The Guide to PERFECT Camera Settings for Live Streaming

[@DejayClayton]

For some reason, Harris did not yet ask us a question for us to answer in the comments section. So I'll do so for him: "Guys, what is the worst camera setting you've used?"

[@Senpai]

Solid point. Pinned.

[@CameraTim]

Autofocus.

[@SpaceNewsPod]

Autofocus 100%

[@brittany6429]

Forgetting to turn off v-log for photographs 🤦‍♀

[@blazenplays]

Full auto mode

[@fruitbat8820]

That was probably the best explanation of how to set a camera up I've seen to date! You seem to explain the technical terminology very simply, thank you and keep up the great work👍

[@Gamin4Hope]

The explanation of the metering was SO crucial, I feel, for many streamers to understand the concept of exposure. Bravo, Harris. Bravo. 👏🏻

[@MugsWithBeards]

This timing was INSANE. I just bought myself a brand new camera about a week ago and was sitting there messing around with the settings. This video got posted and immediately saved me the trouble.

[@davepettigrewmusic]

Appreciate this quick walkthrough. Solved my problem! Appreciate you taking the time to put this together....

[@Skyquake]

Just got a Elgato Facecam Pro and was hella overwhelmed with all the new settings I've never had to deal with before. Everything makes a lot more sense now, thanks man!

[@somewhatboxes]

something you mentioned briefly but is worth saying more about: the aperture plays a huge part in how much stuff is in focus, which is a great stylistic tool! but it can also be maddening if you use an extremely "fast" lens like f/1.4 because things start to get out of focus very quickly - in other words, you'll be out of focus if you lean forward even an inch, or if you shift around in your set and rest your head on the headrest. if your camera is set to autofocus, it might go searching for you a lot, which can be a little distracting (the edges will do what's called "focus breathing", where some things come into and out of the frame; it's weird to describe but you'll notice it if it's bad). and if your camera is set to lock focus at one place, then... you'll just be a little out of focus if you shift from that place by even a little bit. so it's tough. if you keep having trouble with getting focus really sharp, you might want to use a smaller aperture, which means a higher ISO or more light, or more experimentation with some other factors

[@WyldNord]

I think that WB setting is crucial as well. Because I see a lot of streamers using an auto setting and their picture is not stable in CC. I mean, it jumps from blueish to yellow tones, especially if something colourful and bright is on display and reflects on skin. The solution here is set WB on manual and calibrate using color checker or at least plain white paper)

[@DiabloTTV]

i have an dslr camera and it always does the same. Idk why but it changes the brightness of the image. Like if i get to close or put my end the camera changes something.

[@WyldNord]

@@DiabloTTV if only the brightness changes, I guess this is an auto settings somewhere. Check ISO, aperture or shutter speed settings. Make sure that everything is on Manual. Or, if you’re using OBS, check camera source properties. Remove ticks from auto exposure or low light compensation.

[@AlexLassard]

Thanks! I will be glad to hear a few words about resolution, frame rate and overheating of cameras for streaming

[@TheOldSchoolCrisis]

This was FAR and away the most helpful video I have seen yet on manual camera settings when trying to set up for streaming. You did a GREAT job explaining exactly what each setting was doing and why changing one before the other would be beneficial when setting up SPECIFICALLY for streaming conditions. Great Video!

[@ShinyTechThings]

I finally got your video notification in a timely manner!

[@MichealColhoun]

Great to see you doing these tutorials again! tight and fast paced. More please! :-)

[@DutyRon]

Great video as always! How did you get the like button to highlight? Thanks in advance.

[@eliteenchanted]

I'm a little confused how do I apply these to a webcam?

[@SunCastMedia]

such a life saver been struggling to figure out how to improve the aperture, shutter, etc on FX30, and this video unlocked it for me!

[@jacobbailey2950]

I dont even have a webcam/camera and I stil watched this

[@brittany6429]

Love how straightforward this video was laid out. Super helpful for video creators too!

[@iph2]

What about distance with blurry? Should you set to auto focus or decide the distance yourself

[@NanoNutrino]

You could mention that, you could buy a cheap Chinese off brand photography lens, that has no electronics and is only manual focus, but you can buy f1.4 for cheap compared to a main brand electronic focus lens.

