The 5 must-have apps for streamers

Streaming live on YouTube or Twitch has now become a job for some. Like all jobs, in addition to personal skills, the tools you use often make the difference.

Despite the boom that Twitch has had in recent years, still YouTube still holds the supremacy. With more than two billion monthly active users globally, available in 80 languages and more than 200 countries, it is the second most visited site in the world only after Google, its owner.

Twitch, on the other hand, comes in at only about 40 million monthly active users. However, what makes the real difference are the models on which they are based: while YouTube earns money based on the number of views, Twitch does so through bits, which are nothing more than virtual goods in the form of emojis sent by users who like a particular piece of content or celebrate a certain streamer’s event, who earns a penny per bit.

While YouTube became popular in Italy in the same years as in America, Twitch only managed to penetrate the social fabric with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, Twitch had been hiding in the wings for years, waiting for its moment of glory. Globally, the most followed Twitch streamers can boast 5 to over 18 million followers, as many as those reached in 2022 by the American streamer Richard Tyler Blevins, aka Ninja.

In Italy, numbers are lower: the most popular streamers, in fact, do not reach 2 million followers, but they certainly hit the jackpot, “inventing a job” along the lines of the American streamers. Among the most renowned are Pow3rtv (Giorgio Calandrelli), with his 1.8 million followers or ilMasseo (Edoardo Magro) with 1.6 million followers.

On the other hand, among the world’s most famous youtubers are names such as PweDiePie, whose channel has 102 million subscribers to date, or Dude Perfect, with nearly 50 million followers.

In Italy, Davie504 holds the first place with about 6 million subscribers, followed by Favij, with 5.6 million subscribers and many other renowned channels such as iPantellas (4.8 million users), Me contro Te (4.8 million subscribers) or theShow (3 million and more users).

Until a few years ago, the profiles of a youtuber and a streamer were quite distinct from one another, but this is no longer the case: as time goes on, with constant updates, social media evolution and changes in society, the two are merging into one, with a combination of their characteristics.

We asked those who do it professionally, who prefer to remain anonymous due to their NDAs, to tell us what apps and tools they most frequently use.

These are the programs and devices that should not be missing from the toolbox of those who want to take this path and become high-level streamers.

Streaming and screen recording software

To begin with, we need a streaming app and another to record the screen, that usually go hand in hand: most of the time, the screen recording program is able to cast it to the streaming platform.

OBS Studio

OBS Studio from Open Broadcaster Software is a free, open source program for video recording and live streaming, available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

The software is suitable for real-time video and audio capture and mixing. The settings provide access to a variety of configuration options through which every aspect of broadcasting and recording can be modified and customized. Sources and scenes can be previewed, before being broadcast live. It can monitor up to 8 different scenes.

It is not an inherently intuitive program; you need patience to understand its proper functioning. But once you got the hang of it, it turns out to be an end-to-end solution compared to others and, most importantly, without the limits imposed by a commercial license.

Streamlabs

Streamlabs is a free streaming software to broadcast on any platform, from YouTube to Twitch to Facebook and many others, even simultaneously, to expand our following.

You can stream your screen, customize the elements of the interface, and download apps to enhance stream quality. It is very similar to OBS Studio, except that Streamlabs allows streamers to add on-screen elements, such as alerts and banners, that are fully customizable.

It is available only for Windows.

Multistream, overlays and sponsorships are available in the “prime” version.

It is also available as a mobile app for both Android and iOS.

Editing programs

Adobe Premiere CC

Adobe Premiere CC is the industry-leading video editing program. It supports several file formats, including, for example, MP3, MP4, MXF, WAV and many others. You can create new projects or continue working on existing ones, import audio and video, add titles, effects, change colour, speed, duration.

The software also offers the possibility of working on the same project on different devices and even with different operating systems.

There’s a 7-day free trial, otherwise there are two different purchase packages available.

Premier Pro at €24.39/month or Creative Cloud at €63.51/month (now 40% off for the first year at €36.59/month).

