ChatGPT answers, unedited

For live tutorials where you need to flip between your presenter camera, desktop/screen share, and picture-in-picture, these are the strongest options:

1. StreamYard — easiest for teaching/webinars

Best if your priority is “click once and switch.” streamyard.comstreamyard.com

Why it fits your use case:

• Built-in layouts for:
  • camera only
  • screen only
  • presenter + screen side-by-side
  • picture-in-picture
• You can prepare “Scenes” ahead of time and switch layouts during the live session. support.streamyard.comstreamyard.com
• Browser-based, so you spend less time managing sources and more time teaching. support.streamyard.com

Typical tutorial flow:

1. Intro → camera full screen
2. Demo → screen share + small camera bubble
3. Explanation → camera + slides
4. Q&A → presenter layout

support.streamyard.com

2. OBS Studio — most powerful, more setup

Best if you want a full production setup:

• custom scenes
• animated transitions
• multiple cameras
• advanced audio routing
• overlays and graphics

The tradeoff is that you build the system yourself: scenes, sources, audio channels, and capture settings. streamyard.com

3. Streamlabs — OBS-like but more guided

Good if you want desktop streaming features with a friendlier interface, especially for more elaborate productions. It is still a local app and requires more configuration than browser studios. streamyard.comstreamyard.com

My pick for your exact workflow

For live tutorials with face cam + screen share + frequent switching, I’d start with StreamYard. It matches the “teacher/presenter” workflow: set up a few layouts once, then switch scenes while you talk. support.streamyard.comstreamyard.com

If your tutorials are more like:

• software training / courses / webinars → StreamYard
• coding streams / gaming / complex multi-camera production → OBS
• professional studio look with lots of graphics → OBS + a hardware setup

A good hybrid is also possible: build your visuals in OBS and send that feed into StreamYard when you want easier guest management and broadcasting. support.streamyard.com

I’d also suggest using two monitors if possible: one for your teaching material and one for controlling the stream. That makes switching much smoother. support.streamyard.com

For your use case, Ecamm Live is probably the easiest choice—especially if you're on a Mac.

My picks

1. Ecamm Live — easiest for live tutorials

• Build a few scenes such as Camera, Desktop + small camera, and Full Desktop.
• Switching scenes changes the screen share, camera position, PiP size/visibility, overlays, etc. all at once. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.com
• You can control scenes from a floating window while you're working inside the app you're demonstrating, so you don't have to constantly return to the streaming software. support.ecamm.com
• PiP can be resized, repositioned, and made circular or rectangular. support.ecamm.com

For a tutorial, I'd set up:

Scene 1: Full camera
Scene 2: Desktop full-screen + your camera in bottom-right
Scene 3: Desktop full-screen, no camera
Scene 4: Camera + slides/other content

Then switching is essentially one click/keyboard shortcut.

2. OBS Studio — best free option

• It's free and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. obsproject.com
• Its Scenes system is excellent for exactly this kind of workflow, with webcam + screen capture as separate sources. obsproject.com
• You can make the same four scenes and switch between them with hotkeys.
• The downside is that OBS takes more setup and tinkering than Ecamm.

Bottom line

If you're on Mac, I'd strongly lean Ecamm. Its scenes are specifically designed to save the whole presentation state—including screen share and PiP—so switching layouts during a tutorial is unusually painless. support.ecamm.com

Ecamm Live
OBS Studio

For live tutorials with picture-in-picture + screen sharing, I’d narrow it to these:

• streamyard.com — easiest overall. It’s browser-based, so you can turn your camera on, share a window/screen, and switch between layouts without building complicated scenes. It supports full-screen screen share, camera + screen PiP, and side-by-side layouts. StreamYard StreamYard
• ecamm.com — best if you're on a Mac and want a more polished production. You can create scenes such as “Camera,” “Screen + PiP,” and “Screen Fullscreen,” then switch between them quickly. Its scenes remember screen-share settings and PiP position/size, and it even supports keyboard shortcuts. Ecamm Help Center Ecamm Help Center
• obsproject.com — most powerful, but not the simplest. Great if you eventually want elaborate layouts, custom transitions, multiple capture sources, or detailed audio routing. For straightforward tutorials, though, it has more setup than you probably need. StreamYard

My pick

If you want “click a button and switch from me → my desktop → desktop with my face in the corner,” use StreamYard.