[@djrichglow]

Curious your opinion on something un-traditional: Gear: A6400 -> 16mm Sigma lens -> 39 smart RGB lights in room -> Amaran 100 for rear lighting on my head Scenario -> My stream studio is about 20x25~ in the main room. I projection map onto the walls behind me. Problem -> From the projection mapping I get a slow color fade across the screen (only where the light is being throw) no matter if the projection is blue/red/green etc. It's barely noticeable, but it is to me. The color warps a little when this refresh comes across the camera. Darken the camera settings, it goes away. But its too dark. Is this a refresh rate issue because there is (SO) much light in my studio? And if so, should I consider taking my 39 Hue lights, and max them at a lower percentage, and then increase the cam to bring it back to 0 m m?

[@ChapterMasterValrak]

Fantastic video, I’m doing a new set up atm, thank you for the help via this and Twitter 👍🏻

[@bazwynOG]

For the zv-e10 there's a few pretty cheap Andoer 25mm F1.8 floating around - the downside is it's fully manual* so it's not great for changing situations, but it's great for a studio setup and only runs about $50-60*(guess it shot right up after i bought mine >.> still, if you're not in the market for a $500 lens after getting a $1k camera)

[@KoruptedTV]

The video I knew I needed is finally here thank you

[@FRESHY_GG]

How good is this insta360 camera compared to elgato facecam pro?

[@Shise-]

Can you review the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra, looks really good.

[@Za_Vas]

You explained everything better than my highschool film teachers...

[@MalcolmBastien]

With the Sony ZV-E10, what's the recommendation on frame rate for a typical online meeting or streaming office setup? 24p, 30p or 60p?

[@ttvkeishalily]

So turns out for the last 2 years i have had my camera settings for streaming on Twitch, SO wrong!! THANK YOU!!! This literally gave me the settings I have been wanting out of my Canon SL3 for YEARS!!! A GODSEND!!!

[@C34y27]

Well this one here is video of the month to me. comprehensive and informative. Thanks

[@youknowwithMartyKauffman]

Are there any settings I need to use for the Insta 360 or is it just run and gun?

[@SpeculatorSeth]

Have you run into any problems encoding 4k video? OBS seems fine scaling things down, but if I try to save a 4k file it's choppy. I wanted to save 4k for cropping later, but I had to settle on OBS doing the rescaling and cropping first. Perhaps a 3060 isn't beefy enough?

[@TheManOnDaCouch]

Is the 1.4 lens that you reccomend a wider angle lens then the one that comes with the camera??

[@remylordski]

Thanks I’v been looking for a new camera want to upgrade out of my c920 and it’s great to learn how one works before getting one loves the lesson

[@laprimanerda7333]

Asking the general community since this probably isn’t something Harris has experience with: I stream myself painting on canvas and it feels like I can either light myself well or the canvas well but not both. Wet paint has a sheen which adds to the difficulty. Does anyone has tips or tricks here?

[@CKramburglar]

Try to place the light for the canvas on a roughly 45 degree angle from the camera, that way the light won’t bounce directly back into the lens, which is what will cause a lot of the glare off wet paint

[@naruto5046]

are you able to add another light source and put it at 45 degrees like Chris K said? if not you’ll have to choose the subject of focus and light either you or canvas instead.

[@dracobutwhatever8611]

Light yourself well and get another light if you can to do as the others said

[@Chhuoey]

Maybe a circular polarizer filter could help with the sheen? Not 100% sure if that is the solution but it gets rid of unwanted reflections in car photos so maybe it's a similar use case. And a second light would do wonders for the prioritization issue

[@DJ_CJ_NL]

I have a problem, if i start recording when i have a hdmi cable connected my lcd screen on the cam disappears. When i turn proxy recording on and i record, the screen on the lcd stays but the capture card loses image. Any ideas on how to fix it? i use a sony zv-e10

[@nicknaks94]

Your videos are great and this guide is AWESOME! Just got the new Sony ZV-E10, I don't know much about cameras and I've been trying to set it up for my stream room for the past 4 hours, after headaches and a lot of youtube videos, i finally found this video and fixed everything for me first try. As usual, well explained, and taught me a few things! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

[@Senpai]

🙏

[@scratchgonzo]

Do you have any videos on how to make your camera focus on you and not objects in the forground?

