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Choose portrait-only or portrait and horizontal
First decide what viewers should receive. For a portrait-only broadcast, produce a 9:16 output and use the selected stream’s ingestion destination and key. Confirm the vertical preview in YouTube Studio before making the stream public.
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If you want horizontal and vertical formats together, YouTube’s Live Control Room can publish both formats. For an encoder-based vertical feed, use the vertical preview’s Auto menu, select Encoder, choose RTMP(S), and select a second stream key for the vertical output. Send each correctly composed format to its corresponding key; do not assume one FFmpeg output will generate both. YouTube may otherwise use a Studio-managed vertical layout, such as a center crop or another layout option. YouTube’s vertical live streaming guidance describes the available workflow.
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Get the YouTube ingest URL and protect the key
- Open YouTube Studio and enter Live Control Room. Create or select the scheduled stream you intend to use.
- Copy that stream’s URL and stream key. The endpoint and key are specific to the account and stream. Keep the key secret; never publish a real key in an article, screenshot, command shared publicly, or support post.
- Choose RTMPS where available. YouTube recommends the secure RTMPS protocol. Its setup guidance specifies port 443, and the secure endpoint, scheme, host and path must match the values shown for your stream. See YouTube’s RTMPS guidance.
For FFmpeg, the destination is supplied as an output URL. Depending on the endpoint format and FFmpeg build, the key may be appended to the URL or supplied as part of it. Use the format shown for the selected YouTube stream rather than assuming a universal URL.
Compose the source for a 9:16 frame
A portrait output needs an intentional composition, not just a portrait label. If your source is already 9:16, preserve its framing and encode at portrait dimensions. If it is landscape, decide what should happen to the content outside the narrower portrait frame:
- Crop: fills the portrait frame, but can cut off people, text, or action at the sides.
- Fit or pad: preserves more of the landscape image but may leave unused space around it.
- Designed or stacked layout: rearranges or combines material for portrait viewing rather than relying on a simple center crop.
YouTube’s vertical layout controls describe center crop, fit-to-phone-width and stacked-layout choices. In FFmpeg, the crop filter accepts width, height, x and y coordinates; when coordinates are omitted, the crop is centered. A fixed center crop may fail when a subject moves across the frame, so preview representative footage and adjust the framing deliberately. See the FFmpeg crop filter documentation and YouTube’s vertical layout guidance.
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This filter template center-crops a landscape source to a 9:16 area and scales that result to 720 by 1280:
-vf "crop=ih*9/16:ih:(iw-ih*9/16)/2:0,scale=720:1280"
It is an instructional example, not a universal command. It may crop off-screen content, and the expression should be tested with your source dimensions, pixel format and FFmpeg build. Preview the result before streaming; change the crop position or use a fit or designed layout if the subject is clipped.
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Set codec, bitrate and timing for YouTube Live
YouTube’s current encoder guidance supports RTMP/RTMPS and lists H.264, H.265 and AV1 video, up to 60 fps, and AAC or MP3 audio. It recommends constant bitrate (CBR) and a two-second keyframe interval; the interval should not exceed four seconds. Use progressive, square-pixel output where applicable, and choose bitrate for the codec, resolution and frame rate you actually send. The recommendations and table are on YouTube’s encoder settings, bitrates and resolutions page.
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For one example in YouTube’s published table, 1080p at 30 fps with H.264 has a 5 Mbps minimum and 14 Mbps recommended bitrate; at the same resolution and frame rate, AV1 or H.265 has a 4 Mbps minimum and 10 Mbps recommended bitrate. These are YouTube’s technical guidance, not guarantees of picture quality or a substitute for checking your actual upload connection. Select a bitrate that your connection can sustain reliably and run an upload-speed test, as YouTube recommends.
| Setting | What to use |
|---|---|
| Video codec | H.264, H.265 or AV1, provided your FFmpeg build supports the encoder you select |
| Frame rate | Up to 60 fps; match the source and intended output |
| Audio codec | AAC or MP3 |
| Rate control | CBR |
| Keyframe interval | 2 seconds recommended; do not exceed 4 seconds |
| Bitrate | Use YouTube’s table for the selected codec, resolution and frame rate |
FFmpeg’s general command structure and RTMP example are documented in its command-line documentation. YouTube states: “We recommend streaming to YouTube Live with RTMPS, a secure extension to the popular RTMP streaming video protocol.”
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Build and test the FFmpeg output
There is no universal copy-and-run command: the input, crop, available encoders, resolution, frame rate and YouTube endpoint/key format vary. Use this schematic to see the output structure, then substitute settings verified for your setup:
ffmpeg [input options] -i INPUT [filter and encode options] -f flv 'RTMP_OR_RTMPS_INGEST_URL/STREAM_KEY'
The placeholder URL is illustrative. Confirm that your installed FFmpeg build supports the selected encoder and protocol, and follow the endpoint’s actual URL/key format. FFmpeg documents an RTMP pattern using -re, libx264, AAC, FLV and a stream URL, but this schematic is not a tested command for every input or YouTube account.
- Prepare the source and composition. Choose portrait input or preview the crop, fit, pad or designed layout you will send.
- Set the encoder options. Choose a supported codec, frame rate, resolution and bitrate; configure CBR and the keyframe interval to match YouTube’s guidance.
- Set the output destination. Use the selected broadcast’s RTMP(S) ingest URL and secret key, with the correct endpoint format. Prefer RTMPS where available.
- Test privately or before going public. Include representative motion and audio. Watch Live Control Room’s preview, stream health and error messages, and correct issues before your intended audience joins.
Troubleshoot portrait streams
| Symptom | Check and fix |
|---|---|
| The stream does not appear in Live Control Room | Confirm FFmpeg is sending data, then verify the exact ingest URL and key. Check the stream’s status and health messages in Studio. YouTube’s liveStream API documentation distinguishes states including active, ready, created, inactive and error; health status reports detected issues. |
| RTMPS will not connect | Verify that you used the secure scheme and the correct ingest host and path, and that the connection uses port 443 as specified by YouTube’s RTMPS guidance. |
| The output is not portrait | Check the encoded width and height and the resulting aspect ratio. Also check whether Studio is using the encoder-based vertical path or a Studio-managed layout. |
| The crop cuts off the subject or text | Change the crop’s x/y position and preview again, or use a fit, pad or designed/stacked composition instead of a centered crop. |
| The picture stutters, drops frames or loses quality | Check whether the upload connection can sustain the selected bitrate. Revisit YouTube’s table for the actual codec, resolution and frame rate, then test a suitable setting with representative footage. |
| FFmpeg rejects an encoder or protocol | Check the installed build’s supported encoders and protocols. Choose an available encoder and confirm the output URL and muxing format are appropriate for the selected RTMP(S) destination. |
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