Create a separate scene in OBS for your title card, add an Image, Text or Media Source to it, then switch to that scene when you want the card on screen. Studio Mode lets you prepare and check the card in preview before you transition it to the live output.
The steps are the same for creators in India as elsewhere; OBS does not document a special India-specific title-card workflow. You choose when to show the card and when to return to the video scene. OBS does not automatically detect the gap between videos and insert a card for you.
Create a separate title-card scene
A scene is a layout that OBS can send to your stream. Make the card its own scene rather than changing the sources in your video scene: that gives you a clear, reversible switch between the two layouts. OBS’s overview guide explains scenes, sources and the controls used to transition between scenes.
In the Scenes dock, use the add control to create a scene and give it an unambiguous name, such as “Title Card” or “Break Card”. Choose a name you can identify quickly while monitoring a live broadcast. If you have several scenes with similar names, a more specific label such as “Next programme” can help distinguish the card from your main video scene.
Keep the scene that contains the video you plan to play next as a separate scene too. You might have a “Bhajan playlist” scene and a “Request line” card, or a “Study session” scene and a card that says when the next session begins. Naming the scenes for their purpose makes the change easier to operate and reduces the chance of selecting the wrong layout.
This is a manual scene workflow. Prepare the card scene before you go live, and decide who will make the scene changes if more than one person is operating the channel. If you are building a prerecorded programme, the setup is related to, but distinct from, sending prerecorded sermons to YouTube Live: this guide concerns what appears in OBS when you choose a scene.
Add an Image, Text or Media Source
Inside the title-card scene, use the Sources dock’s add button to choose a source type that suits the content. An Image source is for a finished still graphic; a Text source is for wording you want to edit in OBS; and a Media Source is for a moving or timed video file. OBS describes these options in its Sources guide and Media Sources guide.
| Source | Use it when | Check before going live |
|---|---|---|
| Image | The card is already designed as a still graphic | The file is the intended version and displays at the right size |
| Text | You want to change the words in OBS | The text is readable and fits the canvas |
| Media Source | The card includes animation, video or timed playback | The file plays as intended and its playback options suit the hand-off |
For a still, add an Image source and select the graphic file. If the card is a simple announcement, such as “The next programme begins shortly”, it may be easier to create it in a graphics editor and use the finished image. The words and layout stay together as one asset, so you are less likely to move the text separately by accident.
For wording that changes from one broadcast to the next, add a Text source. Enter the words in its properties and confirm the selected font and formatting are legible in the preview. Text is convenient for a channel name, programme label or short notice that you may need to update without exporting a new graphic. It is still worth checking the final result in the scene: long wording may wrap, run close to an edge or become difficult to read at the size it appears in your stream.
For a moving card, add a Media Source and choose the video file. OBS documents media playback controls including looping, restarting playback when a source becomes active, and hiding the source when playback ends. Decide which behaviour fits the card rather than assuming a clip will restart or stop in the way you expect. If the card should play once and then leave a final frame visible, test that exact behaviour before using it live.
A media clip and an Image or Text source solve different problems. A still is straightforward when the message should remain visible for as long as you leave the scene on screen. A video card can include motion or music, but it gives you playback behaviour to check as well as the scene switch. For a continuous channel, the title card should have a clear purpose: for example, to identify a scheduled change or to give viewers a pause between programmes, not to imply that OBS will decide when the programme changes.
Arrange and check the card
Select the source in the title-card scene and fit or position it in the preview. Check that the main wording is visible, that the graphic is not cropped, and that any background covers the areas you intend it to cover. OBS sources can be arranged within a scene, so a background, logo and text can be separate elements when that makes revisions easier. For a finished still image, fewer moving parts may be simpler to maintain.
Use the same canvas and output layout as the video scene you intend to return to. The sources here do not establish one universal card dimension or computer specification, so do not treat a particular design size as a requirement for every channel. Instead, check the card against your own OBS canvas and watch the preview at the size and aspect ratio you will use for the broadcast.
Think about what a viewer needs to understand while the card is shown. A devotional channel might name the next bhajan segment; a local news loop might identify a short interval before the next bulletin; a study channel might mark the next session. Keep the wording and visual hierarchy suitable for that purpose. If the card includes a time or schedule, verify it before going live and change it when the programme plan changes.
If you use a Text source, edit its properties and check the complete line after every wording change. If you use several sources, inspect their order and placement: a solid background may need to sit behind the text, while a logo should not cover the message. If you use an animated file, play it in a test session and verify whether it begins at the intended moment and what remains on screen after playback.
This is also a sensible point to confirm the next video scene. Select it in turn and make sure its expected source is present and visible. The purpose is not to test every element of a full broadcast here, but to make the planned route clear: video scene, card scene, then the next video scene. If you are diagnosing an actual stream problem rather than arranging a card, use a focused workflow such as checking encoder overload versus dropped frames in OBS, since a scene transition is not a remedy for those issues.