[@rinsaaaki]

Your Energy is always the best in your vids, your really helpful and informative

[@cesar187__]

What’s a good budget good quality camera for just taking pictures for vacations ?

[@morten_exe]

Hi Senpai! Do you know if it is possible to make an video description template for youtube shorts? Right now I am doing it manually and I dont know if it is possible yet to do this automatically? -and also there is no youtube videos for this yet so maybe you can be the first to post a tutorial on this if this is possible oft. :) Love your videos! Morten, Denmark.

[@magustagames7239]

I use a gopro hero 7 black but the image is kinda grainy do you have anyrecommendations on how to fix it?

[@iPodKingCarter]

got that sigma 16mm i use a green screen so i always need light

[@itswebb4799]

My iris on my ZV E10 stays at 5.6. Even with the sigma lens you talked about. How do you lower that?

[@HannahStarfruit]

Does Anyone Know When The Next Streambeats Album Comes Out??

[@pistolwhip833]

Appreciat this! left ALL my settings on auto for my Sony A5000 looked okay, well I thought.. did these settings and OH MY it looks sooooooooooooo crisp. Thank you Harris!

[@golderexcorporation]

Harris a genius and a real stream god, like the content and the creativity and the advices (thank u boss!)

[@talptz]

Got a question I'm debating on what camera to get I can get Sony a6000 with kit lens for around 200$ But The dilemma with investing more for Sony A7 iii The most use gonna set it as a video camera

[@bjohnson8949]

Only other thing I would add is to set white balance manually just to prevent auto white balance from picking up any other lights in the scene and causing strange color shifts

[@Vincent0345]

How do we see those numbers though for most webcams that starting streamers might be using. Logitech C920 is an obvious "favorite", but even like the elgato facecam?

[@drunkhas]

This is going to help sooo many people.

[@Marvolzz]

Why does my camera gets blurry while I’m streaming and gaming? Low bit rate? I have good lighting too.

[@iph2]

Do you recommend auto focus ? Or manual

[@DearSweetMelody]

Why do some say to have the meter at +2.0?

[@milkymoth]

wow, it's crazy to be this early!

[@phatadam123]

Love streambeats! tweaked my camera a6100 - thank you! max of iso 2000 made be feel better im using 800. (some) pages say 200.. and my Fstop max of 4.0 was making it hard with a shutter of 60... :) i like a dark colorful gaming room.

[@autumnsartstudio]

Yeah most of these tips apply to actual cameras but not really webcams. I have the Razer Kiyo and use it primarily for overhead desk streams for diamond art and sketching etc. If I use any LED type lighting I'll be blinding myself from the gems sparkle (which isn't a joke, they are shiny shiny in the light) I have not been able to find that happy medium at all and it looks like I'm in a very dark room because my desk is black.

[@Paxman_245]

Are you aware if an updated version to the Canon m50 mark II or Sony ZV e-10 or if a new competitor is coming this year?

[@joshuanavarrooviedo795]

It’s already out it’s called canon r10 and if you want to go full frame canon r8

[@Beleza.Natural]

What the tripod did you use for the DSLR?

[@lukepettit1025]

Why is my zve10 only only saying in obs it can capture in 1080 X720 instead of 1920x1080 ?

[@Kisherr]

What is that tripod??

[@kingofzero]

great explanation, could you do this same video with el gato?

[@PointyEel]

Thank Harris I literally had my Sony A6000 for around 2 years now and was using the wrong settings i was wondering why other streamers with the same camera looked better

[@clubkevyumba]

this was a great video, i've actually been trying to find answers for all of this. Do these settings/tips translate to point & shoots like the ZV1?

[@samulegend]

ooooo hes back hes back

[@mattfarmerai]

Brilliant, great video. I had a videographer give me these same tips and it made a huge difference. USB or HDMI? I thought USB is a lower quality image

[@markaphillips14]

I had a GoPro hero 7 kicking around the house. Wife wanted to start streaming so I bought a capture card and downloaded obs. Watched a handfull of your videos and we are off to the races. Thanks for Al the good content.

[@BryanExplainsItAll7]

hay harris, question... i am a new youtuber and have a sony cx405 comcorder for recording videos. it's a biginner camcoder. anyway, is there a difference from my camcorder vs the beginner mirrorless/dslr camera? please and thank you.

