> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://cotovan.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to Use Scenes in Riverside Studio to Switch Layouts While Recording or Streaming - URL: https://cotovan.com/post/how-to-use-scenes-in-riverside-studio-to-switch-layouts-live/ - Published: 2026-09-13T14:18:44.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-13T15:41:36.000Z - Author: Cristi Cotovan - Tags: Riverside.FM Articles If you have ever gone live from [Riverside](https://cotovan.com/riverside), you know the juggling act. One minute it is just you on camera, the next you are sharing your screen, then a guest joins and you want the two of you side by side. Every one of those changes used to mean opening the layout options, making sure the windows fit, switching a lower third on or off, maybe hiding the logo — all while you were trying to talk to an audience. That is the part of live streaming I always found annoying. Am I showing the right thing? Is the correct screen shared? Did I remember to turn the website banner off? Riverside now has **Scenes** inside the studio, and it takes that whole checklist off your plate. You build each layout once, before the session, and then switch between them with a single click or a keyboard shortcut. ## Open the Scenes Panel Join your studio as usual. In the bottom-left corner of the control bar there is a new **Scenes** button. Click it and the Scenes panel opens on the left side of the stage. ![Riverside Studio Scenes panel open on the left with the Dynamic scene and an Add scene button](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/09/riverside-studio-scenes-panel-add-scene.jpg) The Scenes panel starts with a single Dynamic scene and an Add scene button. You will see one entry already there, called **Dynamic scene**. That is the default behaviour you are used to — the studio arranging itself as people join and you change layouts by hand. Below it is **Add scene**, which is where the new workflow begins. ## Create a Full-Screen Host Scene My first scene is always the simplest one: just me, full screen. Click **Add scene**, then open the **People** panel on the right and add yourself to the stage. Whatever background, logo and branding you have set up for the studio shows up straight away, and you can switch those elements on or off for this scene if you want to. ![Riverside Studio with a new Scene 1 created and the People panel open showing the host added full screen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/09/riverside-studio-host-scene-add-people.jpg) A new scene with the host added from the People panel. The logo and name tag come from the studio's branding. There is no save button. The scene is stored as soon as you make it, and it appears in the panel as **Scene 1**. Names like that get confusing fast, so give it a proper one: click the three dots next to the scene name and choose **Rename**. I call mine *Host*. ![Riverside Studio scene options menu showing Rename, Assign shortcut, Duplicate and Remove](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/09/riverside-studio-scene-menu-rename.jpg) The three-dot menu on each scene: Rename, Assign shortcut, Duplicate and Remove. That same menu also has **Assign shortcut**, **Duplicate** and **Remove**. We will come back to shortcuts at the end. ## Build a Screen-Share Scene Click **Add scene** again. Notice that a new scene does not copy the previous one — it goes back to default and hides everything, so you are constructing it from an empty stage. Add yourself from the People panel again, but this time pick a different layout from the layout strip under the stage, then click **Share** in the control bar. Your browser asks what you want to share — a tab, a window or an entire screen. I share my second monitor. ![Riverside Studio screen-share scene with a shared website filling the stage and the host in a circular picture-in-picture bubble](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/09/riverside-studio-screen-share-scene.jpg) The screen-share scene: the shared screen fills the stage and the host camera sits in a small bubble in the corner. The shared screen is now part of that scene, and just like before, every change is saved automatically. Rename it to something obvious like *Screenshare*. ### Lock Your Scenes Before You Go Live Automatic saving is convenient while you are building, but it also means a stray click during a live session would quietly change your scene. At the top of the Scenes panel there are two lock icons. Switch to the **locked** padlock and your scenes are protected — nothing you click while live gets written back into them. ![Close-up of the Riverside Studio Scenes panel showing the unlocked and locked padlock toggle above the scene list](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/09/riverside-studio-lock-scenes.jpg) The padlock toggle at the top of the Scenes panel. Locked means your scenes cannot be changed by accident while you are live. I would