If you're on Mac and want your tutorials to feel like a professionally produced show, use Ecamm. Ecamm's scene system is particularly good for this workflow—you can make a few presets and switch between them rather than rebuilding your layout each time. Ecamm Help Center Ecamm Help Center

If you tell me Mac or Windows and where you stream (YouTube, Twitch, LinkedIn, etc.), I can recommend the simplest exact setup.

For live tutorials where you frequently switch between your face and your desktop, with your camera appearing as picture-in-picture, I’d pick Ecamm Live if you’re on a Mac.

My ranking

1. Ecamm Live — easiest for your use case
   • Built specifically around live presentation and camera/screen switching.
   • You can create scenes such as “Presenter”, “Desktop + PiP”, and “Desktop Full Screen”, then switch between them.
   • Its Screen Share mode has built-in PiP, and you can move/resize the camera box directly. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.com
   • You can also control switching from an Elgato Stream Deck, including toggling screen share and PiP. support.ecamm.com
   • Especially nice for tutorials because scenes can remember screen-sharing settings, PiP position/size, overlays, transitions, and more. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.com

2. OBS Studio — best if you want maximum flexibility
   • Free and extremely capable.
   • You build scenes yourself: e.g. Camera → Desktop → Desktop + Camera.
   • Webcam and screen capture are just sources that you can resize and position however you want. obsproject.com
   • The tradeoff is that it takes more initial setup and feels less presentation-oriented than Ecamm.

3. Streamlabs Desktop — easier than raw OBS for some users
   • Good if you want lots of built-in streaming widgets, alerts, chat, etc.
   • For a straightforward “camera → screen + PiP → camera” tutorial workflow, though, I'd still lean Ecamm or OBS.

Bottom line: If your priority is “I want to teach, hit a button, and instantly switch between me and my screen without fiddling with layouts,” Ecamm Live is probably the best fit. Its scene system is almost exactly designed for this workflow. support.ecamm.com

If you're on Windows rather than Mac, I'd choose OBS Studio and set up three scenes with hotkeys.

If your priority is easy switching between your camera, desktop, and picture-in-picture, I’d shortlist these:

🥇 Ecamm Live — easiest, especially on Mac

Ecamm Live

This is probably the best fit for your use case. Ecamm has dedicated Camera, Screen Share, and Picture-in-Picture modes, and you can save complete layouts as Scenes and switch them with a click or keyboard shortcut. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.com

For example, you could have:

• Presenter — full-screen camera
• Tutorial — desktop full-screen + your camera in the corner
• Screen only — desktop full-screen
• Closing — camera + logo/text

Ecamm's screen-share mode can also target a particular application/window rather than your whole desktop, which is handy for tutorials. support.ecamm.com

Best if: you're on a Mac and want the least fiddly production workflow.

🥈 OBS Studio — best free/flexible option

OBS Studio

OBS is extremely capable and free, but takes more initial setup. You create Scenes containing your camera, screen capture, microphone, overlays, etc., then switch scenes while live. obsproject.com

Best if: you're on Windows, want free software, or expect to eventually build a more elaborate production setup.

My pick

For live tutorials specifically, I'd choose Ecamm Live if you're on Mac. Its workflow is unusually close to what you're describing: set up your layouts once, then hit a button/shortcut to go from camera → screen + camera PiP → camera. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.com

If you tell me Mac or Windows and where you stream (YouTube, Zoom, LinkedIn, Twitch, etc.), I can recommend the simplest setup and exactly how I'd configure the scenes.

