Key takeaways
- Sources at the top of the Sources list draw on top of everything below them.
- Put your webcam and alerts in one “nested” scene and add that scene to every layout, so you edit it once.
- Profiles store settings; scene collections store layouts. Use separate profiles for recording and streaming.
- New OBS installs record to Hybrid MP4, which survives crashes; older setups should use MKV and remux to MP4.
- A 40 Mbps recording uses about 18 GB per hour, so check free space before long sessions.
OBS Studio works in three layers: scenes are layouts, sources are the things inside each layout (your game, webcam, microphone, images), and the output settings decide whether that mix is recorded to a file or sent to a stream. To use it, create a scene, add sources and arrange them in the preview, check your audio in the mixer, choose a recording format, then press Start Recording. This OBS Studio tutorial covers the parts most beginner guides rush through: how scenes, nested scenes, profiles and scene collections fit together, which source to use for what, filters, hotkeys, Studio Mode, and recording settings with real file-size numbers. It is based on OBS Studio 32.2, the current version as of October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Sources at the top of the Sources list draw on top of everything below them.
- Put your webcam and alerts in one “nested” scene and add that scene to every layout, so you edit it once.
- Profiles store settings; scene collections store layouts. Use separate profiles for recording and streaming.
- New OBS installs record to Hybrid MP4, which survives crashes; older setups should use MKV and remux to MP4.
- A 40 Mbps recording uses about 18 GB per hour, so check free space before long sessions.
What OBS Studio Is and How the Window Is Laid Out
OBS Studio is a free, open-source app for recording and live streaming video on Windows, macOS and Linux. When you open it, you see five main areas, called docks:
| Area | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Preview | Large area at the top | Shows the current scene exactly as it will be recorded or streamed |
| Scenes | Bottom left | List of layouts; click one to switch |
| Sources | Next to Scenes | Layers inside the selected scene, top drawn first on screen |
| Audio Mixer | Center bottom | Level meters, volume and mute for every audio source |
| Scene Transitions | Right of the mixer | Effect and duration when switching scenes |
| Controls | Bottom right | Start Streaming, Start Recording, Studio Mode, Settings |
Docks can be moved, closed and reopened from the Docks menu. If you ever lose one, use the reset option in the Docks menu to restore the default layout.
OBS Studio Tutorial Step 1: Plan Your Scenes
A scene is a saved arrangement of sources. Most creators need four to six:
- Starting Soon: an image or looping video, background music, a countdown text.
- Gameplay: game capture, webcam in a corner, alerts.
- Facecam / Just Chatting: large webcam, smaller game or browser.
- Be Right Back: image plus muted mic.
- Ending: credits, social handles.
To create one, click + under Scenes and name it. To copy an existing layout as a starting point, right-click it and choose Duplicate.
Nested scenes save hours
Make a scene called “Overlay – Webcam” containing your webcam, its frame and its filters. Then, in every other scene, add a source of type Scene and pick “Overlay – Webcam”. When you later change the frame or fix the color, every layout updates at once. The same trick works for alerts, chat boxes and branding.
Profiles vs scene collections
- Scene Collection (menu bar): a set of scenes and sources. Useful if you have very different shows, for example one for gaming and one for tutorials.
- Profile (menu bar): output, video, audio and stream settings. Create one profile tuned for high-quality recording and another for streaming, then switch with two clicks rather than changing ten settings.
Back them up from the same menus with Export. That is the fastest way to move your setup to a new PC.
Sources: Which One to Use for What
Click + under Sources to add one. Since OBS 32.2, this opens a new picker window with preview thumbnails, which makes it easier to find the right window or device.
| Source | Use it for | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Game Capture (Windows) | Full-screen games | Most efficient; set mode to “Capture specific window” |
| Window Capture | Browsers, apps, windowed games | Try the “Windows 10 (1903 and up)” capture method if it shows black |
| Display Capture | Whole monitor, desktop tutorials | Captures notifications too; turn on Do Not Disturb |
| Video Capture Device | Webcams, capture cards | Set resolution and FPS manually instead of “Device Default” |
| Audio Input Capture | Microphone | Select the mic by name, not “Default” |
| Application Audio Capture | Audio from one app only (Windows) | Keeps Discord or music out of the recording |
| Image / Image Slide Show | Logos, frames, BRB screens | PNG keeps transparency |
| Media Source | Intro videos, looping backgrounds | Tick “Loop” and “Restart playback when source becomes active” |
| Browser | Alerts, chat, web widgets | Each one is a small web browser; keep the count low |
| Text | Titles, countdowns, labels | Can read from a file for live-updating text |
Arranging sources in the preview
- Move and resize: drag the red box. Hold Alt while dragging an edge to crop instead of scale.
- Fit to screen: select the source and press Ctrl+F. Ctrl+R resets the transform if you mess it up.
- Layer order: drag sources up or down in the list. Top draws on top.
- Lock: click the padlock icon so you cannot nudge a finished layout by accident.
- Hide: click the eye icon to hide a source without deleting it.
Filters: Fixing Video and Audio Inside OBS
Right-click any source and choose Filters. Effect filters change the image; audio filters change sound.
- Webcam: Color Correction for warmth and contrast, Crop/Pad to trim edges, Image Mask/Blend for rounded or circular cams, Chroma Key if you have a green screen. RTX owners also get NVIDIA background removal, which can blur or remove the background without a green screen.
- Microphone: Noise Suppression first, then Compressor (about 4:1 ratio), then Limiter at -1 dB. Order matters: filters run top to bottom.
