Build a dependable OBS scene workflow.

Give each scene one job

A useful scene workflow gives you a clear next action while you are hosting. Start with four core scenes: Starting Soon, Live, BRB, and Ending. Name them plainly and rehearse the changes before the broadcast.

If you still need to add the files, begin with the OBS overlay setup guide.

Names such as 01 Starting Soon, 02 Live, 03 BRB, and 04 Ending describe your usual sequence. OBS does not advance through them automatically.

Studio HTML exports offer Starting Soon, Be Right Back, Stream Ending, and Currently Offline. Use your own game and camera sources for Live. An optional Offline scene keeps that fourth artwork state handy, but showing it does not stop a broadcast or upload an offline image to your streaming platform.

Keep the files and scene names easy to match

With a complete Studio pack, export separate HTML files from PERSONALIZE.html. A simple naming pattern is channel-starting.html, channel-brb.html, and channel-ending.html. Keep them together in a permanent assets folder and point each OBS Browser source at the corresponding file with Local file enabled.

If you use static artwork, select the matching PNG in an Image source instead. The format does not change the scene’s job. A full-screen BRB image placed over Live can hide the game without disabling that capture or your microphone.

See animated OBS overlays or static PNGs for the file choices. Use one tested format first; add alternatives once the workflow is familiar.

Rehearse with Studio Mode

OBS Studio Mode separates the scene you are preparing from the current program output. In the standard layout, Preview is on the left and Program is on the right. Choose a scene in Preview, inspect it, then use Transition to put it on Program.

Practice this sequence in a local recording:

1. Start on Starting Soon. Check the message and your audio.
2. Prepare Live in Preview. Confirm the capture and framing, then transition.
3. Prepare BRB, transition, and listen for the audio you intended during a break.
4. Return to Live and confirm both picture and sound.
5. Transition to Ending and rehearse your closing message.

During a broadcast, stop streaming separately when you are ready. The pack’s scene labels and decorative motion do not control OBS. A Stream Ending screen is artwork, rather than a stop-stream command.

Check audio at every step

A scene change is not proof that your microphone or desktop audio went silent. OBS scene collections include global audio sources, so check the Audio Mixer and listen to the rehearsal recording during BRB and Ending.

Write a short rule for each scene, such as “BRB: microphone muted; approved music audible.” Apply that rule using your actual OBS audio setup, then test it. Switching from a game to a break screen can hide the picture while leaving audio running.

Back up the collection and the asset files

Keep the workflow in a clearly named scene collection. OBS Scene Collections save scenes and their sources. Profiles hold output-related settings, including video and streaming settings. They serve different purposes.

Use the Scene Collection menu’s Export option to save a backup, and keep a separate copy of the asset folder. Export your Profile too if you need its output settings. Saving a collection does not make moved or deleted artwork available. After moving to another computer, check every file, capture device, and scene before a broadcast.

Finish with the pre-stream checklist. If an HTML scene does not load, follow Browser source troubleshooting.

Choose the look after the workflow

Preview Cobalt to inspect the four artwork states. The complete Cobalt pack costs C$29 once, in CAD, and includes 14 designs in PNG and editable SVG, plus the animated local HTML scene and personalizer.

For a first static scene test, get the free Gridline sample. Its Starting Soon PNG and About panel require no email or account.