For live tutorials where you frequently switch between your camera, a desktop demo, and picture-in-picture, you’ll want a “live production studio” rather than a basic screen recorder. These are the strongest options:

streamyard.comwww.softwareadvice.com

My picks for your use case

1. Easiest: StreamYard
If your workflow is:

• “Hi everyone, today I’ll show you…”
• switch to full desktop
• bring your face back as a small corner window
• answer questions

…StreamYard is probably the smoothest. You can prepare layouts/scenes and switch between them without learning broadcast software. streamyard.comwww.softwareadvice.com

2. Best free/pro setup: OBS Studio
Use OBS if you want:

• keyboard shortcuts (“press 1 = camera, press 2 = screen + face”)
• custom overlays
• multiple camera angles
• a more professional production setup

The tradeoff is that you’ll spend time creating scenes and configuring audio/video sources. riverside.com

3. Best if you’re on Mac: Ecamm Live
Ecamm is very strong for tutorial presenters because it treats your broadcast like a small studio: screen share, camera switching, and movable picture-in-picture are built into the workflow. support.ecamm.com

A simple setup I’d recommend:

• StreamYard → if you want to teach with minimal setup
• Ecamm Live → if you’re a Mac user and do frequent paid/pro tutorials
• OBS → if you enjoy tweaking and want a custom studio

For a typical solo instructor doing live software demos, I’d lean Ecamm Live (Mac) or StreamYard (any platform). streamyard.comwww.softwareadvice.com

For live tutorials where you alternate between your face and a desktop/screen share, I’d shortlist these:

🥇 Ecamm Live — easiest for this workflow

If you’re on Mac, this is probably the best fit. Ecamm is designed around live presentations: you can create scenes such as Camera, Screen Share, and Screen Share + PiP, then switch between them during the broadcast. support.ecamm.com

The particularly nice part is that screen sharing has a built-in Picture-in-Picture control—you can turn your camera on/off, move the PiP box, and resize it without building the layout from scratch. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.com

You can also map switching to an Elgato Stream Deck, including buttons for screen share and showing/hiding PiP. support.ecamm.com

Ecamm Live

🥈 OBS Studio — best free option

If you want free, cross-platform, and extremely customizable, OBS is excellent. You'd make a few scenes:

• Presenter → full-screen camera
• Desktop + PiP → screen with your camera in the corner
• Desktop → full-screen screen share

Then you simply click the scene you want—or assign hotkeys. OBS explicitly supports switching between scenes and hotkeys for scene changes. obsproject.com

OBS Studio

My recommendation

For your specific use case, I'd choose Ecamm if you're on a Mac. Its scenes and built-in PiP make the “talk → show desktop → talk while showing desktop → back to camera” workflow unusually straightforward. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.com

If you tell me Mac or Windows and where you stream (YouTube, Zoom, LinkedIn, Twitch, etc.), I can recommend the simplest exact setup.

For live tutorials where you frequently switch between full-screen presenter, desktop, and picture-in-picture, I’d shortlist these:

1. Streamlabs Desktop — easiest overall
   • Create separate scenes like Presenter, Screen + Camera, and Desktop Only.
   • Switching scenes changes the whole layout, so you can move between camera and screen share with one click.
   • It has built-in webcam and screen capture, and its interface is geared toward simpler setup. streamlabs.com
   • My pick if ease of use matters most.

2. OBS Studio — best if you want maximum control
   • OBS's Scenes + Sources system is ideal for this: you can make a scene with your desktop full-screen and your camera in a small corner, another with your camera full-screen, etc. obsproject.comobsproject.com
   • You can also assign hotkeys to scene changes, which makes switching during a tutorial very fast. obsproject.comobsproject.com
   • My pick if you expect your production setup to get more sophisticated.

What I'd use for your workflow

Set up just three scenes:

🎥 Presenter
Camera full-screen + optional lower-third

🖥️ Tutorial
Desktop ~85–90% of the frame + camera in a small corner

💻 Desktop Only
Desktop full-screen

Then use keyboard shortcuts to jump between them rather than manipulating individual sources while you're teaching.

If you tell me Mac or Windows and whether you're streaming to YouTube, Zoom, Twitch, or somewhere else, I can recommend the simplest setup and exact scene arrangement.

For your use case, Ecamm Live would be my first pick—especially if you're on a Mac.

