How to Work With Discord Reactive Images as a Beginner [2023]

Q: Why won't the Discord Reactive Image hide my username?

To hide your Discord username, launch Discord. Navigate to Settings > My Account. Click Edit next to Username, then paste the symbol (link) into the username field and click Done.

In Summary

Starting out as a PNGtuber is the quickest way to get into Vtubing. Once you gain more experience, you can transition into a 2D or 3D Vtuber.
Discord Reactive Images let you stream and engage with your audience without having to be in front of a webcam. Depending on your needs, you can either draw your own PNG image, purchase a pre-made one, or commission a custom avatar.
There are several ways to add Reactive Images to your Discord voice calls and chats, including using tools like Fugi Discord Reactive Image or StreamKit Overlay.

Suppose you’re looking to join the VTuber (Virtual YouTuber) bandwagon and collaborate with your fellow gamers and fans on Discord. In that case, you might want to consider using Discord Reactive Images. Streaming with a reactive PNG VTuber avatar is the most beginner-friendly and inexpensive way to get started with VTubing.

With 2D and 3D animation getting better, VTubers are making a comeback everywhere, collaborating across platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Discord. VTuber or PNGtuber models can be created and customized to reflect what their characters say and do in different situations. Give Discord Reactive Images a try if you need a face cam replacement for streaming or using in discord calls.

In this post, you will learn how beginners can set up and use Discord Reactive Images in multiple ways.

Table of Contents

What Exactly Discord Reactive Images Do?

Reactive Images allow your online avatars to move in response to your voice or reactions while streaming or participating in Discord calls. This also helps you stay anonymous. For those times when you are not in the mood to be in front of the camera, VTubing is a great way to keep things lively and engaging for your audience.

It allows you to create videos with a digital PNG character or avatar, which is animated in real-time using voice capture software and represents a fictional character, usually in the style of Japanese animation. Whether you are broadcasting live on Discord or hosting a private fan server, you can have your PNG, 2D, or 3D model express your emotions for you.

Working With Discord Reactive Images and the Necessary Prerequisites

Discord allows streamers to use their fan servers to chat with subscribers and build bonds with their community both in-game and off-game. If you are a Twitch viewer, you can join and chat with your favorite streamers on their Discord servers, which integrate with their Twitch channel. As a streamer, you can keep your server members busy with text channels, voice channels, separate group direct messages, game bots, live streaming to a select audience, and much more on Discord.

Depending on how much customization and technical know-how you want to put into your Discord reactive image, you can choose from many options. You can begin as a PNGtuber and then progress to 2D or 3D rigging as you gain more experience with Vtubing. And the best part is that you do not need to invest in high-end face tracking software, lighting, or cameras.

Being a PNGtuber requires a minimal setup. Some of the things you need to set up your reactive image include:

At least one and no more than two PNG images to serve as your Discord reactive image.
A microphone to record your voice with a noise reduction feature to eliminate background noise.
An OBS, or Open Broadcast Software, to add a browser source for live streaming and video recording.

Where to Find Personalized Reactive Images

There are multiple ways to get PNG images for your Discord avatar. You can create your own PNG model from free or paid drawing software like FireAlpaca, Procreate, Inkscape, or any other popular drawing software. Just make sure to export the image as a transparent PNG cutout before uploading it to the Discord server. Once you have created your PNG, you can use an online tool like removebg to remove the background to get a transparent PNG image.

You can also buy or commission your custom PNG through Etsy, Instagram, or Fiverr, where you can find a plethora of digital artists who can create customized PNG based on your specifications if you’re ready to shell out some money. Be sure to request examples of their work and confirm that you will own the full copyright to the image so it cannot be replicated or used by anyone else.

Methods for Adding Discord Reactive Images

There are multiple ways to add a reactive PNG to your discord calls and collabs, but for the sake of simplicity for beginners, we will focus on two simple methods that will not take up too much of your time.

These are the ways we will discuss in this post:

Using Reactive by Fugi, a software tool that integrates with Discord to generate a PNG avatar that responds to your voice automatically.
Manually adding custom CSS to generate code for Discord Reactive Images, which you can then edit, customize, or resize as desired.

Note: These methods may not be compatible with mobile devices, so you will need to download the Discord app on your desktop computer instead.

We will go over each of the above steps in more detail below.

Method 1: Adding a Reactive Image With Fugi’s Discord Reactive Images

Fugi’s Discord Reactive Images is the most popular and easiest tool used by Discord PNGtubers. For this, you’re going to need a Discord app connected to a voice channel, OBS, and a microphone.

