How to Set Up OBS Studio for TikTok LIVE in 2026 (Stream Key + Dual Canvas Setup)

What you’ll achieve in this guide

By the end, you’ll have:

• A TikTok LIVE stream key workflow (2026 method)

• OBS Studio set up with two canvases (landscape + vertical) using Aitum

• Two core scene types: Just Chatting + Gameplay (both vertical and landscape)

• TikFinity alerts for TikTok LIVE

• Streamlabs alerts for other platforms (Twitch/YouTube/Kick etc.)

• Optional background removal + audio cleanup using NVIDIA Broadcast

• A multistream chat dock (Casterlabs), plus a TikTok-only chat option (TikFinity)

Downloads (bookmark these)

• Stream Key guide (creator networks list): https://toktutorials.com/stream-key

• OBS Studio: https://obsproject.com/

• Aitum Vertical: https://aitum.tv/products/vertical

• Aitum Multi: https://aitum.tv/products/multi

• TikFinity: https://geni.us/tikfinity

• Full TikFinity guide video: https://youtu.be/O1Hjk1Vm9HA

• Streamlabs dashboard: https://streamlabs.com/dashboard

• NVIDIA Broadcast: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/broadcasting/broadcast-app/

• Casterlabs: https://casterlabs.co

• Graphics (Fiverr affiliate): https://geni.us/fiverroverlays

• Canva: https://canva.com

• ChatGPT (for generating overlays): https://chat.com

Step 1: Get your TikTok LIVE stream key in 2026

In 2026, TikTok stream keys are typically locked behind free-to-join agencies (also called creator networks). These networks can help unlock the TikTok LIVE Center “Producer” page, which is where you get your stream key.

1. Open my verified creator networks list: https://toktutorials.com/stream-key

2. Choose a verified creator network and join their Discord.

3. Apply to have your LIVE Center producer page unlocked.

4. Once unlocked, generate your key from the TikTok LIVE Center producer page:

   • Press “Go Live” (you’re not live yet)

   • Press “Save and go live” (still not live yet)

   • Copy the Server URL and Stream Key into your streaming software

Important: your TikTok stream key changes every time you go live, so you’ll repeat this step each session.

Step 2: Install Aitum Vertical + Aitum Multi (with OBS closed)

This setup uses OBS Studio because it’s the most flexible option, and it works perfectly with stream keys.

1. Close OBS Studio completely.

2. Install Aitum Vertical: https://aitum.tv/products/vertical

3. Install Aitum Multi: https://aitum.tv/products/multi

4. Reopen OBS Studio.

If you don’t see Aitum panels yet, don’t worry — you’ll enable the docks next.

Step 3: Create a Scene Collection and a Profile (best practice)

This keeps your TikTok setup clean and reusable.

1. In OBS: Scene Collection → New

   • Name example: “Multistream + Recording Scenes”

2. In OBS: Profile → New

   • Name example: “Multistream + Recording Profile”

   • Leave “Show Auto-Config Wizard” enabled

Run Auto-Config Wizard (quick quality baseline)

1. Choose: “Optimize for streaming, recording is secondary”

2. Set your base to 1920×1080 and 60 FPS (landscape)

3. If you’re unsure of platform, choose “Custom”

4. Uncheck “Estimate bitrate”

5. Use a starting bitrate of 6000 (you can raise this later if your setup allows)

Step 4: Turn on the Aitum docks (so you can see both canvases)

Go to Docks and enable:

• Aitum Multistream

• Aitum Vertical Scenes

• Aitum Vertical Sources

• Aitum Vertical (and transitions if you want them)

If panels pop out as separate windows, drag them back into the OBS layout wherever you prefer.

Step 5: Fix your audio inputs first (huge quality win)

Before building scenes, confirm Windows is using the right devices:

1. Right-click the Windows sound icon → Sound settings

2. Output: select your headphones/headset

3. Input: select your microphone

4. Set mic volume to 100 for now (you’ll adjust in OBS later)

Set audio devices in OBS

1. OBS Settings → Audio

2. Desktop Audio: your headset

3. Mic/Aux: your microphone

Add noise suppression (RNNoise) in OBS

1. In the Audio Mixer, click the three dots on your mic → Filters

2. Add: Noise Suppression

3. Choose: RNNoise

If you later switch to NVIDIA Broadcast, you’ll remove this OBS filter (Broadcast will handle noise).

Step 6: Build your vertical scenes (Just Chatting + Gameplay)

Your vertical canvas is ideal for TikTok LIVE. The common resolution is 1080×1920.

Create two vertical scenes

In Aitum Vertical Scenes:

1. Rename “Vertical Scene” to: Just Chatting Vertical

2. Add a second vertical scene: Gameplay Vertical

Just Chatting Vertical: add your camera full-screen

In Aitum Vertical Sources:

1. Add → Video Capture Device

2. Select your camera

3. Set Resolution/FPS Type to Custom

4. Pick the highest usable resolution at a proper frame rate (often 1080p60)

Positioning tips:

• Drag to move

• Drag red corners to resize

• Hold Alt while dragging corners to crop

• Right-click → Transform → Center Horizontally

Best practices:

• Rename the source (example: “Logitech StreamCam”)

• Lock it so you don’t accidentally move it

Gameplay Vertical: camera on top, gameplay below

1. Add existing Video Capture Device (your camera)

   • Resize it into the top third

2. Add → Display Capture

   • Choose the correct monitor

   • Resize into the bottom two-thirds

   • Transform → Center Horizontally

3. Lock both sources

Tip: if you want safer capture, use Window Capture or Game Capture instead of Display Capture.

Step 7: Build your landscape scenes (for YouTube + multistreaming)

Landscape scenes help you record long-form content and stream to other platforms.

