OBS Studio – Open Broadcaster Software for Streaming and Recording

Complete Guide to OBS Studio: Professional Streaming and Recording

OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software) has revolutionized content creation by providing free, professional-grade streaming and recording capabilities to everyone. Whether streaming to Twitch, YouTube, or recording local videos, OBS Studio delivers features that rival expensive commercial solutions. Its modular scene-based system, extensive plugin ecosystem, and cross-platform support make it the definitive choice for streamers, educators, and content creators worldwide.

The software’s open-source nature has fostered a vibrant community developing plugins, themes, and extensions that extend functionality far beyond the base application. From virtual cameras for video calls to automated scene switching, OBS Studio adapts to virtually any broadcasting scenario.

Installing OBS Studio

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:obsproject/obs-studio
sudo apt update
sudo apt install obs-studio

# Fedora
sudo dnf install obs-studio

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S obs-studio

# Flatpak (any Linux)
flatpak install flathub com.obsproject.Studio

# macOS
brew install --cask obs

# Windows
winget install OBSProject.OBSStudio
# Or download from obsproject.com

Core Concepts

OBS Studio organizes content through scenes and sources. Scenes represent different layouts or views that can be switched during streaming. Sources are the individual elements within scenes—video captures, images, text, and more. Understanding this hierarchy enables creating dynamic, professional broadcasts.

Source Types

# Common source types:

# Video Capture Device
- Webcam input
- Capture cards
- USB cameras

# Display Capture
- Entire screen recording
- Multiple monitor support

# Window Capture
- Specific application window
- Game capture (optimized for games)

# Game Capture (Windows)
- Direct GPU capture
- Lower overhead than display capture

# Image/Image Slideshow
- Static images
- Rotating image collections

# Media Source
- Video files
- Audio files
- Looping capability

# Text (GDI+/FreeType 2)
- Static text
- Dynamic text from file
- Custom fonts and styling

# Browser Source
- Web pages
- Overlays from URLs
- Custom HTML/CSS/JS

# Audio Sources
- Audio Input Capture (microphone)
- Audio Output Capture (desktop audio)

# VLC Video Source (with plugin)
- Playlist support
- Multiple file formats

Scene Setup

# Recommended scene structure:

# Scene: Starting Soon
- Background image
- "Starting Soon" text
- Background music

# Scene: Main Content
- Webcam source
- Game/screen capture
- Overlay frame
- Chat widget (browser source)

# Scene: BRB (Be Right Back)
- Background image
- BRB text
- Looping animation

# Scene: Ending
- End screen image
- Social media links
- Thank you message

# Nested Scenes
- Create a "Camera" scene with webcam + effects
- Add as source to other scenes
- Changes to camera scene apply everywhere

Stream Settings

# Settings > Stream

# Twitch
Service: Twitch
Server: Auto (Recommended)
Stream Key: (from dashboard.twitch.tv)

# YouTube
Service: YouTube - RTMPS
Server: Primary YouTube ingest server
Stream Key: (from studio.youtube.com)

# Custom RTMP
Service: Custom
Server: rtmp://your-server/live
Stream Key: your-key

# Settings > Output

# Simple Mode
Video Bitrate: 4500-6000 kbps (1080p)
Encoder: x264 or NVENC/AMD
Audio Bitrate: 160 kbps

# Advanced Mode (Recording)
Type: Custom Output (FFmpeg)
Container: MKV or MP4
Video Encoder: libx264/NVENC
Audio Encoder: AAC

# Recommended bitrates:
# 720p30: 2500-4000 kbps
# 720p60: 3500-5000 kbps
# 1080p30: 4500-6000 kbps
# 1080p60: 6000-8000 kbps

Video Settings

# Settings > Video

# Base (Canvas) Resolution
- Your working resolution
- 1920x1080 recommended

# Output (Scaled) Resolution
- Streaming resolution
- 1920x1080 or 1280x720

# Common Downscale Filters:
- Bilinear: Fastest, lowest quality
- Bicubic: Balanced (recommended)
- Lanczos: Highest quality, more CPU

# FPS
- 30 fps: Standard, lower bandwidth
- 60 fps: Smooth, higher bandwidth
- Variable: For recording only

Audio Configuration

# Settings > Audio

# Sample Rate: 48 kHz
# Channels: Stereo

# Audio Mixer (main window)
- Desktop Audio: System sounds
- Mic/Aux: Microphone input

# Per-source audio controls
Right-click source > Advanced Audio Properties
- Volume per source
- Monitor and Output
- Sync offset (fix delay)

# Audio filters (right-click audio source > Filters)
- Noise Suppression (RNNoise recommended)
- Noise Gate (remove background noise)
- Compressor (even out volume)
- Limiter (prevent clipping)
- Gain (volume adjustment)

# Recommended filter order:
1. Noise Suppression
2. Noise Gate
3. Compressor
4. Limiter

Hotkeys

# Settings > Hotkeys

# Essential hotkeys:
Start Streaming: Ctrl+Shift+S
Stop Streaming: Ctrl+Shift+S
Start Recording: Ctrl+Shift+R
Stop Recording: Ctrl+Shift+R

