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You can broadcast portrait (9:16) and landscape (16:9) video at the same time using YouTube Live Control Room, TikTok LIVE Studio, Restream Studio, OBS with Restream’s Vertical plugin, or Streamlabs Desktop. The right choice depends on where you’re streaming and whether a center crop is good enough or you need a separately composed portrait scene.
Choose a method based on your destinations and framing
First decide which platforms need each orientation. Then choose a workflow that supports those destinations and the degree of layout control you need. YouTube’s built-in Auto option is simple, but it makes portrait by center-cropping the horizontal feed. Other tools provide more ways to arrange content, though some synchronize elements between layouts or lock orientation before the broadcast.
| Method | Best fit | Layout behavior and constraints |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube Live Control Room | Creators streaming to YouTube who want a native setup or can supply separate encoder outputs. | Auto creates portrait from a center crop of the horizontal feed. Encoder mode uses a second stream key for vertical. Third-party encoder dual streaming is still rolling out, and vertical cannot be removed after the stream starts. YouTube Help |
| TikTok LIVE Studio | Creators using TikTok LIVE Studio who want a dual layout. | Start with portrait; sources sync to landscape, where they can be repositioned or resized. Chatbox and ranking widgets are removed because they are unsupported in portrait. TikTok LIVE Studio Help Center |
| Restream Studio | Creators sending a Studio session to channels assigned different orientations. | Assign channels to Portrait or Landscape before going live. Elements appear in both formats but may look different because of available space; orientation cannot be changed midstream. Restream Help Center |
| OBS with Restream Vertical plugin | Creators who want a separate vertical scene alongside their main OBS stream. | Vertical audio uses the primary OBS audio mixer. Encoding settings inherit from the main OBS settings, with a separate vertical bitrate available. Through this Restream route, YouTube receives separate live events for the two orientations. Restream Help Center |
| Streamlabs Desktop Dual Output | Creators who want separate horizontal and vertical canvases and per-source visibility controls. | Configure each output separately and assign destinations at Go Live. Streamlabs recommends 1080×1920 at 30 FPS for TikTok in its April 25, 2025 guide. Multiple destinations within each orientation require Streamlabs Ultra, according to that guide. Streamlabs Support |
Prepare both compositions before you go live
- List your destinations and formats. Note which platform needs portrait, landscape, or both. Confirm your account is eligible for the platform’s live feature and for any dual-output option you plan to use.
- Choose crop or separate composition. If you use YouTube Auto, inspect its center crop: important subjects, titles, and overlays near the sides of the landscape frame may disappear from portrait. If each format needs distinct framing, use a workflow that lets you compose a vertical scene or adjust each canvas.
- Build the layouts. Keep faces, gameplay, key visual details, and on-screen text inside the visible area of each format. Check text size and overlay placement in both previews rather than assuming a landscape composition will adapt cleanly.
- Set orientation and routing before the broadcast. Restream Studio requires you to assign each channel to Portrait or Landscape before going live. For YouTube’s encoder route, enable Dual stream in YouTube Studio > Live Control Room > Stream settings, select Encoder, and add the second stream key for vertical. YouTube’s third-party encoder option is not yet available to every creator.
- Preview and verify. Check both outputs for framing, readability, audio, and overlays. Confirm that each destination is assigned the intended orientation and that the portrait output is not simply showing an unusable crop.
- Start the broadcast and monitor both formats. Keep an eye on each destination’s preview or live view for unexpected layout changes or missing elements.
Platform-specific setup details
YouTube Live Control Room
YouTube supports simultaneous horizontal (16:9) and vertical (9:16) live formats. In YouTube Studio, open Live Control Room > Stream settings and enable Dual stream. Auto is selected by default and derives the vertical output by center-cropping the horizontal feed. Choose the Encoder option and add a second stream key if you are sending a separate vertical output from an encoder. Confirm the dual-stream option is available to your account before scheduling a production around it; YouTube says third-party encoder access is being rolled out in stages. Once the stream has started, you cannot remove the vertical stream. Read YouTube’s live-streaming instructions.
TikTok LIVE Studio
In LIVE Studio, right-click a scene and choose Switch layout > Dual layout. Build the portrait layout first; sources then sync into landscape, where you can adjust their position and size. This is not two fully independent scenes: the landscape layout starts from the portrait source set. Chatbox and ranking widgets are removed because they are not supported in portrait. TikTok’s guide to Dual layout.
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Restream Studio
Add your channels under Portrait or Landscape before going live. A single Studio session can then produce outputs in both orientations. Elements appear in both, but the aspect ratio and available space can change how they display. You cannot change a channel’s orientation during the live broadcast, so check each assignment before starting. See Restream’s Studio setup instructions.
OBS with Restream Vertical plugin
Install the Restream Vertical plugin for macOS or Windows and create a vertical scene in addition to your main OBS scene. Set channel orientations in Restream before going live, then start OBS. The vertical output uses OBS’s primary audio mixer and inherits the main OBS encoding settings; Restream provides a separate bitrate setting for vertical. If sending both formats to YouTube through this route, expect separate live events for the two orientations. See Restream’s OBS instructions.
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Streamlabs Desktop Dual Output
Connect your destinations, enable Dual Output, configure the horizontal and vertical tabs, arrange sources, and preview both canvases. Assign destinations to the desired orientations when you select Go Live. Streamlabs’ April 25, 2025 guide recommends 1080×1920 at 30 FPS for TikTok; it is a product recommendation, not a universal requirement for every destination. The guide says multiple destinations within each orientation require Streamlabs Ultra. Read the Streamlabs setup guide.
Keep both versions usable
- Protect the subject from cropping. A centered landscape crop may work for a centered speaker, but it can cut off side-by-side guests, gameplay interfaces, captions, or documentary footage composed for widescreen.
- Check legibility at phone size. Landscape text and small interface elements can become too small or fall outside the portrait frame. Review the actual portrait preview.
- Verify widgets and overlays. A widget supported in one orientation may be removed or may take up too much space in the other. TikTok LIVE Studio explicitly removes chatbox and ranking widgets in Dual layout.
- Check routing before starting. Restream orientations are set before going live, and YouTube’s vertical stream cannot be removed after the stream begins.
- Recheck feature access and compatibility. Platform capabilities can change; YouTube’s third-party encoder dual stream is not available to every creator yet. Verify the current option in your account before an event.
Troubleshooting
The portrait output cuts off important content
This is expected when using a center crop on a landscape scene. Move critical content toward the center or switch to a workflow that lets you compose a dedicated portrait scene. Preview the result before going live.
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A widget disappears in TikTok Dual layout
Chatbox and ranking widgets are unsupported in portrait and are removed when a landscape scene is moved into Dual layout. Use another supported way to present essential information or leave those widgets out of the dual scene.
You cannot change orientation while live
Restream Studio locks a channel’s orientation for the broadcast. Stop and configure the orientation before the next stream rather than expecting to switch it midstream. YouTube also does not let you remove the vertical stream after the stream starts.
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The vertical OBS output has unexpected audio or encoding behavior
Restream’s Vertical plugin uses the primary OBS audio mixer, and its encoding settings inherit from the main OBS settings. Check the main mixer and encoder configuration, then adjust the separate vertical bitrate if needed.
The YouTube encoder option is missing
YouTube’s third-party encoder dual-stream feature is being rolled out in stages and is not available to every creator. Check YouTube Studio for account access and use another supported workflow if the option is not present.
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Or let it run in the cloud
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