Create two landscape scenes in OBS Scenes

• Just Chatting

• Gameplay

Link vertical scenes to landscape scenes (smooth switching)

In Aitum Vertical Scenes:

• Right-click Gameplay Vertical → Linked Scenes → check Gameplay

• Right-click Just Chatting Vertical → Linked Scenes → check Just Chatting

Now when you switch scenes, they switch together.

Add sources in landscape scenes

Just Chatting (landscape):

• Add existing Video Capture Device

• Resize and lock

Gameplay (landscape):

• Add existing Display Capture (full screen)

• Add existing Video Capture Device (smaller, placed where you like)

• Rename sources (example: rename Display Capture to your monitor name)

• Lock sources

Step 8: Add TikTok LIVE alerts with TikFinity

Download TikFinity:

• TikFinity alerts ►► https://geni.us/tikfinity

• Full TikFinity guide ►► https://youtu.be/O1Hjk1Vm9HA

TikFinity setup (quick path)

1. Open TikFinity and log into the correct TikTok account

2. Go to Actions & Events

3. Import predefined alerts (follows, gifts, likes/superfans, subs/members)

Recommended:

• Increase Max Queue Length (at least 25; higher if you expect lots of alerts)

Add TikFinity alerts to OBS

1. Copy the TikFinity “Screen URL”

2. In your vertical scene: Add → Browser Source

3. Paste the URL

4. Suggested starting size: 600×250

5. Enable “Shutdown source when not visible”

6. Place the alert area where you want it and lock it

Test it:

• In TikFinity, run “Simulate Follow” and confirm it appears in OBS

Repeat for your other scenes (vertical and optionally landscape).

Step 9: Add Streamlabs alerts for other platforms

Streamlabs dashboard:

• https://streamlabs.com/dashboard

• Create/login to Streamlabs

• Link platforms: Account Settings → Platforms

• Go to Alert Box and copy the Widget URL

• In OBS, add it as a Browser Source (same method as TikFinity)

  • Suggested size: 600×300

  • Rename it “Streamlabs Alerts”

  • Place it so it doesn’t overlap TikFinity alerts

• Use the Streamlabs test buttons to simulate alerts

Step 10: Add stream graphics (overlays, borders, backgrounds)

Where to get graphics:

• Fiverr overlays (affiliate): https://geni.us/fiverroverlays

• Canva: https://canva.com

• ChatGPT (generate borders/frames): https://chat.com

Add graphics to OBS

• Static file: add as Image

• Animated file: add as Media Source (loop it if it’s a background)

Layering rule:

• Sources higher in the list appear on top

• If your background covers your camera, drag the background source below the camera

Best practice:

• Rename each graphic source (example: “Webcam Divider”, “Triangle Background”)

• Lock it

Step 11: Remove your background without a green screen (optional)

NVIDIA Broadcast:

• https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/broadcasting/broadcast-app/

• Install and open NVIDIA Broadcast

• Video tab → choose your webcam

• Set Background effect to Remove

Then in OBS:

1. Edit your camera source

2. Device → select “NVIDIA Broadcast”

3. Set resolution/FPS to match what you want

4. Resize camera sources if needed across scenes

Audio upgrade (optional but recommended):

1. In NVIDIA Broadcast Audio tab, enable Noise Removal and Room Echo Removal

2. In OBS Settings → Audio, change your microphone device to “NVIDIA Broadcast”

3. Remove the OBS Noise Suppression filter (Broadcast is now doing it)

Step 12: Set up multistreaming (Aitum Multi) + add TikTok as a vertical output

Aitum Multi controls extra outputs beyond OBS’s main stream.

1. In OBS Settings → Stream, set your primary landscape stream platform (or leave Custom)

2. In Aitum Multistream, click Settings (cog)

3. Add Output for additional platforms (landscape and/or vertical)

For TikTok LIVE (vertical):

• Paste the Server URL and Stream Key you copied from the LIVE Center producer page

• Remember: TikTok stream keys change every session

When configured, start streams:

• Start Streaming (OBS) for your primary landscape output

• Start each Aitum output you want (many creators start them individually)

Step 13: Read chat (TikTok-only or combined multistream chat)

Option A: TikTok-only chat (TikFinity dock)

TikFinity can provide an OBS dock for chat. Copy the dock URL in TikFinity and add it via:

• OBS → Docks → Custom Browser Docks

Option B: Combined chat (Casterlabs)

Download:

• https://casterlabs.co

• Install Casterlabs and link all streaming accounts (Settings → Accounts)

• Copy the Stream Chat dock link

• OBS → Docks → Custom Browser Docks → paste the link

• Dock it to the side and resize to fit your layout

You can often test chat features from dashboards without going fully live, depending on platform.

Step 14: Go live + record (landscape and vertical)

Going live:

1. Make sure you’ve pulled a fresh TikTok stream key for today’s session

2. Press Start Streaming in OBS (landscape)

3. Start your Aitum outputs (TikTok vertical + any others)

Recording:

• Landscape recording: press Start Recording in OBS

• Vertical recording: use the red record button in Aitum Vertical

Extra feature:

• Aitum Vertical Backtrack can save the last X seconds (useful for quick clips)

Quick troubleshooting

• Aitum docks missing: enable them under Docks and restart OBS if needed

• Webcam not showing in NVIDIA Broadcast: close OBS, relaunch Broadcast, then reopen OBS

• Alerts not appearing: test in TikFinity/Streamlabs, confirm the Browser Source URL is correct

• Background covering camera: reorder sources so the background sits below the camera

• Audio sounds “processed twice”: don’t use both NVIDIA Broadcast noise removal and OBS RNNoise together