build all my scenes first, then lock them right before going live. If you’re eager to learn more about Riverside and wish to have ****a one-on-one Riverside coaching session**, feel free to [book a call with me](https://cotovan.com/coaching). I’m here to help you with any questions you have and to guide you through the best workflows, tips, workarounds, or just answer any questions you may have! [Book a session ](https://cotovan.com/coaching) ## Add a Side-by-Side Scene for Guests For the third scene, click **Add scene** once more and add two people from the People panel. In my case the second person is me again, joined from my phone as a second camera, but in a real session this is where your guest or co-host goes. If you still need to get them into the studio, here is [how to quickly invite guests to record in Riverside](https://cotovan.com/post/how-to-quickly-invite-guests-to-record-in-riverside/). Choose the **side-by-side** layout from the layout strip, and rename the scene *Side by Side*. ![Riverside Studio side-by-side scene with two participants next to each other and three saved scenes in the Scenes panel](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/09/riverside-studio-side-by-side-scene.jpg) Three scenes ready to go: Host, Screenshare and Side by Side. ## Switch Scenes With One Click Now the payoff. Say I am live, presenting something, and I want to show my screen. I click **Screenshare** in the Scenes panel and the layout changes instantly. Click **Host** and it is just me, full screen. Click **Side by Side** and my guest is back on stage. No layout menus, no resizing windows, no checking which screen is shared. ## Save Text and Branding Per Scene You might be thinking that layouts could already do most of this. They could. What layouts could not do is remember *everything else* that belongs to a particular shot — and that is where Scenes earn their place. ### Show a Lower Third Automatically When I cut back to myself full screen during a live stream, I like to put my website on screen so people know where to go. Doing that by hand every single time gets old quickly. With the **Host** scene selected, open the **Text** panel on the right. This is where your saved lower thirds live — I have one for my Media Makers Club website. Click **Show** on the one you want. By default it stays on screen for a short time, but you can click the timer next to the button and set it longer. I usually use 20 seconds. ![Riverside Studio Text panel with a MediaMakers.club lower third shown on the host scene and the timer next to the Hide button](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/09/riverside-studio-text-lower-third-timer.jpg) The Text panel. The timer next to Show/Hide controls how long the lower third stays on screen. That lower third is now part of the Host scene. Switch to Screenshare and it disappears. Switch back to Host and it appears again on its own, counts down the time you set, and then goes away. ![Riverside Studio switching back to the Host scene with the MediaMakers.club lower third reappearing and the timer counting down](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/09/riverside-studio-text-shows-on-host-scene.jpg) Back on the Host scene, the website banner shows up by itself and the timer counts down to hide it again. Screen, full screen, screen, full screen — the promotion comes back every time without me thinking about it. You can do the same for every scene and show different text in each. ### Hide the Logo on Specific Scenes The **Brand** panel works the same way. For my full-screen Host scene I decided I did not want the logo, so with Host selected I opened Brand and removed the logo. It is gone from that scene only. ![Riverside Studio Brand panel with the logo removed on the Host scene, showing no logo on the stage](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/09/riverside-studio-hide-logo-per-scene.jpg) Logo hidden on the Host scene. The other scenes keep their logo, because each scene remembers its own branding. Switch to Screenshare and the logo is back, because that scene still has it. Switch back to Host — no logo. If you have not set up your studio branding yet, start with [how to customize your logo and brand in Riverside](https://cotovan.com/post/customize-logo-brand-riverside/). ## Assign Keyboard Shortcuts to Your Scenes Clicking scenes is easy, but shortcuts are faster and they work with the Scenes panel closed, so it does not have to take up space on your screen. Click the three dots on a scene and choose **Assign shortcut**. Every scene shortcut is **Shift** plus a key you choose. Press the combination, then click **Save**. ![Riverside Studio Assign keyboard shortcut dialog with the Shift symbol in the input field and Cancel and Save buttons](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/09/riverside-studio-assign-scene-shortcut.jpg) The Assign keyboard shortcut dialog. Hold Shift, press your key, and save. I gave Host **Shift+1**, Screenshare **Shift+2** and Side by Side **Shift+3**. Each scene thumbnail now shows its shortcut, so you do not have to remember which is which. ![Riverside Studio Scenes panel with shortcut badges Shift+1 on Host, Shift+2 on Screenshare and Shift+3 on Side by Side](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/09/riverside-studio-scene-shortcut-badges.jpg) Shortcut badges on each scene thumbnail: Shift+1, Shift+2 and Shift+3. Close the panel and try it: Shift+1, Shift+2, Shift+3\. The stage switches every time. ## What Your Audience Sees vs What Riverside Records There is one thing to understand before you rely on Scenes for a recording. Scenes control how the session is *presented* — what your live stream audience sees. They do not change what Riverside records. Riverside still records [each participant on a separate track](https://cotovan.com/post/mastering-multi-track-editing-riverside/), and the scene layouts, lower thirds and logo changes are not transmitted into the recording. When you open the project in the editor afterwards, you will not find your scene switches at those same moments. You build the edited layouts there instead, for example by [saving and reusing scene layouts in the editor](https://cotovan.com/post/how-to-save-and-reuse-scene-layouts-in-riverside/), and [adding guest names and titles after recording](https://cotovan.com/post/how-to-add-guest-names-and-titles-in-the-riverside-editor-after-recording/). I am hearing that carrying studio scenes into the recording may be on the way, but for now, treat Scenes as a live production tool. And for live streams, it is the feature I have been waiting for. ## Related guides [Best Settings for Your Riverside Studio: A Feature-by-Feature GuideThe best settings for your Riverside recording studio to ensure your podcasts, livestreams, and recordings are of the highest quality.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/icon/Cristi-2-31.jpeg)Cristi CotovanCristi Cotovan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2025/09/155_optimize-riverside-studio-settings-1.jpg)](https://cotovan.com/post/optimize-riverside-studio-settings/) [How to Use Riverside Scene Templates to Speed Up Podcast EditingEvery time you start a new episode edit in Riverside, do you find yourself rebuilding the same scene layouts from scratch? Speaker name overlays, side-by-side arrangements, solo speaker close-ups — it![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/icon/Cristi-2-31.jpeg)Cristi CotovanCristi Cotovan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/02/riverside-scene-templates-thumbnail.jpg)](https://cotovan.com/post/how-to-use-riverside-scene-templates-to-speed-up-podcast-editing/) [How to Save and Reuse Scene Layouts in RiversideWhen you're editing a podcast or video interview in Riverside, the layout determines how speakers are arranged on screen. But you don't have to stick with the same layout for the entire episode. You c![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/icon/Cristi-2-31.jpeg)Cristi CotovanCristi Cotovan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/02/riverside-scene-layouts-thumbnail.jpg)](https://cotovan.com/post/how-to-save-and-reuse-scene-layouts-in-riverside/) [How to Customize Logo and Brand in Riverside: Step-by-step GuideLet me show you how I customize logo and brand in Riverside so your podcast or show consistently displays the right logo, colors, and placement across recordings and edits.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/icon/Cristi-2-31.jpeg)Cristi CotovanCristi Cotovan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2025/12/Thumbnail-Riverside-Logo.jpg)](https://cotovan.com/post/customize-logo-brand-riverside/) [How to Add Guest Names and Titles in the Riverside Editor After RecordingIf you've recorded an interview in Riverside and noticed that your guests' names and titles are missing when you open the editor, don't worry — this is expected behavior, and adding them back is strai![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/icon/Cristi-2-31.jpeg)Cristi CotovanCristi Cotovan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/03/riverside-add-guest-names-titles.jpg)](https://cotovan.com/post/how-to-add-guest-names-and-titles-in-the-riverside-editor-after-recording/) If you're eager to learn more about Riverside and wish to have a one-on-one Riverside coaching session, feel free to book a call with me. I'm here to help you with any questions you have and to guide you through the best workflows, tips, workarounds, or just answer any questions you may have! [Book a session ](https://cotovan.com/coaching) ## Free Riverside Tips, Tricks, and Training in Your Inbox I create regular training content on [Riverside.fm](https://cotovan.com/riverside) \- if you're trying to learn the platform, I intend to teach all the ins and outs. Subscribe here and when a new article or video goes live, you'll be the first to know! Subscribe for free Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.