- Game or desktop: usually nothing. A Sharpen filter can help a soft capture card image.
Audio: The Mixer, Monitoring and Separate Tracks
Speak and watch the mic meter: voice should peak in the yellow section, roughly -12 to -6 dB, never in the red. Then open Edit > Advanced Audio Properties (or the gear icon in the mixer). Two settings matter:
- Audio Monitoring: “Monitor Off” for normal use, “Monitor and Output” to hear a source in your headphones, for example a media file you play during recording.
- Tracks: OBS can record up to six separate audio tracks. Put your mic on Track 2, game audio on Track 3, Discord on Track 4, and keep everything mixed on Track 1. Then in Settings > Output > Recording, tick tracks 1-4. When you edit, you can lower the game without touching your voice.
The audio mixer was overhauled in OBS 32.1, so screenshots in older guides may look different, but these settings work the same way.
Studio Mode, Transitions and Hotkeys
Click Studio Mode in Controls to split the view: the left side is a preview you can edit freely, the right side is what is being recorded or streamed. Click Transition to send your edited preview live. This is the safest way to adjust a layout mid-recording.
Transitions default to Fade at 300 ms. Cut is instant; Stinger plays a short video with transparency, which looks polished once you have branding.
In Settings > Hotkeys, set at least these:
- Start Recording and Stop Recording (or one toggle key)
- Push-to-mute for your mic
- Switch to each main scene
- Save Replay (if you use the replay buffer)
Pick keys your game does not use, such as Ctrl+Shift+F-keys or a numpad.
How to Record in OBS Studio
- Open Settings > Output. Simple mode is fine for most recordings. Choose Recording Quality “High Quality, Medium File Size” for everyday clips or “Indistinguishable Quality, Large File Size” for footage you will edit heavily.
- Choose the recording path. Use a fast SSD with plenty of free space, ideally not the same drive the game is installed on.
- Choose the format. New profiles in OBS 32 use Hybrid MP4, which is crash resistant and plays everywhere. If your profile still says MP4 (non-hybrid), switch to Hybrid MP4 or MKV, because a crash can corrupt a standard MP4 completely.
- Choose the encoder. Hardware (NVENC, AMD, QuickSync) keeps game performance high. In Advanced mode, use CQP or CQ rate control with a level of about 18-23 for recording: lower numbers mean higher quality and bigger files.
- Press Start Recording. The status bar shows elapsed time and a red dot. File > Show Recordings opens the folder.
- If you recorded MKV, use File > Remux Recordings to convert it to MP4 losslessly in seconds for editors that dislike MKV.
How much disk space recordings use
File size is roughly bitrate multiplied by time. One hour is 3,600 seconds, and 8 bits make a byte, so a 10 Mbps recording uses 10 x 3,600 / 8 = 4,500 MB, about 4.5 GB per hour.
| Average bitrate | Typical use | Size per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Mbps | Stream-quality archive | About 2.7 GB |
| 10 Mbps | 1080p tutorials, slow content | About 4.5 GB |
| 20 Mbps | 1080p60 gameplay for YouTube | About 9 GB |
| 40 Mbps | High-quality 1080p60 or 1440p for editing | About 18 GB |
| 80 Mbps | 4K60 gameplay | About 36 GB |
With CQP or CQ, the bitrate varies with what is on screen: static desktop tutorials use far less than fast shooters, so treat these as worst-case planning numbers.
Replay Buffer: Save Highlights After They Happen
In Settings > Output, enable Replay Buffer and set the maximum replay time, for example 30-60 seconds. Start the replay buffer from Controls, then press your Save Replay hotkey whenever something worth keeping happens. OBS writes the last 30-60 seconds to disk. It keeps footage in RAM, so long buffers at high bitrates use more memory: 60 seconds at 40 Mbps is about 300 MB.
Example: Recording a Tutorial with a Webcam Overlay
- Create a scene called “Tutorial”.
- Add Display Capture for your monitor (or Window Capture for one app).
- Add your nested “Overlay – Webcam” scene and place it bottom right, about one-fifth of the screen width.
- Add Audio Input Capture for your mic and Application Audio Capture for the app you are demonstrating.
- Put the mic on Track 2 and app audio on Track 3 in Advanced Audio Properties.
- Switch to your recording profile, check free space, and press Start Recording.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use OBS Studio for beginners in the simplest way?
Run the Auto-Configuration Wizard, create one scene, add a Display Capture or Game Capture source and your microphone, and press Start Recording. Add webcams, overlays and extra scenes only after you are comfortable with that basic loop.
Why is my Display Capture or Game Capture black?
On laptops with two GPUs, OBS may run on a different GPU than the game. Open Windows Settings > System > Display > Graphics, add OBS, and set it to the GPU that drives your screen. For games, also run OBS as administrator and set Game Capture to capture the specific game window.
Should I record in MKV or MP4?
Use Hybrid MP4 in OBS 32 or later; it plays everywhere and survives crashes. On older versions, record in MKV and remux to MP4 afterwards, because a standard MP4 is unreadable if OBS or the PC crashes mid-recording.
How do I record only game audio without Discord?
Use Application Audio Capture to pick the game process only, instead of Desktop Audio. Alternatively, route Discord to a separate audio track so you can mute it while editing.
Is OBS Studio free?
Yes. OBS Studio is free and open source, with no watermark, time limit or paid tier. Download it only from obsproject.com or the project’s official GitHub page.
What is the difference between a scene and a source?
A source is a single input such as a webcam, game, image or microphone. A scene is a layout that holds several sources in a specific arrangement. You switch scenes; you edit sources.
