When you create a live event on Vimeo, you have the option to use an external encoder via RTMP or Vimeo’s web-based production tool suite, which allows you to use your webcam, invite other guest speakers into the stream, playback videos from your account within your stream, and manage other various production elements from a single browser window.
This article will walk through the web-based production tool page.
When creating the event, you will see a Production mode section under Live broadcast settings. Select Stream through your browser, then complete the event setup steps to enter the web-based production tool page.
- The preview player
- Layouts
- Scenes
- Production elements
- Speaker chat
- Audience chat
- Stream output
- Stream health
- Select your production mode and go live
The preview
In the middle of the page is a large preview player, which upon landing will include your webcam and microphone by default (make sure you allow your browser to access your webcam and microphone if prompted). This player shows the currently selected scene; scenes are located at the bottom center of the screen.
On the left of the page, you can see your webcam preview under the guest Speaker tab.
To the bottom of the large preview player, you can mute your microphone and disable your camera (the mic and video icon in red color). The mic and video icon will turn green when enabled.
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If you have any other connected inputs, such as USB microphones and webcams, these should show up under the Camera and audio settings.
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To make changes to camera settings, you can select Camera & audio settings under the mic icon or camera icon.
Note: Now all Chrome users can use additional Effects if they want to blur their background - Some more advanced inputs may require an external encoder to work on Vimeo.
- You can find the option to share your screen here as well.
- You can choose Blur my background to ensure that only your face is visible and anything that is in your background is blurred out.
This feature may vary in performance for each individual. If you encounter any issues or feel the feature isn't working as expected, contact us for help.
As your event proceeds, the preview player will serve as your setup area. When you select a scene, it will appear here allowing you to review the scene’s appearance before clicking Send to stream, which will then push that scene to the stream as a Preview. After you click Start Event, this scene will be Live for the audience.
Any graphics attached to the selected scene will have a “Show/Hide” button below the preview player. For example, if you are a speaker and your camera is in the active scene, clicking Show Lower Third will display a lower third graphic with your name and title. Hide lower third will take it out of the player.
Layouts
Above is the preview where you can choose a scene’s layout from a set of predefined layouts templates. We support 18 different templates.
By default, the selected layout type is “auto-layout.” This layout automates the live event to continue setting the layout on the broadcaster’s behalf.
Each layout has numbered “drop zones” which represent places where you can drop a piece of content. You can drag and drop guest speakers, images, videos, and slides from the content panel into a drop zone. If another piece of content already exists in the target drop zone, the live event will “swap” the pieces of content between the two drop zones.
⚠️Note: Screen-sharing is not yet supported in layouts. These content types will continue taking over the entire layout.
Scenes
Below the layouts is where you can add and manage your event’s scenes. This is where you will determine what will be shown in your event.
We recommend building all of your scenes ahead of time in the order in which they will appear, like a visual agenda, so by the time you are live, you can proceed through each scene and show each element in the order you've planned. Learn more about creating and using scenes.
⚠️Note: Once your event is live, selecting a scene automatically makes it visible to the audience.
Production elements
The left sidebar of the web-based production tool page includes all of your production elements such as guest speakers, videos, and graphics.
When all of the production elements you plan to use for your event are added and configured here, you then add them to scenes so that users can see that content and/or the graphics overlays associated with it.
Speakers
You can invite guest speakers to your event who can join via their webcam. They’ll also have the ability to share their screen.
Including the main broadcaster, your event can include up to 12 total speakers if you have a Premium or Advanced plan, or an Enterprise account with the Events feature added.
When Backstage is toggled off, all of the speakers are visible in one tab. All speakers, including the broadcaster, can be heard by the audience (unless they are muted).
When Backstage is toggled on, you can see which speakers are in the stream by switching between the Backstage and Stream tabs. Only speakers that are in the stream can be heard by the audience.
Learn more about inviting and adding guest speakers to your event.
Videos
The Videos panel allows you to queue up videos from your Vimeo account and play them back live as part of your event.
