Tech Tip: Optimizing Shot Layers in Wirecast

An abundance of users have been turning to Wirecast to stream during this period of social distancing. Wirecast has been a great solution to create engaging streams for educators to students, corporations to employees and customers, houses of worship to members of the congregation and more.

Wirecast is a swiss-army knife when it comes to streaming, it is compatible with Mac and Windows and more. It's also a great solution for creating more complex or professional streams, easily.

Telestream recently posted an article on their blog with some tips on how to build layered shots with Wirecast. This is a great technique to create a more engaging stream.

Shot Layer Vs Master Layer

• Master Layers: Master layers are a great way to compose individual shots. This method allows elements to be turned on and off.

A general set up would be to add logos on layer 1, lower 3^rd on layer 2, camera sources on layer 3 and audio or microphones on layer 4.  This would allow for switching between camera sources and keeping the logo, lower 3^rd and audio continuous throughout the stream. 

Telestream

• Shot Layers: Every individual source within the master layer has its own Shot Layer. A Shot Layer allows user to add layers within the shot layer itself.

An example set up of layers within a Shot Layer would be adding a camera source, selecting the Shot Layer in the Shot Properties Panel, and begin to add sources such as a logo, lower 3^rd, overlays, graphic.  This is a simple setup when you’d like all the elements to stay within that source. 

Telestream

Picture in Picture

A picture in picture is one of the most common and effective ways to show a speaker and a custom graphic such as a power point. This method is very common in house of worship, or education streams especially.

Shot Composure

One of the principles of creating an engaging stream is to always consider shot composure. Where are your graphics located? Where is your speaker? What does your shot look like?

Visual presentation is the most important thing when it comes to live streaming video. Consider your shot layers and their composition, to make sure you have an engaging stream.

Check out this article from Telestream to learn more.

Learn more about Wirecast HERE.

Learn more about Telestream HERE.