The detailed step-by-step instructions are as follows:

Download and install the desktop Discord app and an OBS (this tutorial uses free and open source OBS Studio)
Now, launch the Discord app and select the Settings icon next to your username in the bottom left corner.
In the Settings window, scroll down to Advanced from the left panel and toggle on Developer Mode under Advanced.
Now, from the left panel, select Voice & Video. Choose your microphone under Voice settings and test it to ensure it works. Click the dropdown button under the Camera section of the Video Settings menu, then select OBS Virtual Camera (if you have installed OBS Studio).
Now go to the Fugi’s Reactive website and click Login. Next, you will need to sign in to Discord again and grant the necessary app permissions to authorize the app.
This will take you to the main page for setting up things. If you have both of your PNGs ready (one with a closed mouth and the other with an open mouth for your talking avatar), click the camera icon under “Set Inactive Image” and select the first PNG with its mouth closed. Then, repeat the process under “Set Speaking Image” and select the second PNG with its mouth open. When finished, click Save.
On the left, you can change a few things, like image alignment and spacing and the Bounce effect between transitions. Once done, click Apply, and then, under Links, click the Copy icon next to the Individual Browser Source to copy the URL.
Now open OBS and click the plus icon (+) under Sources. Click Browser, then under Create new, give your source a name, and click OK.
In the Properties window, paste the link you just copied next to the URL and click OK.
Now, the Reactive Image appears on top. By dragging the image, you can change its width or height.
To begin the Discord stream, click Start Virtual Camera under Controls in OBS.
Finally, return to the Discord app and connect to a voice channel (create a private voice channel to test it out first). At the bottom left, click Video, then Turn On Camera.

At this point, your reactive image should appear on Discord, and you can give it a try by speaking into the microphone. The reactive image is now ready to be used for streaming and collabs via Discord calls.

Method 2: Using OBS StreamKit Overlay to Add a Reactive Image

If you need an alternative method, you can use Discord’s StreamKit Overlay, which allows you to add custom CSS code rather than manually uploading two images.

The detailed step-by-step instructions are as follows:

Go to the Discord StreamKit website and, depending on your streaming software, select Install for OBS or Install for XSplit.
If you are already signed in to Discord, it will display the Widgets page; otherwise, it will prompt you to sign in.
Navigate to the Voice Widget and select your server name and voice channel from the dropdown menus next to Server and Voice Channel, respectively. If you want to hide your username while on Discord calls, enable the Hide Names option.
Copy the browser code from the bottom right side of the page under Voice Widget.
Launch OBS and select the + (Add Source) icon from the Sources menu. Click Browser > Ok, then paste the URL you just copied next to the URL, and finally click OK.
Now, open your Discord app and create a private text channel where you can save your PNG images and upload both files.

TIP:

You can dig GitHub or Reddit to find code generators and custom codes made available by other Vtubers. One that we recommend is hosted at CodePen and created by a Vtuber named Kukushie.

Open the CSS generator link in a browser.
Return to Discord and right-click your username from the bottom left corner, then select Copy ID. Paste the ID next to the Discord User ID in the CSS generator.
Open the Discord channel where your PNGs are stored, right-click on each image, choose Copy ID, and then paste the IDs next to the “Image URL” sections in the CodePen window.
Verify the image links, then click Generate CSS to generate your code, which you can then edit and modify. Click the Copy CSS button.
Now, return to OBS and right-click on the browser source you created with StreamKit, then select Properties.
Scroll down to Custom CSS, paste the code you just copied, and click OK.

You should now see your ready-to-use reactive image on top, which can be dragged and resized. To connect to Discord, go to Controls in OBS and select Start Virtual Camera.

You can start streaming by sharing your entire screen or just the game application window via OBS. Click + under Sources and select Game Capture (Windows) or Display Capture (Mac) to capture your game screen. Alternatively, if you are playing a browser game, you can use Windows Capture to share the browser window with the members of your Discord voice channel.

How to Connect Your Twitch or YouTube Channel to Discord

Live streamers and Vtuber communities have widely used Discord to increase audience engagement and growth for years. This is why integrating Discord with other streaming platforms is a good idea, especially for people who are new to the streaming scene. You can give your subscribers different channels and servers so that they can all watch your streams at the same time. It enables you to build a loyal fan base, provide special benefits and features, and notify your community of any future updates.

To connect Discord to Twitch or YouTube, launch Discord and click the Settings gear icon to the right of your username in the bottom left corner. Navigate to Connections, click the icons for Twitch and YouTube, and then give permission for each of the services to connect to Discord. You can configure server roles and permissions as well as add bots, custom emojis, community events, and more for your subscribers to make it a fun experience for everyone.