Create on YouTube from your phone: Videos, Shorts, Live & Posts
Live streaming from your phone gives you more options for what content you create and when. Since you can go live right away, there are a few things you should set up properly so you can give your audience a good experience.
How to Create a Mobile YouTube Livestream
Set up your phone
| Make sure your battery is charged. You can estimate that 1% phone battery is used per 1 minute of stream. External battery packs can come in handy. | |
| Turn on your ‘do not disturb’ setting so your live stream won’t be interrupted by a phone call or notifications. | |
| Decide if you will be streaming in portrait or landscape mode. Don’t forget to set your screen rotation lock. | |
| Test your internet speed before getting started, a strong signal is key to having a smooth streaming experience. |
Choose between camera options
| Front camera - You can see the stream and check the live chat at the same time. The camera in the front is not as good as the one on the back of your mobile device. | |
| Back camera - The camera on the back is better, which will mean better visuals. If you’re streaming yourself, you won’t see the live chat. If you have two devices, you could film with one and use the other to engage with the chat. | |
| Both - you can switch between the front and back cameras during your stream. | |
| Screen sharing - If streaming from an Android phone, you can stream your phone's screen. |
Choose the right lighting
Cameras on mobile devices typically need lots of light. And good lighting helps keep viewers engaged and interested in your video. Consider the limitations of the camera on your mobile device and then arrange your lighting setup to create the effect you’re going for.
- Soft, even lighting will help your camera’s image sensor maintain detail in the brightest and darkest parts of the image.
- On sunny days, try shooting in the shade to avoid bright sun and dark shadows.
- When filming at home, you can capture natural light by setting up your phone near a window.
- Bounce light onto your subject with a white card or a reflector.
- Use light to create different moods in your video.
Record quality sound
It’s important that audiences can watch your video and understand what everyone is saying.
- Try placing your subject as close to the microphone as you can.
- Think through your shooting locations so that your subject can enter or move around within a shot without creating extra noise, which can be distracting.
- Consider using an external microphone to improve your sound quality when filming in a loud environment.
- Locate your phone’s microphone so you don’t cover it when shooting.
- Improve voice quality by covering hard flat surfaces in your environment with softer materials like cloth and pillows.
Abs-maxing Tummy Tone Up with Tiffany Rothe
TiffanyRotheWorkouts uses her phone to live stream frequent workout sessions for her community.
Things to keep in mind
- Before starting your live, you can choose to either take a picture for your thumbnail or upload an existing picture.
- When you're done recording, you can edit the title, description, music, and change the filters after.
- Test your video and audio quality using an unlisted live stream to make sure everything will look and sound good.
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