Use FFmpeg’s transpose filter to turn footage by 90 degrees, or its rotate filter for another angle. Pace the files in real time, encode to a YouTube-compatible profile, then send the result to the RTMPS URL and stream key shown in YouTube Live Control Room. The exact command depends on your clips’ formats, orientation, audio, and intended output dimensions, so test the full sequence before going public.
What you need before building the stream
- A current FFmpeg Windows build from a trusted distribution. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run
ffmpeg -versionto confirm it is available. - Your local demo video files, with their dimensions, frame rates, video codecs, and audio streams identified. FFmpeg’s
ffprobecan inspect media files; compare the streams before choosing a multi-file workflow. - A YouTube channel with live streaming available, plus the RTMPS ingest URL and stream key for the stream you intend to use. Obtain both in YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room.
- A reliable upload connection capable of sustaining the bitrate you choose. Run a speed test and leave headroom rather than selecting a bitrate that uses all available upload capacity.
There is no safe universal command for every set of clips: rotation direction, output geometry, frame rate, codecs, audio policy, and file compatibility vary. Build and test a command using your actual media and FFmpeg build.
Choose the right rotation filter
Rotate a quarter-turn
For footage that needs a 90-degree turn, use the transpose video filter. FFmpeg documents transpose=dir=clock for clockwise rotation; use transpose=dir=cclock for counterclockwise rotation. Inspect the footage to determine which direction corrects it. The filter does not infer the intended framing from the filename or camera orientation metadata. FFmpeg transpose filter documentation.
Rotate by another angle
Use rotate=ANGLE when the footage needs an angle other than a quarter-turn. The angle is in radians; positive values rotate clockwise and negative values counterclockwise. A non-quarter-turn can leave empty corners, so decide how the output should handle them and set the canvas dimensions and background accordingly. FFmpeg rotate filter documentation.
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Prepare one clip or a playlist
One clip
FFmpeg’s -re option reads an input at its native frame rate, which is useful when sending a local file as a live feed. The -stream_loop -1 option loops an input infinitely. They serve different purposes: real-time pacing does not itself create a loop, and looping does not itself pace playback. Check the installed FFmpeg documentation for the precise option behavior in your build. FFmpeg main options.
Several clips
The concat demuxer reads an ordered list of files. Create a file list in the documented format, then test the actual transition sequence and repeat behavior; do not assume that applying an input-loop option to a concat construction will repeat the entire playlist as intended. Concat works best when the inputs have compatible stream layouts and properties. Files with mismatched codecs, dimensions, frame rates, audio streams, or timestamps may need separate preparation before they can be joined cleanly. FFmpeg concat demuxer documentation.
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The concat demuxer’s safe-path validation is enabled by default. Relative paths using portable characters are the simplest option. If your list needs absolute Windows paths or filenames containing spaces, follow the documented list-file syntax and verify the quoting; do not disable safe mode reflexively. FFmpeg concat demuxer documentation.
Set the YouTube ingest destination
- In YouTube Studio, open Live Control Room and create or select the live stream.
- Open the stream’s settings and copy the stream URL and stream key provided for that stream. Prefer the RTMPS endpoint YouTube supplies; do not substitute an example endpoint from a tutorial.
- Enter the endpoint and key in your FFmpeg output configuration. Keep the key private: YouTube describes stream keys as like your stream’s password and address. Do not expose it in screenshots, public scripts, source control, or logs. If it is exposed, reset it in Live Control Room and update your encoder. YouTube Help: Manage live stream settings.
RTMPS encrypts the connection. If FFmpeg reports an SSL or connection error, first confirm that you copied the RTMPS URL rather than an ordinary RTMP URL and that your FFmpeg build supports the required connection. YouTube’s troubleshooting guidance also recommends checking port 443 when the correct URL is in use and SSL errors persist. YouTube Help: Troubleshoot live stream issues.
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Choose a live encoding profile
YouTube’s encoder guidance lists H.264 video, constant bitrate (CBR), and AAC or MP3 audio. It recommends a two-second keyframe interval, which must not exceed four seconds. Select resolution, frame rate, and bitrate based on the source footage and what your upload connection can sustain reliably; higher settings are not automatically better if they cause interruptions. YouTube transcodes live streams into multiple playback formats. YouTube Help: Live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions.
- Rotation and geometry: confirm that the rotated output has the intended width and height. A portrait clip rotated into landscape, or the reverse, may need a fit, crop, or background decision.
- Frame rate: choose a rate appropriate to the source and planned stream. Mixed frame rates in a playlist are a reason to test transitions rather than assume a seamless result.
- Audio: decide whether to preserve, normalize, replace, or omit each clip’s audio. A playlist with inconsistent audio streams needs particular attention during testing.
- Bitrate: choose a stable rate based on a speed test and sustained upload capacity, not a brief peak reading.
- Keyframes: set a two-second interval as YouTube’s recommendation, and keep the interval at or below four seconds.
Test privately, then start and monitor
- Use a private or unlisted test stream to check orientation, crop or fit, transitions, audio, and whether the playlist repeats as expected.
- Use representative footage, movement, and audio rather than a static or unusually short sample. YouTube recommends testing with conditions similar to the planned stream.
- Check the Live Control Room preview and stream health before making the event public. Watch for dropped frames, connection warnings, audio problems, or unexpected black bars.
- For a scheduled stream, wait for the preview and select Go live when ready. Start and stop behavior can also depend on settings such as auto-start and auto-stop.
- Keep monitoring while live. YouTube says streams shorter than 12 hours are automatically archived; do not rely on an automatic archive for longer streams. YouTube Help: Live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions.
Troubleshoot common failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The video is still sideways or upside down | The selected rotation direction does not match the footage. | Inspect the output and try the opposite transpose direction. For a non-quarter-turn, check the sign and radians used with rotate. |
| Portrait footage is cropped, stretched, or surrounded by bars | Rotation changed the clip’s geometry relative to the output canvas. | Choose whether to preserve the portrait frame, fit it within a landscape canvas, or crop to a chosen output. Verify dimensions in the test preview. |
| The playlist stops after one pass | The looping option may apply to an input rather than the complete concat construction. | Test the exact file-list and loop setup with the installed FFmpeg build. Confirm that the whole sequence, not just one item, repeats. |
| Concat reports errors or rejects the file list | List syntax, paths, timestamps, or input stream layouts may be incompatible. | Check the documented concat file syntax and safe-path rules. Compare each file’s streams and prepare incompatible inputs separately if needed. |
| YouTube shows a connection or SSL error | The endpoint may be RTMP instead of RTMPS, or the connection may not reach the required port. | Copy the RTMPS URL from the stream settings, confirm FFmpeg supports the connection, and check YouTube’s port 443 guidance if SSL errors continue. |
| The stream key has appeared in a screenshot or log | The credential has been exposed. | Reset the key in YouTube Live Control Room and replace it in the encoder configuration. |
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