Use Studio Mode to preview it
Studio Mode gives OBS a preview area where you can prepare a scene before sending it to the live output. Turn it on before the hand-off if you want to check the title card without immediately showing it to viewers. The preview and live areas make the distinction visible: the prepared scene is not the live scene until you use a transition control.
Select the title-card scene in the preview side and check the layout there. Confirm that the wording is current, the image or video appears, and the scene is the one you intend to show. Then choose the appropriate transition control to send it live. OBS’s overview documents Studio Mode and the scene transition controls.
Studio Mode adds a deliberate review step, but it does not decide whether the content is correct. You still need to check the wording, the source, and the destination scene. It also does not automate the timing between videos. If you leave the preview set to the card, the stream remains on the current live scene until you transition.
If you operate OBS alone, keep the scene names and transition controls easy to distinguish on your screen. For a channel with another operator, agree whether one person prepares the preview while another monitors the live output. The useful habit is to state or verify the intended change before clicking, rather than assuming the preview has already gone to viewers.
Transition to the card between videos
When you reach the point in the programme where the card should appear, prepare the title-card scene and send it to the live output. In Studio Mode, use the transition button or configured transition control after checking the preview. Without Studio Mode, selecting a different scene changes the live scene directly, so take care to select the right one.
OBS includes Cut and Fade transitions and lets you configure transition duration. A Cut changes scenes immediately; a Fade changes between them over the duration you set. Choose based on the appearance you want and test it with your card and video. A brief fade may suit a quiet music channel, while a cut may be clearer for an announcement, but neither is universally correct.
The card is on screen for as long as you keep that scene live, unless you have a media source whose playback behaviour changes what it displays. You choose when to return to the video scene. If the card is a timed video, its end does not itself constitute an automatic OBS scene change; use the scene controls when you are ready for the next part of the programme.
YouTube has a separate temporary away-screen feature in Live Control Room. That is a platform-side control for a temporary break, not the same thing as choosing an OBS scene for a planned interlude between videos. YouTube’s Help page on live-stream monetisation and temporary breaks is a useful place to check current platform guidance; do not treat an away screen and an OBS title-card scene as interchangeable controls.
If the title card is part of a longer, low-latency broadcast, remember that latency settings are a separate decision from the visual scene change. The guide to choosing a YouTube Live latency setting covers that separate choice; it does not change how you prepare and transition an OBS scene.
Transition back to the video scene
When the card has served its purpose, select the video scene that should follow. In Studio Mode, check that scene in preview before transitioning it live. Confirm that it is the right programme or file, particularly if you have several similar scenes or a playlist with different segments.
Use the same transition approach you chose for the card: Cut or Fade, with the configured duration you have tested. Watch the live output after the transition to confirm that the video is visible and behaving as expected. If the card was a Media Source, its playback settings do not determine which video scene appears next; that is another scene selection you make in OBS.
A simple operating sequence is: monitor the current video, prepare the card scene in preview, transition to the card, then prepare and transition to the next video scene. The sequence is easy to rehearse because each scene has one clear role. It also makes a useful check for a 24/7 channel: if no one is present to make the scene changes, this manual OBS workflow will not insert the card at an exact point by itself.
For a planned broadcast, write down the order of scenes and who is responsible for each change. If an operator is not continuously at the computer, plan the programme around the controls you can actually operate; avoid promising viewers a precise return time unless you can keep the scene sequence on schedule. A transition can make a change smoother, but it does not resolve an interruption to the stream or guarantee that viewers see the transition in the same way on every device.
When the specific difficulty is leaving a computer on and manually shepherding a file-based stream through the night, StreamNeo can remove that particular burden by running an uploaded video as a YouTube live stream while your computer is off. It is YouTube-only; it does not replace this OBS scene workflow when you want to manage title-card changes inside OBS.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
How do I add a title card between videos in OBS?
Create a separate scene for the card and add an Image source for a still, a Text source for editable wording, or a Media Source for a moving card. When it is time, transition to that scene, then select and transition back to the video scene you want next.
How do I show a card and return to the video scene?
Use the scene controls: prepare the card, show it, then select the intended video scene and transition back. Studio Mode lets you check each prepared scene in preview before sending it live.
Can OBS insert the card automatically when one video ends?
This workflow is manual: it does not provide an automatic between-video trigger. A media file can have playback options such as looping or restarting when activated, but those options do not by themselves switch scenes to and from a card.
Is an OBS title-card scene the same as YouTube’s away screen?
No. The title card is a scene you build and switch to in OBS; YouTube’s away screen is a separate Live Control Room feature for a temporary break. Check YouTube’s current Help guidance before relying on the platform-side control.