About StreamFX

About StreamFX

What is StreamFX?

StreamFX - or 'Stream Effects' in earlier days - is a collection of Sources, Filters, Transitions, Encoders and other Features. From simple effects like Blur, all the way to advanced effects like Shaders, StreamFX aims to provide features that can be used to achieve higher complexity and more fancy scene layouts in OBS Studio. It does so by extending from OBS Studio, and replaces no original OBS Studio functionality.

Where can I find Tutorials and similar for StreamFX?

We maintain a YouTube channel containing official Tutorials as well as fan-made Tutorials here: https://s.xaymar.com/streamfx/youtube. We also offer full documentation on our Github repository for all included features: https://github.com/Xaymar/obs-StreamFX/wiki

What features are planned for the future? What will be fixed when?

You can find future planned features as well as fixes in the Github Issue tracker. If you wish to know for what version something is targeted, you can filter by Milestone, which gives a decent overview of what is planned for which release.

Is StreamFX free?

It is free in the sense of "Free WiFi", but not in the sense of "Free Beer". Due to the rising cost of living, and donations no longer being able to cover these expenses, we've decided to make past and future Alpha, Beta and Candidate versions are now only distributed to Patreon supporters on Silver tier (or higher). We have yet to put a final decision on what will happen with Stable releases, but it is likely that they will remain freely available where possible.

How do I support StreamFX?

If you wish to support the development or simply wish to access pre-releases of StreamFX, you can join the Silver tier (or higher) via Patreon. We attempt to publish a new version at least once per quarter year, but due to the nature of development there can be more or less. If you only wish to access the binaries, you do not need a continuous subscription - the binaries you downloaded and installed will not stop working if you cancel early.

We also accept donations via Github Sponsors or PayPal, however these come with no rewards and are treated as donations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does StreamFX exist? Who was it made for?

Xaymar: This project was created to fulfill the needs of my friends, my family and myself first. Almost everything you see in the plugin is either a direct or indirect result of needing something that could break out of the jail that the standard OBS Studio behavior is/was. Eventually it was released to the public for power users, which resulted in many hidden bugs being found and squashed over time.

Unfortunately the decision to make it public brought with it an influx of content creators with various degrees of entitlement, arrogance and ignorance with it. I have both been regretful and proud of this decision, and given the chance I would do it again - though with several adjustments.

What libOBS software is supported by StreamFX?

What OBS software is supported by StreamFX?

Software	Supported?	Reason
OBS Studio	✅	The original OBS Studio is supported as long as you meet the System Requirements.
StreamElements.live	❔	Partially supported, as it is a simple fork of OBS Studio. Ensure that your version meets the System Requirements and that you picked the correct installation location.
Streamlabs OBS	❌	Not an OBS Studio fork, it merely uses libOBS for its functionality. As neither Qt nor a proper obs-frontend-api is present, StreamFX does not support it.
XSplit	❌	Why did you even ask?

Why is 32-bit no longer supported?

Just like 16-bit back when 32-bit took over, 32-bit has been vastly outclassed by 64-bit in functionality, speed, extensions, support, and practically every aspect you can think of for more than 10 years. It has inherent limits which simply are no longer sane to support, and just cause everything to run more than 3 times slower than any 64-bit code would. StreamFX therefore no longer officially supports 32-bit, as many of the issue reports simply boiled down to people not understanding the limits of 32-bit.

The project is not alone in this decision, with many other software and hardware creators also opting to drop 32-bit in favor of 64-bit. While some have opted for a slow transition phase, others have dropped it instantly like StreamFX has done. If you are still using 32-bit-only hardware/software, you should consider upgrading or paying someone for a 32-bit libOBS plugin bridge.

What release type / update channel should I use?

Type	Description
🔴Alpha	Alphas are as unstable as things can get, and should be avoided at all cost in Production or Live enviroments. They contain the latest changes of any kind, and may include an unusual amount of problems. Bugs, Crashes, Freezes, Corruptions, etc should all be fully expected when using these. These releases will have a version number containing the letter `a`. All promises of support, warranty or functionality are void.
🟠Beta	Betas are more stable than Alphas, but may contain the same amount of bugs and crashes. They should be avoided in Production or Live enviroments. These releases will have a version number containing the letter `b`. All promises of support, warranty or functionality are void.
🟡Candidate	Release Candidates are potential Stable releases which still need some testing, but may be used in Production or Live environments. Some bugs and crashes should be expected. These releases will have a version number containing the letter `c`. All promises of warranty or functionality are void.
🟢Stable	Stable builds have passed all important tests and should be ready for Production or Live environments.

How can I tell which platforms a feature supports?

The feature will have the following symbols somewhere on the page, usually in the title:

• denotes availability on Windows.
• denotes availability on Linux.
• denotes availability on MacOS.

What does 🔴, 🟠 and 🟢 mean on a Feature?

Type	Description
🔴Experimental	Experimental features are experiments that may or may not end up as permanent functionality of StreamFX. These should be avoided for Production or Live environments, as they may behave unexpectedly and cause unforeseen consequences. These features may also be removed at any point, or have their entire functionality changed without notice. All promises of support, warranty or functionality are void.
🟠Unstable	Features marked Unstable have passed the Experimental stage and will stay in StreamFX. These may be used in Production or Live environments with caution, as their functionality may change in the future. They may also still behave unexpectedly and cause unforeseen consequences. All promises of warranty or functionality are void.
🟢Stable	Stable features are ready for Production or Live environments. These have been well tested and usually behave exactly as advertised, and usually do not change drastically.
⚠Deprecated	This feature has a better replacement available and is scheduled to be removed soon. All promises of support, warranty or functionality are void.
❌Removed	This feature was removed for various reasons. All promises of support, warranty or functionality are void.

How can I tell that StreamFX has been successfully installed?

If you're using a version newer than 0.8, you will see a StreamFX menu in the top menu bar. You should see the encoders, filters, sources and transitions in your OBS client if it is present, unless you did something seriously wrong. If you don't see either, you should return to the Installation Guide and read it.