[0:00] Hi, I'm Steggy from Elgato, and in this video
[0:03] we're going to try and answer the question: what can I do with Elgato Stream Deck?
[0:08] Now, some streaming equipment is really simple to explain.
[0:12] You need a microphone to stream, so people can hear you.
[0:14] You need a camera so people can see you.
[0:17] But what does a Stream Deck do, and do I need it to start streaming?
[0:20] So first, we'll talk about what Stream Deck is.
[0:23] In short, it's a USB keypad that has LCD keys
[0:27] where you can upload custom icons to symbolize different functions
[0:31] that you have assigned to those keys.
[0:33] And also, there's a bunch of features that'll update those LCD keys to give you real-time feedback.
[0:39] Now as far as what Stream Deck does is, Stream Deck is your stream's controller.
[0:43] It centralizes all of the controls you need for your stream into a simple, glanceable tool.
[0:49] Instead of fumbling around with your microphone to mute it,
[0:52] alt-tabbing out of your game to change OBS scenes, etc.
[0:55] All of these can be controlled via Stream Deck.
[0:58] And then you have the added benefit of visibility on the states of certain things,
[1:01] because of those LCD keys.
[1:03] Now, how does Stream Deck compare with solutions such as hotkeys
[1:07] or physically clicking around with a mouse and keyboard.
[1:10] Well, the problem with hotkeys on a keyboard or a macro device is that
[1:14] you sometimes tend to have this tug-of-war with focus.
[1:17] Meaning that a hotkey might not work in a certain app
[1:20] if you're clicked away from it and using a different app,
[1:22] so they're not really dependable.
[1:25] If you're using your mouse or keyboard to control, the problem is if you're gaming on PC,
[1:29] in order to execute these controls, you most likely need to alt-tab from the game
[1:33] in order to leave that window and click on the scene or graphic you want to activate.
[1:38] So this is what's really special about Stream Deck, it's the software.
[1:41] Because our software is chock full of direct integrations with applications,
[1:45] so you know when you press a key, it's going to work.
[1:48] And these direct integrations is also what make it possible for Stream Deck to fetch statuses like:
[1:53] Am I live right now?
[1:55] Well, you'll know you're live if you have the start streaming key on Stream Deck,
[1:58] because it'll fetch the state from OBS and display that you're live if you're live.
[2:03] And so will your viewer count key as well.
[2:05] So ironically, the most popular actions that Stream Deck is used for
[2:09] are actions that could be achieved through mouse and keyboard clicks, or hotkeys.
[2:13] But because Stream Deck is so much more dependable and easier,
[2:17] people choose to use it over those other ways.
[2:19] So what else can you do with Stream Deck?
[2:21] Well we asked our community to give us examples of what their favorite actions are for their Stream Deck,
[2:26] so let's see what some of them had to say.
[2:28] AliasV said controlling her Phillips hue bulbs is her favorite thing to do.
[2:32] And this is a pretty cool feature of Stream Deck because we work with Phillips Hue,
[2:36] Nanoleaf, our own Key Light products and Eve Light Strip,
[2:39] to allow you to program different lighting effects at the press of a button.
[2:43] Or even combine this with Stream Deck Multi Actions which allow you to program a sequence of lighting effects
[2:49] to happen simultaneously or one after another, and you can end up doing some really cool things here.
[2:54] Sonuchi said that he likes to use Multi Actions to open up all of his programs.
[2:59] This is a really cool use case for Multi Actions because this feature can basically be combined with any action in Stream Deck.
[3:06] One of them being the Windows mover and resizer plug-in in the Stream Deck store
[3:10] which you can combine these two things to not only launch OBS,
[3:14] your chat window, and your Twitch dashboard,
[3:16] but you can even position them exactly where you want even in a multi-monitor setup.
[3:21] So when you're ready to start streaming you literally just have to press a single button.
[3:26] GuiltyCosplay said that her favorite action is to spam emotes in her chat.
[3:30] With our integrations on Twitch, YouTube and Mixer, you can post per-composed chat messages
[3:36] to your chats, which works great for things like spamming emotes,
[3:39] but you can also easily share links to your merch store, a giveaway you're hosting on Twitter, etc.
[3:45] Captain DreadBeard said he likes to control his microphone
[3:48] not just on OBS, but on Discord as well with his Stream Deck.