[@cptnsibi]

My camera keeps shutting off every 30 min even after I take timer settings off… any help would be nice 🙏🏿???

[@2playermode4ever]

Our camera makes the stubble on my beard look like the image is too sharp. Can't figure out that setting on my Sony a6100

[@Shuttterbugg]

I already know everything about streaming and camera setup. My real question im dying to ask is WHAT SHADE OF NAIL POLISH ARE YOUR FINGERS? Gorgeous simply gorgeous. Didn’t listen to any of the video . I just kept staring at that nail polish. Hey what kind of lipstick and concealer do you use?

[@aaronhubbard2647]

Very helpful ty! I look forward to more like this.

[@HiSenna]

Hay can you do one for colours and colour calibration

[@ellihernandez-sewdanee5668]

sir do this but for elgato face cam thx

[@johnathanrmarsh]

Random question: I notice Streambeats has been scaled back on YT. Some of the older albums / collections are gone. Any chance they make their way back or is it just Spotify / Apple for now?

[@Senpai]

It's a problem with our distributor. We're working on it.

[@enzeejedi]

Nice and easy, well done.

[@lionsayshey]

I've been debating whether I should break the bank for the FX3... Damn I want that camera so bad

[@calicojack7264]

Thank you

[@CameraTim]

Thank you Harris for mentioning setting your camera to movie mode. (I’ve been waiting for that. 😂) As a few side notes, generally speaking for video, shutter speed should be the first step as it’s the only exposure element that shouldn’t change. So starting with a constant will make for less adjustments later. Second, the multi-meter isn’t always the best tool to monitor exposure because you’re evaluating the whole image or just a small section, which could produce non-desired results if you have a darker background, causing you to overexpose the skin tone, which is not what you want. And lastly, this probably doesn’t apply to most streamers, but it’s important to note that if you want to vlog or stream outdoors, you DO NOT want your ISO as low as possible, as you knock down your highlight dynamic range, making it easy to blow out your sky. So you actually want to raise your ISO higher (like somewhere between 800-1600 depending on the camera of course) to maintain highlight detail and knock down the light entering the lens with an ND filter.

[@harrisheller]

You're 100% right about all these points, but I still disagree with most of what you say. Shutter speed: Your way is how I set my vlogging camera and it's definitely the right way to do it. However, priority for streaming is different. Prioritizing proper motion blur on a subject that's hardly in motion doesn't make much sense. Streamers and viewers both will notice a shallow depth of field much more, which is why I put it first. Multi-meter. Again, you're right, however you're getting more advanced than the majority of these viewers will be ready for. This is a video for people messing with their settings for the first time. If you feed a thirsty person with a firehose, they don't get much water from it. ISO: A base ISO is a super important setting to know.. once you understand cameras better. Very few of us streamers go outside, let alone stream outside. And those that do IRL stream are never using a mirrorless camera. So, while you're right, it would require a lot of extra, confusing info that would apply to almost no one and would end up doing more damage than good. There is a reason I like talking with you about cameras, you know you're stuff, haha. It's just that when I make these videos, I always have to weigh exactly how much information will be helpful and how much info is too much. Much love, brother 🫶

[@CameraTim]

@@harrisheller Yeah, for sure. I totally understand from a simplistic standpoint that you want to have people start on the right foot. I'm still on the fence with shutter speed order, but I completely agree that if the subject needs more light, they can bring the speed down because the motion blur is negligible. I guess at that point is just an order of aperture or shutter speed priority of which one you're least likely to go back and change again, which in my experience is almost always the aperture, which is why I set shutter speed first. But I do understand where you're coming from. I probably should've stated with the multimeter that it is definitely a good starting point for people to have, they just might want to have additional tool to measure exposure so that they're getting an accurate reading of where their skin tone is at. This is a great use case for the Color Monitor plugin as well, which again, not the most simplistic tool, but could also be a fun one for some people to use. But yeah, for a baseline exposure, relying on something that's not your eyes like the multimeter is definitely a good starting point. As far as the ISO goes, I almost didn't mention it because it is a somewhat niche scenario, and almost irrelevant for streamers to know, but it is useful to know if some streamers have a lot of dark areas in their image and are using a higher ISO, their blacks are getting clamped much higher due to lack of shadow dynamic range. But at the same time, a balanced ISO can also allow any lights you have in the background to not look so white and clipped. So it's one of those things that would definitely help people get a better image, but probably not beneficial for a beginner. Much love to you as well!

