Co-op Streams with Skype/Google Hangout Video

Using a web cam to show off your reactions to funny, scary and downright crazy events in games has now become commonplace among Twitch.tv and Youtube gaming streamers.

Just as commonplace is the streaming of co-operative game sessions while including your friends/family audio over Skype or google hangouts.

If only we could meld these two ideas of co-op streams and web cams together... oh wait, we can!

Do note one very important piece of information when proceeding with this method.

**Start OBS Studio FIRST and ensure it has started your web cam**

This will ensure that OBS Studio is the program utilizing your web cam and not Skype/Google Hangouts.  Otherwise, your web cam footage won't show up in OBS Studio, and thus, on stream.

The downfall to this is that Skype/Hangouts won't be able to use the same web cam you are using for OBS Studio.  In other words, your friends won't be able to see you.  You could fix this by having two web cams... I suppose...

• Start up OBS Studio and then Skype or Google Hangouts or whatever video chat program you use. Start a call with your co-op gaming partner(s).

• In OBS Studio while showing the appropriate scene you want to add your friend's web cam footage to, add a new source -> "Window Capture"

Add a new Window Capture Source

• Window: Choose the Skype.exe/"Friends Name" window from the drop down list.

• Window Match Priority: If you are going to be streaming with the same person most/all of the time, change the "Window Match Priority" to "Window Title".  This will ensure that the next time you call up your friend their screen will show up right away. Otherwise, you may have to re-select "Skype.exe/"friends name" from the window drop down each time you start up OBS.

• Capture Cursor: You can choose whether you want to "capture cursor" or not.  I prefer to uncheck this box.

• Multi-adapter Compatibility: Leave this unchecked.  Using this can result in some screen flickering from selected window source.

Window Capture Properties

After hitting "Okay" you now have your friends Skype/Hangout window... the whole damn thing...

For Skype, minimize the chat section of the Skype window so it's just your friend's video feed.  The icon should look like a speech bubble as of this guides writing.  No need to this for Hangouts as the chat feed doesn't show up automatically (if I recall correctly).

The result of the Window Capture

Now let's crop that puppy.

• Click on the Skype/Hangout window on your main OBS display window and you'll see the red box surround it with the circles indicating where you can click and resize.
• Hold down Alt and grab the circle handle from whichever side you want to start cropping the window from.  The goal is the crop it from any/all sides you need to until you are only left with your friend's web cam footage and not all of the UI surrounding it.

A cropped Window Capture

Aaaaand you're done!  Ready to co-op stream some games and being able to show off both of your reactions as you go.

Happy Streaming!