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Adobe Character Animator

How to Use Adobe Character Animator for Live Streaming

Send a tracked Character Animator scene to a broadcast app or video device with the right Live Output setting, audio routing, and rehearsal checks.

By DocumentaryTube Team 4 min read
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To live stream Adobe Character Animator, send the current scene to a receiving app or video device: open your puppet’s scene, select an output in the Stream workspace’s Live Output preferences, then click Stream Live at the bottom of the Scene panel. In the receiving application, select that output as a video source and route the audio separately. Rehearse the full setup before broadcasting; framing, transparency, and audio sync all depend on the receiver and your specific configuration.

Prepare a scene and track your performance

  1. Open or create a scene. Put the puppet you want to perform with into a scene. A scene can contain puppets, audio files, and recorded takes.
  2. Choose camera and microphone inputs. Character Animator uses inputs such as the camera, microphone, and mouse to control puppet performance. Calibrate the camera’s tracking rest pose before performing.
  3. Check your audio environment. Adobe says most USB microphones and audio interfaces work for a single-character broadcast. Use a high-quality microphone with background-noise rejection in a quiet environment. If the voice talent needs to monitor audio, use headphones to help avoid picking up other sounds and to manage delayed voice monitoring.

Send the scene to your broadcast application

  1. Open the Stream workspace. In Live Output preferences, select the output path suited to your installed setup. Adobe documents Mercury Transmit, NewTek NDI output, and third-party video hardware; the available choices depend on your system and installed equipment.
  2. Frame the scene in the Scene panel. Only the current scene displayed in the panel is streamed. Content outside the Scene panel is not rendered into the output, so confirm the intended scene is open and framed before performing.
  3. Start output. Click Stream Live at the bottom of the Scene panel.
  4. Select the source in the receiver. In your broadcast application or video device, add or select the corresponding Character Animator output, then compose it with titles, backgrounds, or other broadcast elements as needed.
  5. Check transparency. The Scene panel’s background color setting is not sent to the receiver; the output carries alpha transparency. If the receiving device cannot handle alpha, the background appears black. Composite the scene over a background in the receiver, or verify alpha support in your intended path.

Route audio and check lip sync

Plan audio routing separately from video. Adobe notes that Character Animator’s live output can introduce a small video delay. If audio and video are streamed together, its guide says an audio delay is usually around 60 milliseconds; treat that as a starting estimate, not a guaranteed value for your setup. A streaming application such as OBS Studio or Telestream Wirecast, or external hardware, can be used to add audio delay.

  1. Choose the microphone or interface that will feed the broadcast, and confirm whether it can be used by both Character Animator and the receiving application.
  2. Monitor the result with the actual voice talent. Look for a mismatch between mouth movement and spoken audio.
  3. If needed, add audio delay in the receiver or with external hardware, then adjust by listening and watching a rehearsal. Do not assume the approximate 60 ms figure will be correct for every system.

Plan an NDI setup for multiple characters

For a multi-character NDI workflow, decide whether the performance should run on one computer or several, and plan how audio and network connections will work across that design. Adobe recommends wired microphones and a professional audio interface for each machine, plus Gigabit Ethernet over Cat 5e or Cat 6 between computers and a switch. These are recommendations for the documented multi-computer setup, not a guarantee that every network or device combination will work without configuration.

Rehearse and troubleshoot before going live

Adobe recommends testing the complete chain with the actual voice talent and on the intended streaming platform before a live performance. Verify scene output, composition, audio, and sync in that rehearsal.

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What you see Likely cause What to check
The expected scene or part of the puppet is missing The wrong scene is current, or content sits outside the Scene panel Open the intended scene and check its framing in the Scene panel; only the displayed scene is streamed.
The scene background is black The receiver does not handle the output’s alpha transparency Composite the scene over a background in the receiving application or use a path that handles alpha.
Lips and voice do not line up Live output may delay video relative to audio Monitor the full signal path and adjust audio delay in the receiving application or with external hardware. Adobe’s approximate 60 ms guidance is only a starting point.
The broadcast application has no Character Animator video source The Live Output path and receiver source may not correspond, or the selected output setup may be unavailable Check Live Output preferences, the selected output device or application, and the matching source selection in the receiver.
Multi-computer NDI performance is unreliable Audio routing or network connections may not suit the setup Review the one-computer versus multi-computer design, wired microphone and interface setup, and Gigabit Ethernet connections to a switch.
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