Since May 2022, the new version 22.4 focuses on performance. Exports are faster, performance is improved, and screen recording is smoother.

Available for all operating systems.

Magix Vegas

Right after Adobe Premiere, Vegas (formerly Sony Vegas) is one of the essential programs often mentioned in tutorials for becoming a successful streamer.

It is a very intuitive video editing software that works with a wide range of formats, including Apple ProRes or Panasonic AVCHD. You can edit videos or produce quick edits. It has no limits regarding the length of the video and audio tracks and provides hundreds of filters, effects, and titles. You can professionally edit colour, through, for example, “Limited Color Wheels” or “Professional HDR video scopes”. It also allows you to track or blur objects, text, and faces.

For streaming, it allows you to live stream from a single webcam or from multiple cameras, switching between them or between speakers with ease, as well as streaming on conferencing apps and platforms.

Several versions are available, from the most basic to the most comprehensive, at different price levels:

• Vegas Edit
• Vegas Pro and
• Vegas Post.

Vegas Edit 365 costs €7.99/month (including tax), Vegas Pro 365 costs €11.99/month (including tax) and Vegas Post 365 costs €17.99/month (including tax)

Discounts and special offers are often available.

Photo editing programs

For starters, any photo editor will do. However, Adobe Photoshop is still the best.

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is the renowned software specializing in photo and digital image editing. With the version released in May 2022, they provide performance enhancements and fixes to customer-reported issues from previous versions.

You can create images from scratch or modify existing ones. With the latest versions, you can add “motion” to images, adjust them, color them, extend backgrounds or delete some of their content by focusing on the subject of the photo. You can also insert advanced tags or face recognition.

The catalog and its structure are copied automatically and folders are arranged in an orderly manner.

For beginners, the software offers 60 guided edits about photo editing and 27 videos about video editing.

As with Adobe Premiere CC, there are different subscription plans at different prices, depending on the user’s needs. All of them have a 7-day free trial.

The Photography plan costs €12.19/month, and the Creative Cloud subscription €63.51/month. Adobe often offers discounts, as well as special prices for students.

Streaming Hardware

Apart from programs and software, what make all the difference in a streamer’s studio or room, some specific equipment is also necessary: controller, lights, camera.

Elgato Stream Deck

Among the most loved streamers’ devices, you can find Elgato Stream Deck, a controller for managing live streams on YouTube and Twitch. With its 15 LCD buttons, it allows you to perform more than 200 actions, such as changing scenes or setting the sound, with just a click.

The controller weighs just under 150 grams without the stand and about 270 with the stand. It is small in size (118 x 84 x 25 mm without stand) and connects to the computer via a USB 2.0 interface.

You can purchase it directly from Elgato’s website or other e-commerce sites at a cost of €149.99.

Elgato Key Light

Also for lighting, one of the most widely used lights is made by Elgato and is called Key Light.

It is an accessory that makes a difference: having the right lighting gives you a professional streamer look. This lamp stays out of the way, takes up very little space, can be attached to your desk at an adjustable height, and can be easily connected to the Stream Deck controller. It also does not blind you or overheat the room, but diffuses light in a balanced way. You can even change the light temperature, from blue to amber. It has a direct Wi-Fi connection to the PC and you can control it through the app with one click.

You can purchase it directly from Elgato’s website or other e-commerce sites at a cost of €149.99.

The best SLR camera for streaming

Last but not least: the picture!

Many streamers use a digital SLR camera, even a compact one, connected directly to the computer. Professional ones usually cost between 2,000 and 7,000 euros. Among them, Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-G7 and Sony’s Alpha series are widely used.

These cameras have top quality sensors that capture high-resolution images with minimal noise, even in less than optimal lighting conditions. The interface is intuitive and the output formats are perfect for streaming.

You should not be scared away by their high price tag. The cameras market is always changing, and older models can often be found at good prices in specialized and second-hand stores.

Note: all images used in this article belong to their respective trademarks and are used for editorial purposes only.