Open Broadcast Software free and powerful program that works wonders for streaming and video creation. OBS allows users to capture what they are seeing on their screen and either record it or upload it live for viewers to watch. The popularity of OBS studios is quickly growing as more people try their hands at content creation.
You can use OBS to record tutorials, gameplay videos and live stream to the internet. It’s not just gamers that are using OBS, professionals are using the software to host webinars and create content for their business.
Understanding Scenes and Source
The core workspace of OBS is made up of scenes and sources. This workspace is great as it expands the possibilities of what you can create. At first glance the OBS interface might seem confusing and complicated. Fortunately once you get hands on and understand the simplicity of sources and scenes it becomes incredibly easy.
Sources are layers of media, such as images, video or display capture. With sources you can select a screen or window to record and add graphic overlays or widgets to the content. You can resize and reposition any created source within OBS and use the preview area to accurately create the appearance you want. The layer system of sources is fairly simple, the sources located at the top of the list will appear in front of those below it.
Scenes on the other hand are the base that the sources are located in, or a group of sources. You can create multiple scenes to set up presets that will suit your different needs. An example would be to have a scene that you used for live streaming, and a separate one for recording.
What can I do with OBS Scenes?
- Create scenes for livestreams; gameplay., facecam. starting, ending and intermissions.
- Add different scenes for recording and streaming.
- Make intricate transitions using green screens.
What can I do with OBS Sources?
- Add graphic overlays to your content.
- Input alerts and widgets for your livestreams.
- Play media and capture screen, window or gameplay.
How to Add Graphics and Overlays to Your Stream in OBS Studio
When it comes to adding graphics to your stream it couldn’t be any easier. OBS allows for you to add image and media sources, which work for image and video files. It is important that the overlay graphics you are using have a transparent background. If your overlay doesn’t have a transparent background you won’t be able to see the content below it.
Adding Image Graphics
1. Select or create a new scene.
2. Add a new source by pressing the plus symbol and choose image. Name the source if necessary.
3. Click browse then locate and open the graphic you want to add, then press Ok.
4. You can now resize and reposition the overlay as you need it. The clicking and dragging the corners will allow you to alter the size. You can move the image by clicking and dragging the image itself.
Adding Video Graphics
Only few video files allow for transparency. AVI and MOV are two popular file types for video, however they have a rather large file size. Large files can cause issues with OBS and while streaming. A good file alternative is Webm, which allows for transparency and is a much smaller file size.
1. Open a scene or create a new one.
2. Create a new media source and name it.
3. If this is a graphic you want to be constantly seen you will want to enable loop. If loop is not selected the video will only play once before disappearing.
4. Press browse, then find and open the appropriate file.
5. You can alter the speed to make it slower or faster, slowing it down may cause the video to be choppy depending on the frame rate. Press Ok to confirm.
6. Change the size and positioning of the graphic if needed. Click, hold and drag the video to move it, or use the corners resize.
How to use OBS Studio to Record Video
Although OBS is the top choice for streamers, it is also a great option for recording video. For the most part streaming and recording with OBS works the same. There are some settings that you might need to change first.
Video Recording Settings
1. Open the OBS settings and head to the video options.
2. Select your Base and Output resolution; 1080p or 1920×1080 is the typical format used.
3. Choose your downscale filter, Bicubic (Sharpened scaling, 16 samples) is a good choice.
4. Now choose your Framerate or FPS. If you’re recording gaming 59.94 or 60 fps is a good choice. You can use 30fps if you want to keep your file size small or are recording your desktop.
5. Choose the Output settings, and switch the mode to “Advanced”.
6. Under the Recording heading you will see “Recording Path”. By selecting browse you can choose the folder you want the video to save to.
7. Next change the recording format to either mp4 or flv4. A good idea is to do a test recording and make sure the chosen format works with your editing software of choice
8. Select your encoder, X264 is a great option. However if you have a graphics card that features an encoder chip you can use the AMD or NVIDIA hardware options.
9. You can also select to add multiple audio tracks to your video. This is great for editing as it allows for you to adjust each audio input individually. You can select up to 6 different tracks.
10. The next step is to adjust the bitrate. A bitrate of 30000 – 50000 kbps is a good base to start, and should work well for most people. The higher your bitrate the better the quality your video will be. If your device can’t handle the chosen bitrate you may experience some lag in your recording. A higher bitrate will also result in a larger file size. You may want to adjust this at a later point.
11. Switch your CPU usage to either medium, fast, faster or very fast, The lower this setting the more work your CPU will have to do. Adjust this accordingly to assure that your video doesn’t lag or drop frames.