Best fit: Ecamm Live

It is designed around exactly this kind of live presentation workflow:

• Camera-only scene → you full-screen
• Screen-share scene → desktop full-screen + your camera in a movable picture-in-picture
• Switch between scenes with a click or keyboard shortcut. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.comobsproject.com
• You can also control switching from an Elgato Stream Deck, including toggling PiP and screen-share mode. support.ecamm.com
• It supports direct streaming to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and other platforms. support.ecamm.com

For a tutorial, I'd set up just three scenes:

1. 🎥 Presenter — camera full screen
2. 🖥️ Tutorial — desktop full screen + camera PiP
3. 💬 Discussion — camera + slides/browser/other content

Then switching is essentially one button press.

Best free option: OBS Studio

OBS Studio is extremely capable and free. You can build the same camera + desktop + PiP setup using Scenes and Sources, and assign hotkeys to switch scenes. obsproject.com

The tradeoff is that OBS takes more setup and tweaking. Once configured, though, it can be just as fast to operate.

My recommendation:

• Mac + want the easiest live teaching workflow: Ecamm Live
• Windows or want free/flexible: OBS Studio
• Want hardware buttons: Ecamm + Stream Deck is particularly slick.

If you tell me Mac or Windows and where you stream (YouTube, Zoom, Twitch, LinkedIn, etc.), I can narrow it down to the simplest setup.

For live tutorials with picture-in-picture + screen sharing, I’d narrow it to two:

🥇 Ecamm Live — easiest for switching

If you’re on a Mac, this is probably the best fit. Ecamm is built around Scenes, so you can make presets like:

• Presenter — full-screen camera
• Tutorial — desktop full-screen + your camera in the corner
• Screen only — desktop full-screen
• Presenter + slides — slides with your camera

Then you simply click the scene to switch. Ecamm explicitly supports screen-share scenes with adjustable PiP, and scenes can be assigned keyboard shortcuts. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.com

It also has a dedicated video-source switcher for quickly changing cameras and PiP layouts. support.ecamm.com

Best if: you want the least fiddling during a live tutorial.

🥈 OBS Studio — best free/flexible option

OBS is excellent if you’re on Windows or Mac and want something free. You set up scenes such as Camera, Screen + Camera, and Screen, then switch between them. OBS supports webcam, display/window capture, and positioning/resizing sources for PiP. obsproject.com

The tradeoff is that OBS takes a little more setup and feels more like a production studio than a simple presenter tool.

My recommendation

For your particular use case, Ecamm would be my first choice if you're on Mac. You can even put the scene switches on an Elgato Stream Deck, so going from “talking head” → “screen + PiP” → “full screen camera” can literally be one button press. support.ecamm.com

Ecamm Live
OBS Studio

For live tutorials with picture-in-picture + screen sharing, I’d rank them:

1. Ecamm Live — easiest if you’re on Mac
   • Built specifically around live production rather than requiring you to build everything yourself.
   • You can create Scenes such as:
     • Full-screen presenter
     • Full-screen desktop
     • Desktop + your camera in PiP
     • Presenter + slides
   • Switching scenes is essentially one click or a keyboard shortcut. Ecamm scenes save the screen-share source, PiP position/size, overlays, and transitions. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.comsupport.streamlabs.com
   • You can also use its floating controls while you're working in another application, which is particularly handy for tutorials. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.comsupport.streamlabs.com

2. Streamlabs Desktop — easiest cross-platform choice
   • Works on Windows and Mac.
   • Uses customizable scenes, so you can set up "Camera," "Screen + Camera," and "Screen only" layouts ahead of time. support.streamlabs.com
   • More approachable than raw OBS if you also want alerts, overlays, branding, etc.

3. OBS Studio — most flexible, but more setup
   • Excellent if you want maximum control or don't mind configuring sources/scenes yourself.
   • For your particular use case, though, I'd pick Ecamm over OBS if you're on Mac because the presenter/screen/PiP workflow is more immediately streamlined.

My pick

Mac → Ecamm Live.
Windows → Streamlabs Desktop.

For your exact workflow, I'd create just three scenes: Presenter → Screen + PiP → Screen only. Then you can switch between them during the tutorial without rearranging your camera and desktop every time.

If you tell me Mac or Windows and whether you're streaming to YouTube, Zoom, Teams, Twitch, etc., I can recommend the simplest setup and how I'd configure the scenes.

