We’ve tried to find activities my 11-year-old boy can enjoy, including sports and music of many types, but the one thing he wants to do is play Xbox and watch YouTubers entertain him with their own game antics. So in a desperate ploy to get him to actually CREATE something instead of just consume, I’ve begun the adventure of setting up my home PC for his recording and editing pleasure, in order to start his own YouTube channel.
As it turns out, he seems to LOVE creating these videos, even though it is hard. Those 5 hours a day he just wanted to play? Now he wants to record, edit, and publish. Huzzah for developing real world skills like video editing and web publishing and building your own brand!
If you own a PC and an Xbox One, here’s what I did to make this all work.
1. Upgrading the PC
In order to record and edit video, you may need to upgrade parts or all of your computer.
1.1 Video Card
I had an i5 box with 16Gb or RAM, which was fine, but my Gforce760ti was just not powerful enough, so spend about $180 on a 1060. Now I’m set.
You can get an idea of the requirements you need by installing Geforce Experience, then check the My Rig tab to see what’s recommended.
1.2 Webcam
It’s best to have a 1080p webcam, I really like my old Logitech 920, can’t beat it for $60. However, your old or built in webcam may be sufficient. Try it out and see!
- The Best Webcams 2017 (techradar)
2. Upgrading the Network Connection
For streaming more aggressively detailed video games with lots of action or particles, it’s probably best to have a hardwired connection, not wireless.
However, if you have to go wireless, you need at least 5g speeds. Even better, a wireless-n dual band router will make it all ok.
3. Installing the Software
3.1 Xbox Streaming App (XBOX)
Your Windows 10 machine may already have the Xbox software installed – note that this is NOT Xbox SmartGlass app. If not, download it:
In order to stream to your PC for recording, follow this setup video:
If you also want to record party chat when you stream, you need a second (free) Xbox account.
- Set up an Xbox Silver Account: (1) create a free outlook.com email address, then (2) create an Xbox account without buying gold
- Follow this video no how to log in and stream chatter.
3.2 Screen Capture Software (OBS)
I’ve tried the following recording suites for PC, but seriously, OBS is the best, and free.
- Geforce Experience (formerly Shadowplay)
- Microsoft Expression Encoder
- Open Broadcasting Software (OBS – just get it!)
For optimal OBS setup, follow this instructional video:
- Best OBS Streaming Settings (video)
- Best OBS Streaming Settings (webpage)
3.3 Movie Editor
For the beginner, I recommend the following choices:
Want more advanced choices?
Next
Next time, we’ll go into the details of recording and editing and publishing on YouTube. Happy recording!