Record your Computer Screen and Gameplay with OBS
1. Create or select a scene.
2. Add a display capture source and be sure to name it. If you have multiple monitors you will be able to choose which one you want to use.
4. Right click the display capture and choose transform – fit to screen. You can skip this step if your screen and base resolution is the same.
5. If you want to record desktop audio or any mic audio be sure to have them activated in the Audio Mixer section.
6. When you are ready to record press the “Start Recording” button under the Control heading.
What Bitrate should I use for Recording and Streaming in OBS?
The bitrate that you used when streaming and recording should be different. When you are streaming you are limited to what your internet speeds can handle. Whereas when recording you’re solely using your computer’s power.
Streaming quality is often also limited based on the platform you’re streaming to. Because of this the streaming bitrate tends to be at about 6500 for most people. If you notice any dropped frames or lag when streaming try lowering this.
As for recording you are able to use a much higher bitrate. A general rule is to set your recording between 30000 and 50000 kbps and adjust if necessary. Your bitrate will be dependant on how good your PC is and the programs running. If you are running an intense game that you’re trying to record your bitrate may need to be lower.
The encoder type may also play into what bitrate you are able to use. When using x264 your device will be using its CPU for encoding. Whereas when you activate a NVIDIA or AMD encoder this is an additional feature on your graphics card that is otherwise not being used.
How to Stream with OBS Studio
To stream to platforms like YouTube and Twitch you need a stream key. You can find these on the appropriate websites. If you are streaming on Twitch you can directly connect your account with OBS.
1. Open the OBS settings.
2. Choose the Stream options from the side panel.
3. Choose your service, this will be the site that you want to stream on.
4. Make sure that the server is set to Auto.
5. Copy and paste your stream key from the appropriate website.
6. Click apply to save your settings.
7. Select the scene you want to start the stream with.
8. Press the Start Streaming button.
How to Record Highlights in OBS with Replay Buffer
You can record highlights from your content inside of OBS. This works similar to how Shadowplay works. You can use this feature while streaming to create high quality highlight clips for promotional content on social media. Combining the replay buffer feature with an Elgato Stream Deck script or macro can also make this feature increasingly useful.
1. Open your Settings.
2. Head to the Output menu.
3. Switch the output mode to Advanced.
4. Open the Replay Buffer tab and enable it.
5. Set your replay time in seconds. For stream clips 30 – 60 seconds is usually enough.
6. Apply the settings. You will notice that there is now a “Start Replay Buffer” button in the Controls menu.
7. Move to the Hotkeys settings.Enter a shortcut in the “Save Replay” section then Apply and press Ok.
8. Press “Start Replay Buffer” in the Controls menu.
9. Whenever a highlight occurs press the hotkey to save the clip.
Important: You will need to start replay buffer every time you open OBS. The clips will also save to the location selected in the recording output settings.
How to Connect Twitch to OBS
It is possible to connect your Twitch account directly to OBS. When this is done there is no need to input your stream key. OBS will be able to directly fetch the appropriate key for streaming. Once your account is linked you will also be able to see your chat inside of OBS. With the chat inside of OBS there is no need to have a separate window or browser open.
1. Open your OBS Settings.
2. Go to the Stream settings via the panel on the left side.
3. Select “Twitch” as your service.
4. Choose to Connect Account.
5. A new window will open and you will be prompted to log in. Enter your details and login. You may be prompted to enter as verification token.
6. Your Twitch account has now been linked. Apply to save your settings.
7. Close the Settings window.
8. There will now be 2 new windows; Stream Information and Stream Chat. You can leave these floating or snap them into place inside of OBS. Placing them on either side of the preview screen may be optimal.
Add Desktop and Microphone Audio to OBS
For your gameplay and microphone to be heard in your content they must be added correctly. You can even add filters to your inputs to improve your audio. All the audio tracks can be found in the Audio Mixer section of OBS.
1. Look at the Audio Mixer section of OBS.
2. Select the cog icon next to one of the Mic/Aux and choose Properties.
3. Switch the device to your microphone or input device of choice.
4. Press Ok to confirm.
5. By default your Desktop Audio should already be set. However you can change by entering the properties and switching the device.
Final Thoughts
Open Broadcast Software or OBS is a very versatile program that allows you to stream and record. It allows for you to create clips directly in the program for high quality stream and gameplay highlights. The software is constantly being updated and given new features to expand their capabilities. OBS supports integration for alerts and widgets through browser sources.
