Live Streaming is a roller coaster that goes up and..up! This trend doesn’t seem to change in the nearest future, which means there are more and more beginners joining the streaming community worldwide. One of the first and pretty reasonable questions beginner live hosts ask themselves is: “How do I record a livestream?”.
In this blog post, you’ll find out the three ways to record a livestream and decide which one will work for you the best.
Why To Record a Live Stream?
It makes sense to record your live show not only for the sake of having a backup but also for leveraging it in the future. Think of it as content that you spent time on producing. So why would you forget about it and let it sink?
The streams can be repurposed! You can use them across different social media platforms to gain even more visibility and grow your audience.
Here are a few ideas on how to repurpose your stream:
- Upload it to the Social Medias as a video;
- Cut it to the short clips and upload them as posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram;
- Create a blogpost using the script of your live stream and link your stream to it;
- Create YouTube videos from your live stream by cutting out the best part of your show.
- Add your video to one of the online community platforms.
How To Record a Live Stream?
There are a few options to do that:
- Using a streaming studio that records your stream automatically;
- Screencasting (capturing your screen);
- Using hardware while live streaming.
Let’s check on these options more closely.
1) BeLive The Streaming Studio
BeLive is a streaming studio that allows you to create professional streams without a difficult setup. For creating eye-catchy streams, you will only need to have a computer and a web camera.
When it comes to recording streaming video, the best thing about this option is that you don’t need to do anything to record your live stream besides actually going live. Literally – nothing! BeLive records your stream automatically once you start broadcasting. (You are able to go live on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, besides that you can Multistream)
Once your live stream is over, you’ll have two available options for downloading:
- Your show in mp4 format;
- The audio from your show in mp3 format.
Pro Tip: Lots of live hosts use their shows’ audio to repurpose them as podcasts.
To download your live video, you need to follow these steps:
- Go To Your Profile;
- Open the “My Broadcasts” Tab (all the stream recordings are saved here);
- Find Your Stream;
- Edit it (if needed);
- Download your stream.
The videos will be stored in your profile for up to 3 months, depending on the plan you go for, which is fantastic and allow you to be very flexible with your recordings.
2) Screen Recorders
Screen recorders are great options for both viewers and live show hosts if they need to record live streaming videos.
There are a few things you need to keep in mind while using this kind of programs:
- This software can be harmful to your computer and gather sensitive data of yours. Make sure you use secure software.
- If you want to record a stream produced by another person, you can only use it for personal use to avoid copyright infringement.
The most popular options for screencasting are listed below.
Your Mac or PC
Yeap, you got it right! You can record your screen using your laptop or desktop without any additional software. This option will work for:
- PC users with Windows 10
- macOS Mojave and later OS owners
For Windows Users
- Open the window you’re going to screencast;
- Press the Windows Key+G;
- To begin screencast, click the Red button;
- To finish the recording, click the same button.
Videos will be saved on your computer. You can open the recording right after you finish the screencast by clicking on the pop-up window at the bottom on the right.
Note that if the instruction’s shortcut doesn’t work, check if “Game Bar” on your PC is enabled. Here is the instruction on how to do that.
For Mac Users
- Open the window you want to record;
- Click Shift+Command+5;
- Select the area you want to capture;
- Press the “Record” button to start;
- Click the “Stop” button to finish the recording.
OBS
The most popular software in the streaming world, I believe, and the most difficult to use. But this onion is worth peeling. You can download the software from the official website. The great thing is that it’s available for Mac, PC, and Linux users.
Pro tip: Make sure you set up your video to 1920*1080 in the Settings window to get the best quality you can. You also can decide what recording area to pick. Check out this awesome video on how to record your screen with OBS.
Camtasia
Screenshot from Camtasia 2019: Full Tutorial for Beginners in ONLY 18 Minutes, YouTube
This platform is way easier to use than OBS. Besides that, it has lots of different functionalities such as video editing and assets for demos and training recordings. It has only one disadvantage – the price. For using Camtasia, you’ll need to pay a one-time fee of $249.99. It’s definitely pricey comparing to BeLive or OBS.
There is a Free Trial available, so feel free to give it a try. If you record your screen often and look for a solution for presentations and demos – it’ll be a great tool to invest in.
3) Recording with Hardware
You can also use an encoder as a live streaming recorder. Encoders are small gadgets used to transform the signal from your camera and microphones into data that can be broadcasted. They capture the “clean” recording from your camera.
By “clean,” I mean that the quality of the streams recoded with encoders isn’t affected by internet connection, computer’s GPU, and CPU capacities, or anything else that might become an obstacle while streaming with software encoders.
An encoder is a powerful solution indeed, but few drawbacks can stop you from buying one. First off, it’s relatively expensive. The price starts from $800 and goes up to thousands of dollars, and this option won’t work for beginners and people who’re not tech-savvy. But if you’re planning to do top-tier live shows with complex setups – this option will definitely work for you.
Summary
Now you know how to record your live show and make the most out of your streaming experience. There is no universal formula for everyone, and it’s all about trial and error. If you’re just at the beginning of your broadcasting journey, consider choosing the most straightforward solution that’ll fit your goal. I hope this article was helpful for you and that you’ll take care of your stream recordings.
What other ways do you know for recording broadcasts? Do you use any other live streaming recorders? Feel free to share your experience in the comments below.
Content creator at BeLive
