For the best OBS Studio recording settings you will want to use the CQP rate control option. This makes it very easy to adjust your recording quality. The lower the CQ level the higher quality the OBS recording will be.
Recording Format: MP4 for shorter videos, MKV for longer videos.
Video Encoder: NVIDIA NVENC H.264 or AMD HW H.264
Audio Encoder: FFmpeg AAC
Audio Track: Personal preference
Rate Control: CQP
CQ Level: 15
Keyframe Interval: 2 s
Preset: P6: Slower (Better Quality)
Tuning: High Quality
Multipass Mode: Two Passes (Full Resolution)
Profile: High
Look Ahead: Unchecked
Psycho Visual Tuning: Checked
GPU: 0
Max B-frames: 2
Best OBS Studio Video Settings for Recording
When it comes to OBS video settings it is mostly preference. You will need to decide what resolution you want to record your videos in. The most commonly used option is 1920×1080 for 1080p footage. This is great for recording your screen or gameplay. However, if you have a larger display, then you may prefer to record in 1440p or 4K resolution.
Additionally, you will need to select a frame rate or FPS value. For gaming recordings, we highly recommend using 60 as it provides a smooth and fluent video. Recording in 60 PFS is typically standard for most recordings. However, if framerate doesn’t matter then you may prefer to use 30.
Base (Canvas) Resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p) / 2560×1440 (1440p) / 3840×2160 (4K)
Output (Scaled) Resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p) / 2560×1440 (1440p) / 3840×2160 (4K)
Downscale Filter: Lanczos (If available)
Common FPS Values: 60
How to Fix Laggy and Stuttering OBS Recordings
If your OBS recordings are laggy or stuttering then you should lower the CQ level to 18. This will reduce the quality as a lower bitrate will be used, however, the recordings will still be clear enough that it won’t matter. Although having the CQ level set to 15 is best for quality and file size, 18 will work fine for most cases.
Alternatively, changing the Multipass Mode to Two Passes (Quarter Resolution) should also help fix lag in your OBS recordings. Another solution is to also reduce the preset option to P5: (Good Quality) or P4: Medium Quality on lower-end systems.
Best OBS Recording Settings for Quality
If you just want the best quality possible then you can set rate control to CQP while using a CQ level of 12. This will give you close to lossless recording quality. However, you will need a good PC to record with these settings. Especially if you’re recording in a high resolution.
Alternatively, you can set rate control to lossless, with essentially Multipass Mode set to Two Passes (Full Resolution). When recording with high-quality settings the file sizes will be fairly large. If you are recording a lot of footage then your hard drives may fill up fairly quickly.
Best OBS Recording Format
The recording format you use really depends on what you’re recording. When recording longer videos, or videos where you can’t afford to lose then MKV is the best option. By selecting MKV your files are far less likely to be corrupted or unusable if you run into any technical options.
The downside to using MKV is that most editing programs won’t natively be compatible with the format. Requiring you to remux your recordings to change the file type to MP4. This can be done through the remux feature inside of OBS Studio. However, you can automatically remux your videos once the recording has stopped.
If you are recording shorter videos, typically under 10 or so minutes, then MP4 is your best bet. With smaller recordings, you’re less likely to run into recording issues. By recording directly in MP4 you can prevent the need to remux your videos, saving room on your drives.
Best Video Encoder for Recording in OBS
People with an NVIDIA graphics card will want to use the NVIDIA NVENC H.264 video encoder option. This will use the dedicated video encoder to create the recordings. However, if you have an AMD graphics card then you might have the AMD HW H.264 option.
If neither the NVIDIA nor AMD video coder options are available then you will need to use x264. However, you may notice a significant performance decrease, especially on low-end PCs.
How to Automatically Remux Recordings in OBS
- Open the OBS Settings.
- Select Advanced from the side.
- Find the Recording options.
- Check the box to Automatically remux to mp4.
- Click Apply.
Best OBS Recording Encoder
The best OBS recording encoder if CQP or CBR. Ideally, you will want to use CQP with a CQ level of 15 for the best quality to file size ratio. However, if you’re having issues with when using the CQP recording encoder then you can use CBR.
Using the CBR encoder provides a great constant quality for the duration of your recording. When using CBR the required bitrate will vary depending on the resolution and frame rate of your videos.
Best OBS Recording Bitrate
When recording in 1080p it’s best to use a bitrate of at least 10000, with 18000 or higher being the ideal bitrate. For 1440p recordings somewhere between 25000 and 35000 bitrate should be used. While 4K recordings will need a bitrate between 45000 and 64000 for the best quality.
The higher the bitrate value the better quality the video will be. However, this results in larger file sizes and more encoding. Ideally, you will want to use a bitrate based on your resolution, while also ensuring the video files aren’t too large.
These bitrates are assuming that you’re recording in 60FPS. If you’re recording in 30FPS or lower then you can get away with a lower bitrate.
