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How to Switch Between Cartoons and a Holding Screen in OBS on YouTube Live

Create a cartoon scene and a holding scene in OBS, then switch live by clicking, using hotkeys, or transitioning from Studio Mode.

By DocumentaryTube Team 4 min read

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Create two OBS scenes—one with your cartoon video and one with your holding screen—then switch between them while you stream. You can select a scene with the mouse, assign scene hotkeys, or use Studio Mode to preview the next scene before transitioning. The switch changes what viewers see without requiring you to end and restart the broadcast.

Set up the cartoon and holding scenes

  1. Create two scenes. In OBS, use the Scenes panel to add one scene for cartoons and another for the holding screen. Give them clear names, such as “Cartoons” and “Holding,” so you can identify them quickly. A scene is the layout sent to the stream; it can contain multiple sources. See the OBS Studio Overview Guide.
  2. Add the cartoon video. Select the cartoon scene, add a Media Source, and choose the local video file. OBS documents support for formats including MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM. In the Media Source properties, turn on Loop if you want the video to start again when it ends. Set Restart playback when source becomes active according to how you want returns to the cartoon scene to behave: enabled starts the file over when activated; disabled avoids that restart behavior. See OBS Media Sources.
  3. Build the holding screen. Select the holding scene and add an image, text, or color source. Arrange, size, crop, and layer sources until the screen looks the way you want. OBS describes these source controls in its Sources Guide.

Choose how to switch scenes while live

Select the scene with the mouse

Click the Cartoons or Holding scene in the Scenes panel. This is the simplest approach when you can keep the OBS window visible and do not need to preview a change first.

Assign keyboard hotkeys

Open Settings and then Hotkeys, find the actions for switching to the named scenes, and assign a key combination to each. Use distinct combinations that are unlikely to be typed accidentally. Once configured, press the relevant shortcut to switch scenes; a separate macro keypad is optional. OBS documents scene switching as a configurable hotkey action in its Keyboard Shortcuts and Overview Guide.

Preview with Studio Mode

Turn on Studio Mode if you want to prepare the next scene without showing it to viewers immediately. Select or edit the next scene in Preview, then click Transition when ready. OBS includes Cut and Fade transition options; Cut changes immediately, while Fade softens the change. Transition duration can be configured. Check the result in the program output before relying on it live. Details are in the OBS Studio Overview Guide.

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Set playback and transition behavior deliberately

  • Continuous cartoons: Enable Loop in the Media Source properties if the file should repeat after reaching its end.
  • Resume or restart: Decide whether activating the cartoon scene should start the file from the beginning by setting Restart playback when source becomes active. This is separate from looping.
  • Immediate or gradual change: Use Cut for an immediate scene change or Fade for a gradual one, and choose a duration that suits the presentation.
  • Audio: Check whether the Media Source includes audio and whether that audio should be heard during the cartoon segment. Confirm the holding scene has the intended audio behavior too.

Check the setup before broadcasting

Before relying on the scenes during a live show, verify that both compositions look correct, the cartoon plays as intended, its audio is present if needed, and each switching method produces the expected result. If using Studio Mode, confirm which scene is in Preview and which is in Program before clicking Transition.

This guide covers switching scenes in an OBS stream that is already configured. To connect OBS to YouTube, use the current YouTube Live control room and the current OBS interface to select the service and configure the stream key; YouTube may have separate account or broadcast requirements. OBS’s overview describes generic service and stream-key settings, not current YouTube eligibility rules.

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Troubleshoot common problems

The cartoon does not repeat

Open the cartoon Media Source properties and check that Loop is enabled. Looping controls what happens at the end of the file; it does not determine whether playback restarts when you activate the source.

The cartoon starts from the beginning when you return to its scene

Check Restart playback when source becomes active in the Media Source properties. Change that setting if you want different behavior when the source becomes active.

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The wrong scene appears, or a switch happens immediately

Verify the scene names and the assigned hotkeys in Settings > Hotkeys. If you use Studio Mode, check the Preview and Program panes and click Transition only when the preview is ready.

OBS performance suffers with a more elaborate setup

Scenes and sources use system resources. If performance becomes a problem, simplify the scene collection and limit costly sources. OBS offers further guidance in its Encoding Performance Troubleshooting guide.

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