[@CERLLLL]

Uh no, forgot to mention the very first thing you need to do with the camera, turn the camera to manual mode :P Great video!

[@blazenplays]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@i_grind_4_mine_533]

I got the Sony EV-10 camera but with the fixed lens, right before the newer EV-Z10 (the white camera he showed in this video) with swappable lenses was released. It's so crazy that I can learn how to completely setup a stream in OBS/Streamlabs in an hour with all scenes and audio in hours but I can't setup camera settings to save my life.

[@SoeaOu]

Thanks. Really useful

[@terrorsixx]

Off topic, but if you make a streambeats metal playlist, ill name my first born after you. Much love homie

[@KingKevin108]

I bought the Insta360 Link from your page recently and it's so much fun! Edit- I would love if you'd make one of these designed for the Insta360 Link please and thank you!

[@jsturaveragedad]

i've been using a canon 24mm 2.0 prime. it's great! 2.0 so the bokeh is pretty nice.

[@TheYouTubeMechanic]

Note to self. Light background less than self. Also: go back in time and record the video from earlier with the background like turned down.

[@goldengoose5298]

This video was incredibly helpful! How about something similar that helps with audio?

[@LiveNDaLivingRoomOli_Versus]

I have that same black and red tripod LFG

[@ابوياسمين-و8ض]

Best video thanks

[@IanHouck]

Random suggestion regarding StreamBeats: could you compose and upload some "phonk" styled copyright free beats?

[@tundraosu]

Ayy, You grammerd correctly! 😁

[@dustmicks1]

Also if your at 60fps you can go over 1/125 you can be at 1/1250 and the motion blur stays the same. This is not true for 24fps or 30 fps. Only 60fps or higher.

[@WrestlingOutOfPocket]

You should add this to your master class series

[@ZeptejSeFilipa]

6:36 in this second I realize that timer was gone :D

[@mattcero1]

I'm going to search or even re-watch this guy's "budget studio" video.

[@JoelPlay]

Real question is how doesn't this guy get millions of views every video, ive seen fortnite streamers- fortnite streamers that get millions of views and their videos doesn't even come close to as good as yours

[@LoutheTech]

Excellent!!!!!

[@BenJoTwo]

Oh how startet this in out zooming thing. Its just so annoying. wiggle wiggle. Maybe an extra Video, why this is now used so often and where it all startet. And most importantly why it is crap to do this. Thx

[@ChiefChakra]

you kept mentioning 1.8 vs 1.4 but if I'm mistaken didn't show their direct differences? I'd like to see that

[@chowacow]

1.8 vs 1.4 isn’t going to do you too much tbh. It’s probably about 2/3 stop difference. Really only necessary in more extreme low light situations and in most cases you can compensate with 2/3 stop higher ISO Also just note that a decent amount of decent primes stop at 1.8. If you’re on a budget you’re going to try 1.8. With 1.4 lens expect a higher price tag, bulkier lens. Really depends on the lens though and if you can justify the prices. At the more extreme end you can even find 1.2 lenses but they’ll be even more pricy and not everyone can justify the price

[@probablyKonstantin]

In the real world, unless you are in a really dark environment, you can't really tell the difference

[@CameraTim]

Not to be extra confusing, but also consider the fact that f1.4 is not the same on all lenses, as a matter of fact, it’s almost never the same, so two different lenses at f2.8 will have different light transmission because of how f-stop is actually measured (focal length divided by the diameter of the aperture hole). I’ve even seen nearly a stop of light difference on the same model of lenses at the same aperture. This is also why I wish every lens was measured in T stops, but I digress. In addition, it’s also not a good idea to open up high aperture lenses all the way due to lens diffraction. Basically, when you open up 1.4 lenses all the way to 1.4, they’re a lot softer than their peak sharpness can be. So if you want an actual crisp image, you’d want to go ideally a stop below the highest.

[@probablyKonstantin]

@@CameraTim You scared him for sure

[@CameraTim]

@@probablyKonstantin Whoops...

[@LBR_Bounty]

Man I love nicewigg