How to Stream with an Ultrawide Monitor

While gaming on an Ultrawide monitor can be awesome, most streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube are built for standard widescreen monitors. Standard monitors use a 16:9 ratio, while Ultrawide monitors do not. If you stream directly from an Ultrawide monitor, your viewers will see big black bars, distorted video, or cut-off gameplay, but there are still ways to stream from these monitors. 

There are a few options for setting up your Ultrawide stream:

Option 1: The Creator Choice (Recommended)

Fit your game inside a standard screen size and use the extra space for graphics. This gives your viewers a clear stream while you fill the empty space with your webcam or chat box.

1. Go to Settings and click Video.
2. Set your Base (Canvas) Resolution to 1920x1080.
3. Set your Output (Scaled) Resolution to 1920x1080.
4. Open your Sources panel and choose your Game Capture. Resize and center your game inside the preview box.
5. Add overlays, camera frames, or chat boxes in the empty space above and below your game.

Option 2: The Letterbox Option

Keep your original Ultrawide aspect ratio by placing your game on a standard 16:9 screen with black bars at the top and bottom. Viewers see your full wide field of view, but the video will appear smaller on standard screens with black bars framing it.

1. Go to Settings and click Video.
2. Set your Base (Canvas) Resolution and Output Resolution to 1920x1080.
3. In your Sources panel, select your Game Capture.
4. Resize your game so the left and right sides fit the screen, leaving black bars at the top and bottom.

Option 3: The Squeezed Fit

Force your wide 21:9 game to fit into a 16:9 screen size. This completely fills viewer screens with no black bars, but your gameplay will look horizontally smushed together and thin.

1. Go to Settings and click Video.
2. Set your Base (Canvas) Resolution and Output Resolution to 1920x1080.
3. Right-click your Game Capture source inside the Sources panel.
4. Click Transform and select Stretch to Screen.

Happy Streaming!

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