Tools Of The Trade Apr 3, 2020
Going live isn't just for the social influencers, news broadcasters and famous people of the world. It's for anyone and everyone looking to share their experiences in real time in a fun, collaborative way. And now that it's a feature on GoPro cameras, you can go live in scenarios and from POVs that you wouldn't dare expose a smartphone or othering streaming device to.
Race cars, mountain bikes, sky dives, jet packs, wild animal parks-these are just a few of our favorite use cases so far. But that's not to say live streaming from a GoPro isn't perfect for studio scenarios and sharing streams from around the house, too. It's a compact, high-quality powerhouse that's ready to share your life, from your POV, with as little as the GoPro app paired to a camera that fits in the palm of your hand.
Using the GoPro app, you can live stream directly to YouTube and Facebook as well as to sites that accepts RTMP URLs, which we'll discuss later. With YouTube and Facebook, these platforms require initial setup steps (listed below) for the first time you go live, so plan accordingly.
Also, within the Facebook umbrella, you can live stream to four different page options-your standard Facebook profile, a collaborative Facebook group, a public-facing business/organization's Facebook Page or the internal-facing business platform, Workplace by Facebook.
All-in GoPro live streaming is compatible with:
Direct to:
YouTube
Facebook Profiles
Facebook Groups and Pages
Workplace by Facebook
Via RTMP:
Twitch
Vimeo
And in China specficially:
HUYA
Douyu
BILIBILI
INKE
Unfortunately, we cannot live stream to Instagram as the platform has not yet enabled GoPro live streaming capabilities.
Step-By-Step Guide to Live Stream
To go live, you need to have the GoPro app downloaded to your smartphone and pair to one of the following:
GoPro MAX
HERO8 Black
HERO7 Black
To get started on Facebook:
You have 4 live streaming options on Facebook:
Facebook Profile
Facebook Group
Facebook Page
Workplace by Facebook
You can choose between live streaming to a Facebook profile, group or page during the Set Up Live Stream process (Step 9 outlined below).
To get started, you'll need to be the admin of the profile, page or group you plan to stream to gain access to the Live API URL Facebook provides to set up initial connectivity with the GoPro app. You access this URL by selecting Live Video on the homepage and copy/pasting the Server URL + Stream Key as one RTMP URL it into the GoPro app.
1. Open the GoPro app and tap on the camera icon in the bottom left corner of the screen.
2. Now tap on the blue button in the center of the screen: Control Your GoPro. This starts a preview.
3. Scroll through the icons on the bottom of the screen to the right and tap on Live.
4. That icon is now a blue button that says Set Up Live. Underneath it you should see Facebook is listed to let you know which platform you'll be streaming on.
5. Now tap on Set Up Live.
6. Allow permissions and connect your Facebook account.
7. A new screen appears. Tap on the blue button: Set Up Live Stream.
8. Another screen appears to set up live stream. At the top, choose to connect a Wi-Fi network or your personal hotspot.
9. Choose your sharing settings in the dropdown menu.
PROTIP: This is where you choose to stream on a Facebook profile (Public, Friends, Only Me) or the dropdown menu will feature the Facebook Group(s) or Page(s) that you are an admin of.
10. Give your stream a title and a short description.
11. Choose the resolution you want: 480p, 720p or 1080p (1080p is only available with HERO8 Black).
PROTIP: If the signal strength of your data connection weakens, the video stream bit rate will automatically lower for the selected resolution.
12. Choose your save settings to save a high-res version of your stream to your SD card.
13. Tap Go Live or press the Shutter button to start live streaming.
14. Switch over to the Facebook app to see your stats and check your stream.
To get started on YouTube:
For YouTube, there are a few restrictions to be aware of. Most importantly, you have to verify and set up your account before streaming, which can take up to 24 hours. And you must have at least 1,000 subscribers to live stream from mobile.
1. Open the GoPro app and tap on the camera icon in the bottom left corner of the screen.
2. Now tap on the blue button in the center of the screen: Control Your GoPro. This starts Preview.
3. Scroll through the icons on the bottom of the screen and tap on Live.
4. That icon is now a blue button that says Set Up Live. Underneath it you should see which platform is listed for streaming; it may list Facebook. To change which platform you'll be streaming to, tap on Facebook. A list of other platforms appears. Tap on YouTube.
5. Now tap on Set Up Live.
6. Allow permissions and connect your YouTube account.
7. In the next screen, choose to connect a Wi-Fi network or your personal hotspot.
8. Choose your sharing settings (Public).
9. Give your stream a title and a short description.
10. Choose your location.
11. Choose the resolution you want: 480p, 720p or 1080p (1080p only available with HERO8 Black).
12. Choose your save settings to save a high-res version of your stream to your SD card.
13. Tap Go LIVE or press the Shutter button to start live streaming.
PROTIP: Experiment with different mounts and angles, then frame your shot before you go LIVE. Make sure your camera is upright before streaming. If you turn your camera upside down, your live stream footage will appear upside down.
To get started with an RTMP:
You can choose to live stream to compatible video platforms using an RTMP URL. As a reminder, live streaming currently supports RTMP and RTMPS URLs only. RTSP, HLS and othe