For your use case, I’d shortlist Ecamm Live and OBS Studio—with Ecamm Live being the easier choice if simplicity is the priority.

My pick: Ecamm Live

If you’re on a Mac, Ecamm is particularly well suited to live tutorials. You can create scenes such as:

• Presenter — full-screen camera
• Screen + Presenter — desktop full-screen with your camera as PiP
• Desktop — screen only
• Presenter + Slides — camera/slide layouts

Then you simply click the scene to switch. Ecamm's scenes remember the screen-share source, PiP position/size, camera, overlays, and transition, so you don't have to rebuild the layout every time. support.ecamm.com

It also has dedicated screen-sharing and PiP controls, including sharing an entire display, a particular application, or a specific window. support.ecamm.comsupport.ecamm.com

You can even put those switches on an Elgato Stream Deck, which is excellent for teaching: one button for "Camera," one for "Screen + Camera," etc. support.ecamm.com

Best free option: OBS Studio

OBS Studio is free and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It uses Scenes + Sources, so you can make the same basic setup and switch scenes with hotkeys. obsproject.com

For example:

OBS gives you considerably more customization, but it takes more initial setup than Ecamm.

Bottom line:

• Mac + easiest live teaching workflow → Ecamm Live
• Windows/Mac + free + maximum flexibility → OBS Studio
• Want physical buttons for instant switching → either, with Ecamm being especially straightforward

If you tell me Mac or Windows and whether you're streaming to YouTube, Zoom, Twitch, LinkedIn, etc., I can recommend the simplest exact setup.

For live tutorials where you frequently switch between your face and your desktop, I’d prioritize a simple scene-switching workflow over elaborate streaming features.

My picks

If you're on a Mac, I'd choose Ecamm Live. Its screen-share mode has built-in picture-in-picture, and you can move/resize your camera overlay while showing the desktop. It also has a video-source switcher for quickly changing between cameras and layouts. support.ecamm.com

A really nice tutorial workflow would be:

Scene 1: Full camera
Scene 2: Desktop + small camera PiP
Scene 3: Full desktop
Scene 4: Camera + slides/browser window

Then you can essentially hit one button to move between them rather than rebuilding your layout during the tutorial.

If you're on Windows, I'd lean toward Streamlabs Desktop for simplicity, or vMix if you're doing more elaborate professional productions. Streamlabs explicitly supports adding your webcam and screen as sources and switching between configured scenes. streamlabs.com

OBS Studio is the best free choice and is extremely capable, but it takes more initial setup; its scene/source model is more technical. support.restream.io

Bottom line:

• 🍎 Mac: Ecamm Live
• 🪟 Windows, easy: Streamlabs Desktop
• 💰 Free + maximum control: OBS Studio
• 🎬 Professional multi-camera production: vMix
• 🌐 Don't want to install much: StreamYard

If you tell me Mac or Windows + where you stream (YouTube, Zoom, Twitch, LinkedIn, etc.), I can narrow it down to the best one for your exact tutorial workflow.

For your use case—live tutorials with a webcam + screen share + quick switching—I’d shortlist these:

🥇 Best for simplicity: Ecamm Live

If you're on a Mac, Ecamm is probably the easiest fit. It lets you create saved scenes such as:

• Presenter: full-screen camera
• Tutorial: desktop full-screen + your camera in a corner
• Screen only: desktop full-screen
• Presenter + slides: presentation with PiP

You can switch scenes with a click or keyboard shortcut, and Ecamm specifically supports screen sharing with your camera as PiP. support.ecamm.com

Ecamm Live

🥈 Best free/flexible option: OBS Studio

OBS Studio is free and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. You'd set up separate Scenes for "Camera," "Screen + Camera," and "Screen Only," then switch between them. OBS supports hotkeys and Studio Mode, so you can prepare a scene before putting it live. obsproject.com

The tradeoff is that OBS takes more initial setup than Ecamm.

My recommendation

For a typical tutorial, I'd set up just 3 scenes: Camera → Screen + PiP → Screen Only. Then you can switch between them with one click/keyboard shortcut instead of rearranging your layout every time.

If you tell me Mac or Windows, I can recommend the simplest exact setup for your computer and streaming platform.