# Scene switching:
Switch to Scene [name]: F1, F2, F3...

# Source control:
Show/Hide [source]: Custom key
Mute/Unmute: Custom key

# Studio Mode:
Toggle Studio Mode: Ctrl+M
Transition: Enter

# Tips:
- Use function keys for scenes
- Use numpad for source toggles
- Consider stream deck integration

Studio Mode

# Enable: View > Studio Mode

# Two preview panels:
- Left: Preview (staging)
- Right: Program (live output)

# Workflow:
1. Select scene in Preview
2. Adjust as needed
3. Click Transition to go live

# Transition types:
- Cut: Instant switch
- Fade: Gradual blend
- Slide: Directional slide
- Stinger: Custom animation

# Stinger transitions:
- Video file with transparency
- Set transition point
- Audio optional

Browser Sources and Overlays

# Adding overlay from URL
Sources > + > Browser
URL: https://streamelements.com/overlay/...

# Local HTML file
URL: file:///path/to/overlay.html
Width/Height: Match your canvas

# Common overlay sources:
- StreamElements
- Streamlabs
- Own3d Pro
- Nerd or Die

# Custom CSS in browser source
- Modify overlay appearance
- Hide elements
- Custom animations

# Interact with browser source
Right-click > Interact
- Click buttons
- Enter text
- Control widgets

Filters and Effects

# Right-click source > Filters

# Video Filters:
- Chroma Key: Green screen removal
- Color Correction: Adjust colors
- Crop/Pad: Remove edges
- Image Mask/Blend: Custom shapes
- Scaling/Aspect Ratio: Resize
- Scroll: Moving banner
- Sharpen: Increase clarity
- LUT (Look Up Table): Color grading

# Chroma Key settings:
Key Color Type: Green (or custom)
Similarity: Adjust until background removed
Smoothness: Reduce edge harshness
Key Color Spill: Remove color bleed

# Color Correction:
Gamma: Overall brightness
Contrast: Light/dark difference
Brightness: Overall lighter/darker
Saturation: Color intensity
Hue Shift: Color rotation

Scene Collections and Profiles

# Scene Collections
- Save different scene layouts
- Switch for different content types
- Export/import for backup

Scene Collection > New
Scene Collection > Duplicate
Scene Collection > Export

# Profiles
- Save different settings configurations
- Streaming vs Recording settings
- Platform-specific settings

Profile > New
Profile > Duplicate
Profile > Export

# Backup strategy:
1. Export scene collection
2. Export profile
3. Backup OBS config folder:
   - Windows: %APPDATA%/obs-studio
   - macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/obs-studio
   - Linux: ~/.config/obs-studio

Recording Settings

# Settings > Output > Recording

# Simple Mode:
Recording Quality: High Quality
Recording Format: MKV (recommended)
Encoder: Hardware if available

# Why MKV?
- Recoverable if OBS crashes
- Remux to MP4 after (File > Remux Recordings)

# Advanced Mode:
Type: Standard
Recording Path: Your preferred folder
Recording Format: MKV
Video Encoder: x264 or hardware
Audio Track: 1 (or multiple)

# High Quality Recording:
CRF/CQ: 18-23 (lower = better quality)
Preset: Slow (better compression)
Profile: High

# Separate audio tracks:
- Enable multiple tracks
- Assign sources to tracks
- Edit each track separately in post

Virtual Camera

# Enable:
Tools > Start Virtual Camera

# Or add hotkey in settings

# Use cases:
- Zoom/Teams/Meet with OBS output
- Show scenes in video calls
- Apply filters to webcam

# Troubleshooting:
- Install OBS Virtual Camera (Windows)
- Grant permissions (macOS)
- Restart target application

Plugins and Extensions

# Popular plugins:

# StreamFX
- Advanced effects
- 3D transforms
- Blur effects

# Move Transition
- Animated source movement
- Scene transitions with motion

# Advanced Scene Switcher
- Automatic scene switching
- Based on conditions

# Source Record
- Record individual sources
- Separate files

# Closed Captions
- Live captioning
- Accessibility

# Plugin installation:
- Download from OBS forums
- Extract to plugins folder
- Restart OBS

# Plugin locations:
Windows: %ProgramFiles%/obs-studio/obs-plugins/
macOS: /Library/Application Support/obs-studio/plugins/
Linux: ~/.config/obs-studio/plugins/

Performance Optimization

# Reduce CPU usage:
- Use hardware encoder (NVENC/AMF/QuickSync)
- Lower resolution/framerate
- Simplify scenes (fewer sources)
- Disable preview when not needed

# Hardware encoding:
Settings > Output > Encoder
- NVIDIA: NVENC H.264
- AMD: AMD HW H.264 (AVC)
- Intel: QuickSync H.264

# If still struggling:
- Lower game settings
- Reduce bitrate
- Use Performance mode in games
- Close unnecessary applications

# Check stats:
View > Stats
- CPU usage
- Dropped frames
- Memory usage

Troubleshooting

# Black screen issues:
- Run as administrator
- Disable game mode (Windows)
- Try different capture method
- Update GPU drivers

# Audio issues:
- Check audio mixer levels
- Verify correct device selected
- Check Windows sound settings
- Restart audio monitoring

# Dropped frames:
- Lower bitrate
- Use hardware encoder
- Check network connection
- Try different server

# Encoding overload:
- Use faster preset
- Lower resolution
- Reduce framerate
- Use hardware encoding

# Logs:
Help > Log Files > Upload Current Log
- Share for troubleshooting
- Automatic analysis available

Conclusion

OBS Studio empowers creators with professional broadcasting capabilities at no cost. Its flexible scene system, comprehensive feature set, and active plugin community support virtually any streaming or recording scenario. Whether building a professional stream setup or recording tutorials, mastering OBS Studio opens unlimited possibilities for content creation.