The first two minutes of a stream are the ones with the most people watching and the least happening. A holding screen turns dead air into something intentional — and gives you time to check your levels before anyone judges them.
What the Starting Soon Screen does
Generates a full-screen holding card with your text, sized for a stream canvas, ready to add as a browser or image source in OBS.
It is a static screen by design, so it costs no CPU while it is up — which matters, because the moments before going live are when you are still loading everything else.
Open the Starting Soon Screen and follow the settings and checks below.
Use and setup
| Setting | What it means |
|---|---|
| Purpose | A holding card before the stream starts |
| Output | An image for an OBS source |
| CPU cost while shown | None — it is static |
| Typical duration | Two to five minutes |
| Add to OBS as | An image source in its own scene |
| Pair with | Music, so viewers know audio works |
| Privacy | Generated in your browser |
How to use it
- Write the text — "Starting soon" plus what the stream is about.
- Download and add it as an image source in a dedicated OBS scene.
- Go live on that scene a few minutes early, then switch.
A practical quality check
Play music over it. A silent starting screen is indistinguishable from a broken stream, and viewers who cannot tell the difference leave rather than wait. Audible music is the clearest possible signal that everything is working and something is about to happen.
Common questions
How long should I leave it up?
Two to five minutes. Long enough for the platform to notify followers and for people to arrive, short enough that early viewers do not give up. Longer than five and you are training people to show up late.
Should I add a countdown?
Only if you will honour it. A timer that hits zero while the screen is still up is worse than no timer, because it tells viewers the stream is unreliable before it has begun.
Does it slow my stream down?
No. A static image costs essentially nothing to encode, unlike an animated scene. That is useful precisely when you are still loading a game and the rest of your setup.
What should it say?
What the stream is, not just that it is starting. Someone arriving from a browse page decides in seconds whether to stay, and "Starting soon" alone tells them nothing to stay for.
Useful next tools
- Brb Overlay — A styled page to drop into OBS as a browser source.
- Stream Overlay Creator — Design a transparent webcam overlay for OBS.
- Stream Alert Creator — Design follower, sub and donation alert graphics.
- Stream Asset Sizer — Correct sizes for Twitch and YouTube banners, avatars and panels.
Vootkit provides a browser tool and educational guidance, not a guarantee that every browser, device or third-party platform will accept every file. Platform specifications can change, so verify important publishing requirements with the destination service.
Try the tools from this guide
Keep reading
How to Create a BRB Screen and Countdown Overlay
Creates a \"be right back\" card to switch to during a break — sized for a stream canvas and ready as an OBS source.
How to Style a Stream Chat Overlay With CSS
Creates a styled chat overlay to add as a browser source in OBS, so messages appear on the stream itself.
How to Resize Emotes and Stickers Without Losing Clarity
Resizes a single image into the exact set of sizes a platform requires, in one pass — because you need all of them, not one.