Content creation is always changing. We started with 480p videos on YouTube of just gameplay. Now, we have 4K livestreams of gameplay with animated and dynamic overlays, elaborate gaming setups, and full-on green screen productions that take the creator to a whole new world. People like Dr. DisRespect and PayMoneyWubby have evolved what can be done with a green screen streaming setup. Doc can make you feel like you are driving along next to his Lamborghini Aventador on your way to the Arena. PayMoneyWubby uses green screens to meme and change his scenery on every stream.

Many people think that green screens are a hassle to set up, but just like the evolution of content, green screens have also evolved. You aren’t forced to give up space for a bulky green screen setup or iron out the sheet after every use. There are green screen streaming products that attach to the back of any chair. Adding a green screen to your content has never been easier. It can exponentially improve the quality of your stream by allowing you to create worlds you can enter, or even just providing some additional space for the gameplay to show. We are going to show you exactly how to get started with a green screen in your streaming setup and how to take your streams to the next level. Let’s jump right into it!

Why Use a Green Screen?

Creators like TimTheTatman, Cloakzy, Ninja, and Dr. Lupo don’t use green screens and are insanely popular. So why should you bother using a green screen in your setup if they don’t? The answer is simple. Those creators started at a time where content was new. They were able to carve out an audience when content creation was more simplistic. Therefore, they don’t need to stand out amongst the crowd because they already have. However, as a new creator, you have to find a way to be unique when every other creator is doing the same thing. Using a green screen in your content is a way to set yourself out amongst the thousands of other creators on the platform.

If your goal is to grow on Twitch, you need to do everything possible to be as unique as you can. Having quality stream overlays is a great start. But you need to also find ways to stand out from the rest of the 3 million active monthly creators. If you aren’t, you’ll be lost in the noise. That isn’t to say that you can’t grow on Twitch with your personality alone, because you can. But being unique is a much easier approach.

(Full display of green screen capabilities)

People see webcam overlays and camera views all the time, so they will probably click off your streams or content if they know they are getting the same old content. However, you’d be hard pressed to find a creator who is utilizing a green screen setup in a unique way that is engaging to the audience. It’s new and exciting, which provides the viewer a new experience they can’t get anywhere else. Therefore, it gives you that slight edge when a new viewer comes in to potentially grab them and turn them into a follower. 

What Green Screen Should I Buy?

Picking out the correct green screen for your stream depends on the look of your stream, the limitations of your setup, and your budget. The Twitch overlay size you are using is a good start in figuring out the size of the green screen you’ll need for your setup. If the overlay you are using is small, you won’t need a gigantic setup. If you don’t have a lot of room, you’ll probably want to focus on green screen streaming tools like The Webaround green screen. The Webaround is a portable green screen streaming solution that attaches to the back of almost any chair. The setup and takedown takes just 5 seconds and you are good to go. 

Green screen setups like this are nice for creators who are limited in the overall streaming space they have. You are able to implement a green screen into your setup with little intrusion to your overall setup. From that point, you are able to easily chroma key your background out and place yourself anywhere. With this type of setup, you’d be limited to camera views of you sitting down or from the torso and up, so keep in mind the type of content you want to do within your green screen streaming setup.

If you have room to move around within your streaming setup, a permanent green screen solution might be just what you need, especially if you want to do more complex green screen techniques. Larger green screen setups allow you to take your production value up even more. While they do take a little more time and space to work correctly, you are able to show your entire body and perform more movement. This further drives home the illusion that you are somewhere that you actually aren’t.

Green screen streaming setups can be pricey, especially for the permanent or semi-permanent structures. That is why it is critical to look at budget and space to decide what is right for you. Individuals like Dr.DisRespect have a room dedicated to a green screen so he can show himself working out in the Arena gym without him clipping out and breaking the illusion. Creators like PayMoneyWubby are doing simplistic background changes, so he doesn’t necessarily need a huge setup. Take a look at the content you are wanting to create with a green screen and that will help guide you to the size and budget you’ll need.

How to Use a Green Screen

The best part about a green screen streaming setup is that the sky’s the limit for what you can do with it. The games that you play and the content you produce are going to be factors into how to best use the green screen in your streaming setup. However, the main key is immersion. You want the audience to feel that you are somewhere, when you are obviously just at your desk. We have created a couple ideas for different genres that will help kickstart the creative juices and give you some framework to use when thinking about your own content.

First Person Shooters

Watching an FPS title is fun, until the lobby comes and the creator is just talking for 2 minutes while it loads the next map with the same static images. Instead of just keeping the stream in the lobby, consider creating a scene that is an armory. With the help of some toy guns for added immersion, you can discuss the previous maps results like you are an army general. Or walk around the armory and decide what weapon you are going to use in the next map. The audience will enjoy the entertaining commentary and the lobby will fly by in a breeze getting you right back into the gameplay.

MMORPG

Games like World of Warcraft are great because of the extensive lore and storylines that exist within that universe. You could create a livestream that goes over those storylines and use the green screen setup to enhance the delivery of that. Create a scene where you are around a fire and you can use edited video and images to talk about the specific storyline or lore piece that you want. You will immerse your audience much more into that story than if you were just jumping around the main city on your horse and talking about it.

Racing / Flight / Simulator Games

Racing, Flight, and Simulator games are one of the easiest ways to implement a green screen because you don’t have to do much. For example, on a Flight simulator game, create a scene that shows you in the cockpit or maybe create a small video that shows you as a passenger. It’d be hilarious to secretly flip to that scene and the audience sees you sitting in a seat as you shift to the cabin view. This is a great example of using your green screen setup to create video content that can enhance your streams as well.

Just Chatting

If you are frequently in the Just Chatting section, you have a lot of opportunities to use your green screen to engage with your audience. The goal of Just Chatting is to talk directly with your viewers about topics or things that are on your mind. Rather than just having your plain old background showing, use a green screen to put yourself in a new place. Better yet, you can have your audience vote on where you are “traveling” today and put a video or picture behind you when talking to them. You can also use a green screen to put video/images up in the background that visually represent the topic you are discussing. It can help with context or understanding. 

General Games

While it’s impossible to go over every genre of game and talk about how to integrate a green screen streaming setup into it, there are some general ideas you can use for just about any game. Create a scene that is in that specific world. For example, if you play Phasmophobia a lot, you can create a scene where the background is the surveillance truck and you are sitting in the chair there. You can use the green screen and that scene while you are waiting for another game to start. Or if you play GTA, maybe have a background of Los Santos and talk about what you are going to do in the city that stream. The possibilities for any game are endless, you just need to use your imagination and keep immersion as your goal!

As you can see, there are a ton of amazing things that you can do with a green screen streaming setup. Not only is it fun to use, but you significantly increase the quality of your stream in the process. You took a pretty general idea of live streaming video games while talking about it and made it an actual show. Green screens provide an engaging experience for your audience and keep them coming back wanting to see what you’ll do next with it. If you want to grow on any platform and create a unique experience for any viewer, take a look at adding a green screen to your streaming setup. You won’t regret it.