Vertical Canvas Sync and Source Organization Enhancements

Summary:

As the Vertical Canvas feature continues to evolve, two critical improvements would significantly improve usability, consistency with OBS workflows, and cross-format stream management:

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1. Synchronized Source Visibility Between Vertical and Main Canvas

Problem:

Currently, sources on the vertical canvas cannot be toggled via hotkeys, and their visibility is completely separate from the main canvas sources in OBS. This causes issues such as:

-Playing an ad or animation that is visible on the main canvas but not on the vertical one (or vice versa).

-Having audio play without the accompanying video in vertical due to mismatched visibility.

-No way to unify source visibility between both canvases unless you manually toggle both or create redundant scenes.

Solution:

Introduce an option to link the visibility of vertical canvas sources to their corresponding main canvas sources. If a source on the main canvas is toggled on or off (via hotkey or scene transition), the linked vertical canvas source mirrors that visibility state.

This would allow:

-StreamElements to reference OBS source visibility states just like it already references audio/video state.

-Cohesive on-screen elements across horizontal and vertical outputs.

-Avoiding the need for StreamElements to build an entirely separate hotkey system for vertical canvas source control.

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2. Folders and Color Tagging in Vertical Canvas Source List

Problem:

The vertical canvas source list is currently a flat, unorganized stack. When a scene contains multiple overlays, backgrounds, alerts, and dynamic elements, it becomes difficult to find and manage individual sources—especially during live edits or troubleshooting.

Solution:

Add folder grouping and color tagging to the source list in the vertical canvas interface—similar to what OBS and other scene editors already support. This would allow users to:

-Organize sources into logical groups (e.g., “Alerts,” “Camera Elements,” “Ad Overlays,” “Text Labels”).

-Collapse or expand source folders to declutter the interface.

-Color-code important sources for fast visual identification.

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Why This Is Important:

Improved Workflow Efficiency: Linked visibility removes the need for separate hotkeys or manual visibility management between canvases.

Better Stream Consistency: Ensures both vertical and horizontal viewers see coherent, synchronized visuals and audio.

Cleaner Interface: Folder/grouping and color tags reduce cognitive load and improve edit speed for complex scenes.

Use Case Example:

During my stream, I press a hotkey to show an ad overlay that plays both audio and a visual element. On the main canvas, everything appears fine. But on the vertical canvas, the audio plays while the visual never shows—because the visibility state didn’t carry over. If I could link visibility states between the canvases, this mismatch wouldn’t happen. And with scene folders, I could quickly find and adjust both elements even mid-stream.