You can show lower thirds, lyrics, or other overlays from Proclaim while live streaming.
You can accomplish this two different ways:
- Mirror in-service and live stream overlays: Show the same overlays in-service and in your live stream. If you overlay lyrics over live video on your in-service screen and want to show the same view on your live stream, follow these directions.
- Send only overlays to your live stream: If you want to show full slides on your in-service screen but send only overlays to your live stream, follow these directions.
Note: This article assumes you’ve already configured your live stream. Visit one of the following pages for general help setting up a live stream with Proclaim YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo.
Mirror In-Service and Live Stream Overlays
1. Configure Proclaim
Proclaim supports live video feed on your slides during your presentation.
1.1 Set Transparency Color
Start by setting up your transparency color to match your settings in your video switcher or software encoder.
Expand the Settings menu and select Display. At the bottom of page, Proclaim shows your outputs. Open the Settings for the output set to show your Slides virtual screen. Choose a transparency color that matches your encoder.
By default, Proclaim fills transparent portions of the slide black. For live video feeds, select one of the key colors from the list. Learn more about setting up outputs in Proclaim.
Note: This tutorial uses OBS, a software encoder, but you could also use a video switcher that can utilize either blue or green chroma keys or a luma key set to black. One popular option is the ATEM Production Studio 4K switcher.
1.2 Add transparent service items.
You can manually create your own transparent slide design or choose one of the Pro Media Smart Media built for live video.
Note: Learn more about creating your own slides or using Pro Media templates.
Proclaim adjusts your text to fit your text box, but you may find that lower thirds require manual slide breaks to fit properly. You can add breaks to your text with the slide break button , the keyboard shortcut (two hyphens), or add a blank line (in the case of song lyrics).
Note: Proclaim can remember custom formatting. That means if you always sing a song a certain way, Proclaim can save your preferences. Time-saving tip: rename any song displayed as a lower third in your service order so you can easily find them later with a search. Right-click the item in the order of service panel on the left, select Rename and provide a descriptive name like “Amazing Grace (Lower Third)”. In future presentations, select reuse items from the Add Item menu and search for “Lower Third” to view all your songs you’ve custom formatted.
1.3 Go On Air.
In order for your encoder to see the input from Proclaim, go On Air.
2. Configure Your Encoder
We recommend OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) because it’s free and easy to use, but the following will work with other software and hardware encoders as well.
2.1 Add a filter to your Proclaim input.
Right-click on your Proclaim input in OBS and select Filters.
Remember: This article assumes you’ve already configured your live stream. Visit one of the following pages for general help setting up a live stream with Proclaim YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo.
2.2 Add the same filter setting you added in Proclaim.
Click the plus icon and choose either a chroma or luma filter (depending on what setting you chose in Proclaim above).
- Select Chroma (blue or green keys in Proclaim) or Luma (black key in Proclaim) from the list.
- Provide a name.
- Make any adjustments.
For chroma keys, use the dropdown to select your key from the list and then make any adjustments below.
The luma key also allows for some adjustments below.
Your slides might be too large or too small. In OBS, you can click and drag their corners to resize and position them. Make sure your overlay input is the first input in your list of sources in OBS, as this ensures it displays over your video feed.
2.3 Go Live
When you go live, your overlay will show over your feed.
Note: You may need to reorder inputs if your video feed shows above your overlay. The Sources list shows in order, top-to-bottom. Drag your Proclaim overlay input to the top of the list to ensure it shows above your video input.
Send Foreground Overlays Only to Live Stream
You can configure Proclaim to show your slides in-service but only your overlays in your live stream by adjusting your output settings.
1. Configure Proclaim
Create an Alternate Content virtual screen and then configure your service items to send content to that screen. Proclaim also supports NDI out to easily send a video source to your encoder, such as OBS.
1.1 Add an Alternate Content virtual screen.
Go to your Display settings (Settings > Display) and add an Alternate Content virtual screen. Click Add virtual screen, type in a name such as ‘Lower-third for live stream,’ then hit done.
Note: Get help configuring outputs in Proclaim.
1.2. Add your NDI output.
In addition to displays connected to your computer, Proclaim can send out slides and alternate content as an NDI source (Network Device Interface).
In the Outputs section below, click Add custom output, and add a name. The name you chose will be the name you see when using the NDI within other apps (like your live-streaming software). Finally, assign the Virtual Screen you created above. The NDI output will assume the aspect ratio of your selected Virtual Screen. Click Save.
1.3 Close settings, and configure your service items.
You will notice a new tab on each service item, with the same name you gave your alternate content screen. This tab is where you can configure what is sent to the screen.
Press Cmd + a on macOS (Control + a on Windows) to select every slide, click on the pane, and click Remove Background. Now every service item is configured to send its foreground to the Live Stream virtual screen.
Style and drag your text fields around to make their contents more easier to see on top of the live video input. Click Effects to see your options and configure the foreground to your liking.
2. Configure Your Encoder
We recommend OBS because it’s free and easy to use, but this will work with other software and hardware encoders as well that support NDI. Click On Air in Proclaim to start sending your slides to the NDI source.
2.1 Add a new NDI source in the Sources area in OBS.
Click the plus icon in the Sources panel. If you don’t see the NDI™️ Source option, install this NDI plugin first for OBS and then continue with this tutorial (download the .pkg for macOS or .exe file for Window, open it, and follow the install instructions).
In the dialogue, give the NDI source a descriptive name, like “Proclaim Foreground Only.” Click OK.
Select the Proclaim NDI source from the dropdown. It will include ‘Proclaim’ and the name of the NDI Output you created in Proclaim. click OK.
2.2. Resize the input to fit if necessary.
Your slides might be too large or too small. In OBS, you can click and drag their corners to resize and position them. Make sure your overlay input is the first input in your list of sources in OBS, as this ensures it displays over your video feed.
2.3. Go Live
When you go live, your overlay will show over your live stream video while your in-service screen shows your slides.
Note: You can set up Proclaim to use multiple Proclaim inputs—like one with your slides and another for your overlays only. During part of your sermon, you may want to show full slides and during another part (e.g., during a worship song set), you may only want to show the overlaid lyrics. Set up custom scenes in OBS to easily move between customized setups.