Trusted Tips for Simultaneously Integrating Two Camera Streams on Virtual Presentations

As much of today’s workforce continues to remain remote, virtual presentations are becoming increasingly popular. While these virtual presentations make it easy to reach a broader audience, they also present a few challenges when it comes to engaging your audience. Your presentation is only effective if your audience is paying attention to you, and this can be difficult from behind a computer screen. Step up your presentation game by integrating multi-camera live streaming. Utilizing two cameras allows you to switch your point of view during a live presentation, which can help make your presentation more dynamic and keep your audience engaged. In traditional in-person presentations, you are likely to lose focus if the presenter stands at a podium throughout the entire presentation. It is much more engaging when the speaker moves around the room. The same is true for virtual presentations. Using two cameras allows you to create more visual interest during your presentation by showing the environment from different angles. Here are a few tips for integrating two camera streams into your next virtual presentation. 

Main Camera

Since you will be using two cameras, you want to be sure your main camera is the one with the best output quality. This could be a webcam, IP camera, professional live streaming camera, or mobile phone. Once you select your main camera, you want to be sure it is fully charged so it doesn’t go out in the middle of your presentation. You also need to make sure that the cable connecting it to the computer is long enough to position it correctly. 

Second Camera

Mobile phones actually make a great option for a second camera given that many of them are capable of shooting a high-quality video. If you don’t have access to or want to purchase an additional camera, a mobile phone is a viable option. 

Other Recommended Live Streaming Gear

Although virtual streaming is more popular than ever, many presenters have a hard time keeping viewers’ attention due to poor video quality. The following tools can make great additions to your live streaming gear and can help you to produce high-quality streams that will actually interest your audience. 

Tripods: The last thing you want is shaky footage. You can solve this problem by using a tripod to steady your camera. There are plenty of tripods available, including smaller ones designed specifically for a mobile device.

Microphone: HIgh-quality audio is extremely important so your viewers can hear everything you are saying. The built-in microphone on your phone or computer is not enough. Adding a microphone to your lapel is a great way to improve your live videos. 

Camera Lens: You can improve the quality of your video footage by adding a lens to your camera. Cameras from mobile phones can add distortion to the video and you reduce this distortion by adding a wide-angle lens to your camera. The quality of your footage will keep viewers interested in the presentation because they will be able to clearly see everything much more clearly. 

Where to Place Your Main Camera

You want the main camera to be placed directly in front of the presenter so they can talk directly into the camera. It’s important that this camera be placed in the right position because it translates into looking directly into the eyes of the audience. 

Where to Place Your Second Camera

Since the purpose of the second camera is to add interest to your live presentation, there are several options for placement. Where you place it depends on what you want viewers to see. For instance, if you want viewers to see more of your environment, you can place the camera as a wider shot. If you want to create a more dramatic transition, you can do a close-up shot with the second camera either on your face or hands to show your body language and emotions. 

Encoder and Video Switcher

Depending on which cameras you use, you might need an encoder to act as a bridge between the camera and the online broadcast. There are several encoding software options available that can help you connect your camera to your broadcast. In addition to the encoder, you will also need a video switcher that allows you to switch between the two cameras or any other sources such as your computer screen or PowerPoint presentation.