This is helpful if you prerecord your event, upload it as a video, and want to play it live to your audience.
Click on the Media button to Upload a video.
Learn more about adding videos to your event.
Images
The Images panel allows you to upload an image to fill the background of the player. Click on the Media button to Upload an image.
This is helpful for different purposes:
- Images can be in the background of a scene where you have multiple speakers, filling the blank space between sources.
- Images can be in a scene by themselves serving as a full-screen graphic slate. You have the option to add up to two lines of text if you wish (e.g. “The event will start soon. Stay tuned.”)
Slides
The Slides panel allows you to upload slides in .pdf and .pptx format and present them during a presentation. You can upload slides files of up to 100MB and only static images are allowed.
- Once a slide is added to a scene, both the broadcaster and any guest added to the scene have the ability to navigate back and forth through the slide deck.
- Any users added to the scene will appear in a picture-in-picture alongside the slide deck, which can be hidden by turning off their video feed.
Brand
The Brand panel lets you customize the graphic overlay colors and logos that appear in your stream.
Here you can:
- Upload your organization’s logo, which can stay displayed throughout your event.
- Set a primary and secondary color for all lower third graphics.
Lower thirds
All speakers will have a lower third identifying their names and titles by default when you add them.
In addition to these, you can add other lower thirds for individual scenes, such as pre-determined questions asked to a guest, or identifying the name and location of your event. Note that additional lower thirds will also need to be added to the desired scene in order to display it. Learn more.
Auto closed captions
You can enable automatic closed captions for your event in this tab. Learn more.
Polls
You can open a poll for your audience to participate in. Note that this option is not available if your production mode is set to Recording only.
The poll itself will be in the chat module, but you can add graphics for the poll questions, options, and results to your stream by adding them to a scene. Learn more.
Q&A
If your event will include a Q&A session, allowing your viewers to ask and vote on questions, you can open that here. Note that this option is not available if your production mode is set to Recording only.
You can also choose whether you'd like to moderate questions or if you'd like to allow anonymous questions.
Similar to polls, viewers can participate within the chat window. However, if you want to display the question graphics, you should add the Q&A to a scene.
Learn more about setting up Q&A sessions at How to set up and manage Live Q&A.
Speaker chat
The right area of the web-based production tool page is where you can find the chat modules. By default, the Speaker chat will be open. This is an internal chat for your team and guest speakers to communicate before and during your event. Your audience will not see the messages here.
Audience chat
To enable and moderate the audience chat, click the Audience tab on the right side of the web-based production tool page. This will switch from the internal speakers chat to the public-facing audience chat, which is disabled by default.
Note that this option is not available if your production mode is set to Recording only.
When you enable audience chat, all messages your viewers' posts or emojis will appear here. You can also click Export chat to export all messages from your event.
Stream output
In the upper right area of the web-based production tool page is the stream output, which will display what your audience is actively seeing in the stream after you go live. Click the link icon in the upper right corner of the output window to copy a link to your public-facing event page.
You can also keep a check on the total number of live viewers during an event.
Stream health
You can monitor whether your stream is stable or unstable by checking the indicator bars at the top right corner above the stream output window, next to the stream timer. The network indicator will turn yellow or red, if the connection gets worse. It will be hidden if the connection quality is good.
Select your production mode and go live
When your scenes are set and you’re ready, you can open the dropdown next to Go live to choose your production mode:
- Live production: Will immediately broadcast a live stream to your event page and embedded live player and requires you to actively manage the scenes for your event. This mode is selected by default.
- Prerecorded event: You can schedule a time for prerecorded segments to go live to your event page and embedded player automatically.
- Recording only: You can use the tools on this page to record your event without going live to an audience.
- RTMP stream: If you decide to stream your event using an external encoder instead of your browser, choose this to switch your production mode.
When you’re ready to go live, schedule your event, or start recording, click the corresponding button in the upper right corner to begin. Click it again to stop the stream or recording (note that a scheduled event with only prerecorded segments will end automatically).