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To live stream an Adobe Character Animator puppet, open the scene you want to perform, choose an output in the Stream workspace’s Live Output preferences, and click Stream Live at the bottom of the Scene panel. Send that output to a receiving app or compatible video device, route audio, and rehearse the complete setup before broadcasting.
What Character Animator sends to your broadcast
Character Animator streams the scene currently displayed in the Scene panel. It does not include content outside that panel, so check the scene and framing before you start. The receiver also does not inherit the Scene panel’s background-color setting. The output carries alpha transparency; if the receiving device or application does not handle alpha, the background may appear black. Adobe’s live-streaming guide documents these output behaviors.
Set up the puppet and performance inputs
- Open or create a scene. Add the puppet you want to perform. A scene can contain puppets, audio files, and recorded takes.
- Choose and check your inputs. Character Animator can use camera, microphone, and mouse input to control a puppet. Calibrate the camera tracking rest pose before performing, and confirm that the intended camera and microphone are selected. See Adobe’s workspace overview.
- Frame the scene. Arrange the puppet and any other elements in the Scene panel exactly as you want them to appear to viewers. Anything outside that panel will not be rendered to the live output.
Choose a live output and start streaming
- Switch to the Stream workspace.
- Open Live Output preferences and select the output path that matches your installed setup. Adobe documents Mercury Transmit, NewTek NDI output, and third-party video hardware as options; availability depends on the devices and software installed on your system. The preferences determine where Character Animator sends the scene. See Adobe’s streaming instructions.
- Click Stream Live at the bottom of the Scene panel. Confirm the correct scene is open and visible before starting.
- In the receiving application or device, select the corresponding video source. Compose it with titles, backgrounds, or other broadcast elements there. If you need a transparent puppet, verify that the receiver supports alpha; otherwise plan for a black background.
The exact receiver-side steps vary by application and hardware. The Adobe guidance cited here establishes Character Animator’s output options, but does not establish compatibility for every OBS/NDI or hardware combination. Check the documentation for the specific receiver and output device you plan to use.
Route audio and check lip sync
Video output and audio routing need to be checked as a complete chain. Adobe says most USB microphones and audio interfaces work for a single-character broadcast. It recommends a high-quality microphone with background-noise rejection, a quiet environment, and headphones when the performer needs to monitor audio. Headphones can help avoid other sounds being picked up and are useful when monitoring delayed voice audio. See Adobe’s streaming tips.
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If audio and video are streamed together, Adobe advises adding delay to the audio to bring it into sync. Its guide gives approximately 60 milliseconds as a usual starting point, not a universal setting. Check lip sync in rehearsal with your actual computer, output route, receiving app, and platform; adjust the audio delay only as much as that setup needs. Adobe names external hardware delay and streaming applications such as Telestream Wirecast or OBS Studio as possible ways to add it. The cited guidance does not specify an exact current menu path for those applications.
Plan a multi-character NDI setup
For a performance spread across multiple computers, Adobe’s NDI guidance recommends wired microphones and a professional audio interface for each machine, plus Gigabit Ethernet over Cat 5e or Cat 6 between the machines and a switch. Decide whether one computer or several best fits the performance, then plan how audio will reach the receiver and how the network will carry the required connections. See Adobe’s streaming guide.
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Those recommendations describe a setup category, not a guarantee that every NDI configuration will work. Verify that the installed Character Animator output, network, receiving application, and hardware support the connections you intend to use.
Rehearse and troubleshoot before going live
Adobe recommends testing the entire chain with the actual voice talent and on the intended streaming platform before a live performance. Run the scene, output, receiver, audio, and platform together rather than checking each piece in isolation.
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- The receiver shows no scene: Confirm Stream Live is active, the intended scene is open, and Live Output preferences point to the selected device or application. On the receiver side, select the matching source.
- Part of the composition is missing: Reframe or reposition the content inside the Scene panel. Content beyond its bounds is not included in the output.
- The background is black instead of transparent: Check whether the receiving device or application handles alpha. Character Animator’s Scene panel background color is not sent as the receiver’s background.
- The voice and puppet are out of sync: Check the complete audio route and adjust audio delay in the receiving application or with external hardware if available. Treat Adobe’s approximately 60-millisecond estimate as a starting point, then calibrate in rehearsal.
- The microphone sounds noisy or monitoring is difficult: Use a quiet environment and a microphone with background-noise rejection; monitor with headphones where appropriate.
- A multi-computer NDI connection is unreliable: Check the wired network path and confirm the machines and switch meet the intended Gigabit Ethernet setup. Verify that the receiver supports the selected output.
Or let it run in the cloud
Character Animator is for performing a puppet live; StreamNeo serves a different purpose: it keeps an uploaded video playing as a 24/7 YouTube live stream. Upload the recording, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. Nothing has to stay on at home; any uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps streams as made at one flat price per slot, and StreamNeo automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly billing is $9.99 per month. This is for looping uploaded videos, not a live camera performance. Learn more at StreamNeo, or start the free first day.
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