With the ability to engage viewers directly, live streaming opens up new possibilities for content creators and businesses. There are countless features that make live broadcasts look more polished and professional, and one vital feature for live interviews, webinars, conferences and product launches is the split screen. It’s extremely versatile and makes your streams more dynamic.
What is a split screen?
A split screen is commonly used to describe a special technique in movies and television, where two different pieces of film are shown simultaneously. In live streaming, a split screen is a feature that allows you to have two or more adjacent (can be also overlapping) live videos on one screen.
This feature is popular because of its low technical requirements. Most live streaming platforms and devices support split screen and you can activate it with the tap of a button. Just keep in mind that your internet connection should be both stable and fast. And by “fast” we mean your upload speed should be high enough to transfer the data without any hiccups.
When to use a split screen
The split screen feature allows you to add guests to your live stream. It’s the perfect way to set up professional live talk shows. It’s engaging and entertaining for the audience because viewers can interact with broadcasters by leaving comments, asking questions and communicating with each other in the live chat.
Here are a few ways you can take advantage of split screen on your live broadcasts.
Host live interviews and Q&As
One of the main reasons to use a split screen is to host live interviews and Q&A sessions with remote guests. Your guest simply needs a device to stream from and a good internet connection. Both parties should also use a streaming tool that supports the split screen, like Facebook Live or Restream Studio.
Interact with the audience
If your goal is to maximize audience engagement, the split screen feature allows your viewers to communicate in real time with both the host and the guest. Moreover, the nature of live streams combined with the split screen option creates a strong sense of presence, as if the show is happening in one room.
Promote your business
Split screen interviews are trending and taking advantage of popular trends can really boost your business. You could invite an expert in your field, host an insightful interview and position your brand as a legitimate thought leader. With the split screen feature, you can easily raise awareness of your business.
How to go live with a split screen
There are a few ways to apply the split screen to your live streams, depending on which platform you stream to. If you plan to stream exclusively to Facebook, Facebook’s Live Producer has a split screen option. But if you’re looking for more flexibility and want to broadcast your stream to multiple platforms simultaneously, Restream Studio might be a better option.
Facebook Live
- Open your Facebook app.
- In the What’s on your mind? status bar, tap Live video.
- Add an engaging description of your live video.
- Choose whether you are going to stream in landscape or portrait mode. Keep in mind, you cannot change this during the live stream. We recommend landscape mode, as it allows for a 50\50 screen share between you and your guest.
- Start your live stream and swipe left to see your viewers. You can now select a person you want to add to your live stream and send them the invitation.
- Your guest’s picture orientation should match yours for them to be able to join.
- If you want to kick your guest out of the stream, just tap the X icon right next to their name.
Restream Studio
With Restream Studio, inviting guests to your stream is as easy as making a phone call — easier, in fact. In just a few clicks you can start streaming to multiple platforms at the same time, such as Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitch and Twitter. By multistreaming, you can truly maximize your audience reach, promote your brand and build your community.
Create stunning live videos
Restream Studio is the easiest way to create high-quality live videos on multiple platforms at once. It's user-friendly and offers an engaging viewer experience.
Unlike Facebook Live, Restream Studio supports more than two broadcasters at the same time. To invite guests to your live stream, do the following:
- Click the Add Guests button below your camera preview.
- Copy the unique invite link that appears and send it to your participants.
- Have your guests click the link, and they’ll be able to join the stream.
- Toggle the split screen view from the left sidebar, where a feed of your guests will appear once they’ve joined.
FAQs
Can you live stream a split screen?
Yes! With the right streaming tools, like Facebook Live or Restream Studio, you can add a split screen to your live stream. Read this article to learn how to add guests to your live stream on Restream Studio and toggle between split and full screen.
How can I stream live with another person?
If you want to live stream with one or more people joining you on-screen, you can use a split screen setup. Live streaming tools like Facebook Live and Restream Studio allow you do to a split screen. With Restream Studio, you can add up to five guests to your live stream if you’re on our Basic plan, and up to nine guests if you’re on our Standard plan or above.
Can you stream two people on OBS?
If you want to host a live stream featuring multiple guests using OBS Studio, you’ll need an OBS plug-in or third-party tool, like Restream Studio. Connect Restream to OBS, then invite your guests to your stream using Restream Studio.
How do you stream split screen on Facebook?
You can add guests to your Facebook live stream in two ways: you can invite them to join or they can ask to join. The guest doesn’t have to already be watching to join your stream either, but they do have to be on your friends list. If your guest wants to stream from a Facebook page, you have to be streaming from a page as well.
Wrap-up
With the split screen feature, you can add participants to your live stream and host live interviews, talk shows and live commentary. Enabling the split screen for your live streams is super easy too. You can use the Facebook app if you’re planning to stream solely to Facebook. Otherwise, we recommend broadcasting your live video with Restream Studio to benefit from all its amazing features: multistreaming, Full HD live streams, custom overlays, video pre-rolls, background music, stream recording and much more.
