How to Use Dual Assets (MARS)

What are Dual Assets?

When broadcasting in multiple orientations, dual assets let you use different backgrounds and overlays for landscape vs. portrait viewers within a combined asset. This means your vertical audience can see graphics optimized for mobile while your horizontal audience sees desktop-optimized content—all from the same broadcast, and with one single click!

For example

• You can use a wide background image for landscape and a tall one for portrait
• You can show different overlays that fit each orientation better
• You can hide certain elements in one orientation while keeping them in another

How Dual Assets Work

By default, when you add a background, overlay, or other brand asset, it will appear in both orientations: StreamYard will automatically fit your asset for the other aspect ratio. 

For example, if you upload a 16:9 background image, StreamYard will automatically adjust it to produce a 9:16 version for your vertical stream.

To ensure you have full control over what your audience will see, you can leverage new controls that offer advanced customization capabilities for dual assets:

• Show an asset in only one orientation (landscape or portrait)
• Use different assets for each orientation
• Replace an asset for a specific orientation
• Hide an asset from the stage temporarily

Showing or Hiding Assets for Specific Orientations

To control which orientation sees an asset:

1. Find your asset in the Media assets section
2. Click the three-dot menu on the asset

3. Select one of these options from the section matching the orientation where you'd like to hide or show the asset:
   • Hide from stage - Removes the asset from the current orientation view
   • Show on stage - Makes the asset visible in the current orientation

Using Different Assets for Each Orientation

If you have different assets for each orientation, you can combine them in a single dual asset by following these steps:

1. Upload your asset in one orientation (e.g. "landscape")
2. Click the three-dot menu on the asset

3. Select Replace asset from the section you'd like to adjust (e.g. "vertical" for portrait)
4. Upload your asset in the optimized version

Now, you'll have both versions combined in a single dual asset, which will automatically be applied to the correct stream on stage!

Recommended Asset Sizes

For best results, use these sizes for each orientation:

Landscape (16:9)

• Backgrounds: 1280 x 720 px
• Overlays: 1280 x 720 px

Portrait (9:16)

• Backgrounds: 720 x 1280 px
• Overlays: 720 x 1280 px

Practical Examples

Example 1: Different Backgrounds

You have a wide landscape photo for desktop and a tall portrait crop for mobile:

1. Upload the landscape photo as a background asset first
2. Click on the three-dots menu on the asset
3. Replace the auto-generated vertical edit by replacing it with your portrait crop

🎉 Each audience now sees the perfect crop!

Example 2: Hide Cluttering Elements

Your overlay looks good in landscape mode, but in portrait mode, it clutters the view:

1. Locate the overlay that is cluttering your portrait stream
2. Click the three-dot menu on the asset
3. Select Hide from stage under "vertical"

🎉 The overlay now only appears in landscape!

 Tips for Dual Assets

• Use the "Show vertical" preview toggle to see both formats side-by-side
• Plan your assets - know which need orientation-specific versions
• Test your broadcast with both orientations visible to ensure everything looks professional
• Optimize for mobile - portrait viewers are often on smaller screens, so use larger text and simpler graphics
• Optimize your layouts - Create custom layouts that are optimized for both orientations. To know how to customize your layouts check out this article
• For more control over Overlay placement, see How to Transform Overlays.