Instagram Live Producer allows you to go live from a desktop using streaming software such as Restream Studio, OBS, or any other encoder.
Instagram is slowly rolling out Live Producer and not all accounts currently have access to it.
Requirements
Streaming on Instagram is available for all Restream plans, including free.
You must have access to Instagram Live Producer.
Video
9x16 aspect ratio (recommended but not required)
720p at 30 fps (note: 30 fps is recommended, but Live Producer can also support 60 fps if desired. When using 60 fps, the Live Producer preview screen will still display 30 fps.)
Video bitrate range: 2,250-6,000 Kbps
Resolution: 720x1280
Alternatives (supported but not recommended): 480p at 30fps, 360p
Audio
Sample rate: 44.1KHz
Channel layout: Stereo
Bitrate: up to 256 Kbps
How to go live on Instagram?
Open Instagram.com on your desktop and click the "Create" button (a plus in a square), and click "Live video" from the dropdown menu.
❗️ You will not see this option if you don’t have access to Instagram Live Producer.
Enter the title of your live video and select your audience: "Practice" will keep your stream private, and "Public" will broadcast to all your followers.
You will then see a screen that contains your unique URL and stream key.
❗️The stream key is not permanent. It will refresh for each new stream.
In a separate tab, open Restream. On the dashboard, click Edit Destinations, Add Destination, and click on the Instagram icon.
Enter your username and the unique RTMP URL and stream key from Instagram Live Producer into each field and click Add Channel.
Start streaming from Restream Studio or your streaming software (OBS, Ecamm, etc.).
On Instagram Live Producer, you'll see a preview of your stream. The preview can take a few seconds to display. Once you start to preview the broadcast, you have up to 5 hours to go live.
Click “Go live” on Instagram Live Producer to start the stream.
To stop the stream, click "End live video" in Instagram Live Producer.
If you end your stream on Restream or your streaming software before you end it on Instagram, the live video will continue while displaying the last frame it received.
To end your live video smoothly, stop the stream on Instagram Live Producer before ending it on your streaming software.
How to download your stream?
How to download your stream?
You can view, share, and download your stream within the Instagram Live Archive, which you can find on the Instagram mobile app.
To access the Live Archive:
While on your profile, tap the menu (3 horizontal lines) button in the top right corner.
Within this menu, tap the Archive button.
Tap the dropdown at the top of the screen and switch from "Stories Archive" to "Live Archive."
You will see your past live videos and an option to share them on Instagram or download them to your device.
Pro tip: Our recordings feature saves all your streams! You can download audio only, full video (MP4), or play the recording as a clip in another Restream broadcast.
Helpful tips
If you are planning on streaming to multiple platforms at the same time, it may be best to stream in Portrait mode, which is the format that Instagram supports. Streaming in landscape mode could cause the video to be cropped on Instagram.
The “Comments” tab on Instagram Live Producer will let you read and respond to comments from viewers. Please note, the Instagram comments will not appear in your Restream Chat.