Stream on Facebook
Facebook allows you to live stream all kinds of content, from your daily life to creative artwork and even showing off your gaming skills. This article will show you how to go live on Facebook.
From your Mobile Device
The simplest way to start a Facebook live stream is in the palm of your hand. You can go live directly from the Facebook app on your mobile device. When inside the app, click on the camera icon and then click on the live option. You will need to set where your live stream will be posted along with adding a description to your live stream.
You can also add fun effects like masks for your face and different backgrounds. Once everything is configured to your liking, click on the start live video button. Live streaming on Facebook requires a lot of bandwidth, so it is recommended to connect your phone to wifi for streaming or you will use a lot of your mobile data.
From your Web Browser
You can also live stream to Facebook directly from your web browser. Go to your Facebook profile and in the section where you can write a new post, you’ll see an option for live video.
You will be prompted to allow Facebook to access your webcam and microphone. Once permission is given, you will be taken to a window where you can set the details for your live stream post. You can even share your desktop if you want to broadcast your gameplay or creative works. If you have a compatible browser like google chrome, you can install a plugin that will allow Facebook to broadcast your desktop.
This is a great way to start sharing live stream content on Facebook, however, you will be limited in the amount of customization you’ll be able to add to your stream to make it stand out. If you plan to broadcast gameplay, the desktop capture won’t allow you to stream silky smooth 60 fps gameplay.
Creating professional or gaming streams on Facebook
If you’re looking to start a streaming career on Facebook Gaming or just want to create professional Facebook streams, then you will need to use broadcasting software like XSplit Broadcaster. The XSplit team has worked closely with the Facebook live stream team to create the easiest method of producing high-quality live streams. XSplit Broadcaster allows you to capture your games in Full HD and with the highest frame rates. You can also add a variety of production elements to your broadcast, such as web-based overlays, capture cards connected to professional cameras and switch between different scenes.
To set up a Facebook live stream with XSplit Broadcaster, click on the broadcast menu, set up a new output and click on Facebook Live.
A window will pop up that will prompt you to log in to your Facebook account.
While logging in, you may be asked which pages you wish to give XSplit permission to broadcast to on Facebook.
Once you have authorized XSplit to broadcast to Facebook, you will need to set the details for your stream. First, select if you wish to stream to your Timeline or a specific Facebook page. Next, select the resolution and frame rate for your stream. A recommended starting point for gaming streams is 720p at 60fps. Next, select the encoder for your broadcast, most streams use x264, but this will require a beefy CPU for a full HD high frame rate broadcast. If you have an NVIDIA or AMD GPU installed, it is recommended to use their respective hardware encoders namely VCE and NVENC. Finally set the bitrate, it is recommended to keep the bitrate in the green section so that your viewers won’t encounter any buffering while watching your stream.
Once you click start streaming, an additional window will pop up where you will input the details for your Facebook live stream post. If you plan to be visible on Facebook Gaming, make sure to set the title of the game you will be playing. If you plan to stream to Facebook Live for more than 4 hours, make sure to enable “continuous live”. Click on start broadcast and you will now be live streaming to Facebook!
While you are streaming to Facebook, XSplit Broadcaster will give you status updates on the health of your stream at the top of the program. The most important section to monitor is “dropped frames”.
Dropped frames can occur for a variety of reasons, but the most common is that you set your bitrate too high and your internet doesn’t have enough upload bandwidth. To change your bitrate, click on the broadcast menu and right-click on your Facebook channel. This will open a window where you can adjust your bitrate.
How do I let people know I am streaming on Facebook?
Now that you know how to live stream on Facebook, you are going to want to get people watching. First, make sure that your live stream post is set to public so it will appear on your timeline as well as others. If you are streaming to a Facebook page, it is recommended to share the live stream post on your personal timeline so that family, friends, and colleagues can tune in. Make sure to keep a consistent stream schedule so people will know when to drop by your page or profile. If you will be streaming games, make sure to set which game you will be playing so that people can easily find you when searching for whichever games they wish to watch. Finally, be sure to promote your Facebook live stream on all your social media channels.