Guides
from the Creator Cafe

Practical guides for going live on a Mac

No fluff, no filler — straight answers to the things creators actually get stuck on: captions, backups, and keeping a live setup healthy. Written by the person who builds the apps.

01
Mac App · Ecamm Live
How to back up your Ecamm Live profiles (and never lose a scene setup)
Ecamm Live has no export-profile button, and copying the folder leaves overlays blank when you go live. Here is how to back up an Ecamm profile properly — assets and all — and move it to a new Mac.
Read guide → 02
Mac App · Stream Deck
How to manage and back up your Stream Deck profiles on a Mac
Elgato's software backs up one profile at a time and never warns you about dead buttons. Here is how to manage and fully back up your Stream Deck setup on a Mac — every device, profile and plugin.
Read guide → 03
Guide
The best microphone for professional Zoom calls
The best microphone for Zoom calls isn't the most expensive one — it's the one positioned close in a room that isn't fighting you. How to choose and set up a mic that makes you sound credible on video calls.
Read guide → 04
Guide
How to look professional on video without a lighting engineer
You don't need a lighting engineer to look professional on camera. Put one soft light in front of you at eye level, kill the overhead, and never sit with a window behind you. A simple home-studio lighting guide.
Read guide → 05
Guide
The best camera upgrade to look credible on video calls
The camera that makes you look most credible on video calls isn't a cinema camera — it's the right camera at eye level with good light. How to choose and position a webcam or camera that looks professional.
Read guide → 06
Guide
How to make natural eye contact on video calls
To make natural eye contact on video calls, look at your camera when you speak and at the screen when you listen — and move the other person's window up near the lens. A simple method to look present and confident.
Read guide → 07
Mac App · Ecamm / OBS / Restream
How to add live captions to your live show on a Mac (Ecamm, OBS, Restream)
On a Mac you add live captions to a live show by running a captioning app that transcribes locally and outputs a transparent overlay for Ecamm Live, OBS or Restream — with a different colour per speaker so viewers always know who's talking.
Read guide → 08
Mac App · Ecamm / OBS / Restream
The best live captions apps for Mac — and which type you actually need
There are two kinds of live captions app for Mac: captions for you (Apple Live Captions, NotchLive) and captions your audience sees on a stream (a caption overlay). An honest comparison of Apple Live Captions, NotchLive, MacWhisper, Web Captioner and Live Show Captions.
Read guide → 09
Mac App · Ecamm / OBS / Restream
Apps that work with Live Show Captions: Ecamm, OBS, Wirecast, mimoLive & more
Live Show Captions works with any Mac streaming app that has a browser source. Setup steps for Ecamm Live, OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, Wirecast, mimoLive, Meld Studio, PRISM Live Studio and Restream Studio — plus what to do about Zoom and browser-based studios.
Read guide →

Every guide here comes out of running my own live shows — and most point to a tool I built to make the job easier.

Browse The Toolkit →