Part 4: Recreating the FreeShow Setup for Your Church

Setting Up Livestream Outputs and Slide Backgrounds That Pop

By Garry B. Jr., Media Consultant

Now that your in-house visuals and stage displays are dialed in, it’s time to focus on what your online audience sees.

In this post, we’ll walk through how to:

• Create a dedicated livestream output in FreeShow

• Set up lower thirds for lyrics, scriptures, and sermon notes

• Enable transparent overlays for OBS or other software

• Apply custom image and motion video backgrounds

• Use FreeShow’s live editing tools to keep your slides fresh and professional

Whether you're using OBS, Switcher Studio, or an ATEM Mini, this guide will help you create a livestream presentation that looks clean, intentional, and impactful.

Step 1: Build Templates for Lower Thirds

Before creating the livestream output, make sure you have appropriate templates ready:

• Lower Thirds for Songs

• Lower Thirds for Scriptures

• Lower Thirds for Teaching Slides

FreeShow includes default templates, but you can also:

• Duplicate and edit them (e.g., change accent colors)

• Create your own from scratch

• Download professional options from my Products page

Example: Duplicate a scripture lower third template and change the orange highlight bar to green using the template editor.

Step 2: Create a Livestream Style

Go to Settings > Styles and click New Style. Choose Live.

By default, this:

• Disables the background layer

• Activates slide + overlay layers

• Limits lines per slide (great for lower thirds)

• Uses green background for chroma key

Assign your custom templates in the Slides section:

• Select the one you edited (e.g., “Scripture Lower Third – Green”)

• Rename the style (e.g., Live Service)

Pro Tip: Think of Styles as outfits and Outputs as bodies—you’re dressing your output with a specific look.

Step 3: Assign the Style to a Livestream Output

Now head to Settings > Outputs:

1. Click New Output

2. Choose Normal Output

3. Assign your new style (e.g., Live Service)

4. Name it (e.g., Live Stream Output)

5. Enable NDI (if using software like OBS)

6. Disable audio if you’re not sending sound through FreeShow

If you see a checkered preview, that means the output is transparent, perfect for layering text over live video in your livestream software.

Step 4: Use FreeShow with OBS or Streaming Tools

With NDI enabled, FreeShow can now send a clean overlay directly to:

• OBS

• vMix

• Switcher Studio

• Ecamm Live

Just add an NDI source in your livestream software and select FreeShow’s output. You’ll see:

• Lyrics during worship

• Scriptures during the sermon

• Talking points—all perfectly aligned in the lower third

Step 5: Add Beautiful Backgrounds to Your Slides

Nobody wants boring slides. Here’s how to spice them up:

A. Image Backgrounds

1. Go to the Media tab

2. Browse Pixabay, Unsplash, or your local files

3. Drag an image onto your first slide—it becomes the default background

You can also right-click to edit the image and:

• Reduce brightness or contrast

• Adjust opacity

• Apply blur to improve text readability

B. Motion Backgrounds

1. Go to your Media > Video Folders

2. Choose a video loop (e.g., abstract bubbles or flowing water)

3. Drag it onto your first slide

4. It’ll play and loop automatically behind your text

FreeShow treats each show as its own environment, so different shows can have unique backgrounds—image or video.

Step 6: Live Background Editing Without Restarting

If you need to change a background mid-service:

1. Drag in a new image or video

2. Click the Update icon (small refresh button)

3. The live output updates immediately—no need to stop or restart your show

This feature is a game-changer, especially compared to tools like PowerPoint.

Pro Tip: Use Grunge or Abstract Backdrops

For a modern, edgy aesthetic, consider using abstract or grunge backdrops. You can:

• Download premium styles from my Products page

• Use the Hue filter to tint one image dozens of different ways

This is a simple way to reflect your ministry’s identity visually without needing a graphic designer.

Final Thoughts

Your livestream audience deserves just as much intentionality as your in-person audience. By combining FreeShow’s styles, templates, and flexible output system, you can:

• Look professional online

• Stay consistent with your branding

• Create engaging visual experiences that draw people in

If this helped you:

• Leave a comment with questions or ideas

• Share this with another media team or livestream operator

• Help build a creative, empowered FreeShow community by subscribing to my Youtube channel @thegarrybjr

• Need More Help: Get the No-Nonsense Beginner's Guide to FreeShow