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How to Make an OBS Scene Switch Between Cartoons and a Holding Screen on YouTube Live

Create cartoon and holding-screen scenes in OBS, choose how the cartoon plays, and switch scenes live by mouse, hotkey, or Studio Mode.
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Create two scenes in OBS: one with your cartoon video as a Media Source, and another with your holding screen. While live, switch between them by selecting a scene, pressing its assigned hotkey, or preparing it in Studio Mode and clicking Transition. Changing scenes changes what viewers see without ending the stream.

Build the cartoon and holding-screen scenes

  1. Create the scenes. In OBS, use the Scenes panel to make two clearly named scenes, such as Cartoons and Holding Screen. A scene is the layout sent to the stream, and it can contain one or more sources. See the OBS Studio Overview Guide.
  2. Add the cartoon video. Select the Cartoons scene, add a Media Source, and choose the local video file. OBS lists support for formats including MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM. Use the source properties to set playback behavior; details are in OBS’s Media Sources guide.
  3. Set the playback behavior. Turn on Loop if the cartoon should start again automatically after it finishes. The separate option Restart playback when source becomes active determines whether it starts from the beginning whenever the source becomes active. Enable it if every return to the cartoon should begin at the start; leave it off if you want playback to resume instead.
  4. Make the holding screen. Select the Holding Screen scene and add an image, text, or color source. Arrange, resize, crop, and layer sources to suit the screen you want viewers to see. OBS explains source placement and editing in its Sources Guide.

Choose how to switch scenes

Select a scene with the mouse

Click the named scene in OBS when you want it to become the live output. This is the most straightforward method when you can keep the OBS window visible and do not need a preview workflow.

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Assign scene hotkeys

To switch with a keyboard, open OBS Settings → Hotkeys, find the actions for switching to each scene, and assign a distinct shortcut to Cartoons and Holding Screen. Use combinations that are easy to distinguish and unlikely to be typed accidentally during the broadcast. OBS documents scene-switching shortcuts in its Keyboard Shortcuts guide. A dedicated macro keypad is optional; ordinary keyboard hotkeys are built in.

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Preview with Studio Mode

Enable Studio Mode when you want to prepare the next scene without showing it to viewers yet. Choose the scene in the preview pane, check its layout, then click Transition to put it on air. OBS provides Cut and Fade transitions from a fresh launch, and the transition duration can be configured. A Cut changes immediately; a Fade softens the change. See the OBS Studio Overview Guide.

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Check the switch before going live

  • Confirm the cartoon appears in the Cartoons scene and that any intended audio is present.
  • Confirm the holding screen is legible and fills the intended area.
  • Try each scene switch and check that the chosen playback behavior matches what you expect when returning to the cartoon.
  • If using Studio Mode, verify which pane is preview and which is live before clicking Transition.

These are practical checks to perform on your setup; results depend on your sources and configuration. If OBS is not yet configured to stream, its Quick Start Guide covers the Auto-Configuration Wizard and adding sources. Connecting OBS to YouTube requires selecting the appropriate service and configuring a stream key in the current OBS interface. For YouTube-specific setup and account requirements, use YouTube’s current Live control room; the OBS documentation covers generic streaming setup, not current account eligibility.

Troubleshoot common scene-switching problems

The cartoon does not restart when I return

Check the Media Source’s Restart playback when source becomes active setting. Loop and restart-on-activation are separate controls: Loop repeats the file when it reaches the end, while restart-on-activation controls what happens when the source becomes active.

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The cartoon stops at the end

Enable Loop in the Media Source properties if you want it to begin again after reaching the end.

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The hotkey does not switch to the expected scene

Open Settings → Hotkeys and confirm the shortcut is assigned to the intended scene. Make sure the scene names are distinct and press the assigned key combination. If hotkeys are inconvenient, click the scene directly instead.

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The change appears on the wrong output

When Studio Mode is on, selecting a scene in the preview does not by itself make it live. Review the preview, then use Transition when you are ready.

OBS performance suffers with elaborate scenes

Many or resource-intensive sources can add system load. Simplify scenes or remove costly sources if performance is poor; OBS provides further guidance in Encoding Performance Troubleshooting.

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Or let it run in the cloud

If your goal is to keep uploaded cartoons playing as a 24/7 YouTube stream, StreamNeo is a cloud option: upload your video or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. Your computer does not have to stay on at home. Videos stream as uploaded, at any quality up to 4K 60fps, for one flat price per slot; StreamNeo can automatically recover if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. StreamNeo plays uploaded videos to YouTube; it does not switch OBS scenes or stream from a camera. Start your free day with StreamNeo.

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