How to Add Scrolling Twitch Followers to OBS
Last Updated on May 5, 2020 by Michael Brockbank
When broadcasting your gameplay, you might want to add more to the show. Twitch followers, donations, cheers and much more can grace your feed live with the right tool. So, how do you add Twitch followers to OBS as well as other information?
By using Stream Labels.
It’s a free application you install onto your computer that gives you near-real-time data for Twitch.
For example, you could scroll the name of the most recent follower or subscriber to your channel to show appreciation. In reality, this helps promote engagement to grow your channel.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to add Twitch followers to OBS including other bits of information.
Installing Stream Labels
NOTE: If you use Streamlabs OBS, Stream Labels is already built into the software. You can skip this entire setup.
First, you’ll need the free app, “Stream Labels.” It’s an add-on application from Streamlabs, the primary platform for showing things like follower alerts and donations in Twitch.
If you don’t have a Streamlabs account, I suggest you make one. It has a lot of great tools to accentuate your broadcast whether it’s in Twitch or YouTube.
From the Streamlabs website dashboard, click the “All Widgets” option on the left.
Find Stream Labels in the Widget Gallery for Streamlabs. Click on the Stream Labels widget.
Choose your operating system. You have access to Windows, OSX and Debian Linux.
You’ll download the application to your computer and install it as you normally would.
When setting up Stream Labels, you’ll assign a folder where the files are stored. Make it easy to find as you’ll need to add it to OBS in a moment.
I made sure the Stream Labels were in my “Documents” directory.
Editing Stream Labels Scroll Display
First, let’s change the appearance when scrolling Twitch followers to OBS. Open the Stream Labels application on your computer.
Click the “Settings” button on the top.
Since we are adding Twitch followers to OBS, we want that particular file. Use the drop-down window and select, “Session Followers.”
In this screen, you can change a bit of how the scrolling text will display. For example, I have mine set to show the last five followers separated by a ” – “.
Take note of the filename displayed at the top. This particular file is “session_followers.txt.” We’ll be using this one in OBS.
As you can see in the drop-down list, you have a variety of labels you can show during your stream. All you need is the filename and to make a few customizations to each.
For now, we’ll just display followers. If you made any custom adjustments to session_followers.txt, click the “Save Settings” button on the top.
Adding Twitch Followers to OBS
Now that we know the file we want to show in OBS, it’s time to add the label. Open OBS on your computer system.
Click the “+” icon under the Sources window.
Select the option for “Text (GDI+)” from the list.
Give the source a name. This helps you find it in your list of sources at a later date. For this tutorial, I’m just going to name it “Followers.”
Click the OK button to continue. This will launch the properties of the text source.
Click the box to, “Read from file.”
Click the “Browse” button and find the file. Remember, we’re adding the session_followers.txt file located in the Stream Labels directory.
If you want to add a bit extra when adding Twitch followers to OBS, the software comes with a variety of options. You can change colors, opacity, font type or add gradients to the feed.
When you’re done customizing, click the “OK” button.
Now, we have our most recent followers in the live stream.
Adding the Scrolling Effect
As it sits, the text doesn’t scroll. It’s kind of boring and not very effective, especially if you’re showing the maximum of 100 followers.
Let’s enable to scrolling feature.
Right-click the text source and click, “Filters.”
Click the “+” on the bottom left.
Select the “Scroll” option from the list.
You can give a name to the filter, but I’m going to keep it as the default “Scroll.”
Click “OK” to continue.
Use the sliders to adjust speed. This includes horizontal as well as vertical scrolling. If you want to make your viewers motion sick, you can make the text appear in a diagonal line at a rapid pace. Though, I don’t suggest it.
The rest is all personal preference. However, you don’t want the scroll to go by too fast. You want your viewers to be able to read the text going across the screen.
I find anything between 25 and 50 on the horizontal slider is ideal.
Once you’re done customizing the scrolling Twitch followers, click the “Close” button on the bottom right.
Congratz! You’ve added scrolling Twitch followers to OBS.
Resizing the Scrolling Follower Text
If you want to resize the field in OBS, grab the box by the corners and make adjustments.
Of course this is only going to keep you within the constraints of the actual box size. For more options, select the text source and click the gear icon.
Scroll to the bottom of the properties window and click, “Use Custom Text Extents.”
This will open the option to determine exact width, height and whether the text wraps or not. This requires a precise measurement in pixels and is a bit more advanced. However, it may be more ideal depending on what you’re trying to show.
Make your adjustments and then simply click “OK” to close the properties window.
Adding More than Twitch Followers to OBS
Stream Labels keeps track of a lot of information. From the amount people donate per stream to the top 30-day cheerers, you can give recognition for a variety of things during a live stream.
To add any of these elements, essentially it’s the same steps as above only with a different filename. Then you can fine-tune and customize the feed to suit your needs.
I do suggest that you don’t go overboard, though. There is such a thing as adding too much to a broadcast. You could inadvertently make your stream look cluttered and too busy. This may drive many viewers to abandon the channel.
On the other hand, this is your stream. It’s up to you what you want it to look like.
Give Acknowledgement
One of the biggest reasons many Twitch streamers add scrolling Twitch followers to OBS Studio is to show acknowledgment. It engages the audience and acts as a kind of call-to-action for viewers to get involved.
Give your viewers a shout-out when they follow, subscribe or donate to your channel. It makes them feel appreciated and could drive future interactions.
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