[3:51] And this actually takes advantage of hotkey compatibility with Stream Deck
[3:55] because while it's currently not possible to have a direct integration with Discord's microphone functions,
[4:00] using hotkeys you are able to.
[4:02] Basically we wanted to make sure that we have you covered in every way possible with Stream Deck
[4:07] so even though hotkeys might not be as great as direct integrations,
[4:10] it's still important to have that as a feature with Stream Deck.
[4:14] Now, ProBluesPlayer likes to toggle media effects and sources on his stream.
[4:18] This is a really simple feature built within streaming programs but makes a big difference when you have Stream Deck.
[4:24] You can add title cards or lower thirds graphics and launch them with Stream Deck
[4:28] for a really professional broadcast,
[4:30] or you can have some fun with it and use Stream Deck to post dank memes all day.
[4:34] NintendoFanGirl mentioned that she thought that adding bleep buttons to your stream
[4:38] using Stream Deck is really cool,
[4:40] which is made possible by our partnership with Voicemod
[4:43] which not only allows you to add a censor bleep to your mic when you press a key,
[4:46] but this integration also allows you to change your voice into a ton of different characters
[4:51] to have some real fun when you get a new donation, or a new follower,
[4:55] or you just want to have some fun with the people that you play with online.
[4:58] But what about myself? What's my favorite thing to do with Stream Deck?
[5:01] Well, my favorite action is definitely Multi Actions
[5:05] because they make so many things possible.
[5:07] The ability to combine any action in Stream Deck together is remarkable.
[5:13] Even actions that are just very simplistic on their own
[5:16] become so much more intricate and compelling once you combine them together.
[5:23] Some examples of things I've done with Multi Actions is, one
[5:26] I created an instant replay button on my stream where when I press a button,
[5:31] it records the last 15 seconds of whatever I was streaming.
[5:35] It plays this cool little intro graphic to introduce the replay that's about to be shown,
[5:41] and then it shows that replay, and then it goes back to the game that I'm playing.
[5:45] So, technically if you were willing to alt-tab out of your gameplay
[5:49] and then click a bunch of different things at once in OBS,
[5:52] you could have that happen but nobody would ever be able to do that
[5:56] and still focus on their gaming so when you can make that a Multi Action on Stream Deck
[6:02] and just press one button it makes those kinds of things possible
[6:06] that used to only be possible in the professional broadcasting space.
[6:10] Another way I've been able to use Multi Actions is
[6:13] I made one where I was able to save the last 30 seconds of whatever I was playing,
[6:17] actually import that into Magix Vegas,
[6:21] edit it with a couple of pre-done edits,
[6:24] so basically changing the aspect ratio to a square, adding some blurred borders,
[6:28] adding a little lower third with my Twitch channel on there,
[6:32] then rendering that out and then uploading it straight to Twitter.
[6:35] And again, this is stuff that if you were to do this with a mouse and keyboard
[6:40] would probably take five to ten minutes and good luck doing that when you're live.
[6:43] But because I have this programmed to my Stream Deck
[6:46] I just press one key and it does all the work for me
[6:49] so those are just some examples of why I think that multi actions are the best part about Stream Deck.
[6:55] But what's funny here is I've listed quite a lot of things and really, we've barely just scratched the surface.
[7:02] And that's because Stream Deck is only limited by your own creativity.
[7:05] Whenever people ask me what Stream Deck does at a convention
[7:09] I always like to say Stream Deck does nothing but controls everything.
[7:12] And honestly the possibilities are endless because of this.
[7:16] I posed two questions at the beginning of this video.
[7:19] What can Stream Deck do, and do I need it to start streaming.
[7:22] Well to answer question number 1, it's really: what can't Stream Deck do.
[7:27] And to answer question number 2, no.
[7:30] You don't need Stream Deck in order to start your streaming like you do a microphone or a camera.
[7:35] However from my conversations with our community, from those who have tried out Stream Deck,
[7:39] in their own words: they can't imagine having ever ran their stream without it,
[7:43] and there's no going back.
[7:45] So hopefully this clears up a little bit about what Stream Deck can do for you,
[7:49] and if you're interested in trying Stream Deck yourself
[7:52] be sure to check out Stream Deck Mobile which is available on iOS and Android
[7:56] and comes with a free 30-day trial so you can see for yourself.
[8:00] Once again, I'm Steggy from Elgato, and until our next video,
[8:04] good luck, and have fun.