how to use OBS

by going over display capture,

setting up scenes, starting a recording,

and we will also touch on audio and other settings.

Use our clickable sections below

to skip to different sections of the tutorial.

OBS is available on both Windows and Mac.

For this tutorial,

we'll be using the application on Windows,

but they are almost identical

on both operating systems.

If this is your first time using OBS,

your screen-capture area should be black,

which means that you need to set up a source.

To do this, on the bottom, select the plus sign

and choose what source you want to use.

"Display Capture" will capture anything

that is showing up on your display,

"Video Capture Device" will show your webcam

or a connected video-capture device,

and "Window Capture" only captures

what is currently in the window,

like a video game or a web browser.

For this example,

we will choose Display Capture,

which is one of the most common choices.

This is used to record your screen

and save it as a file for editing later.

Choose Display Capture, and you will have

an option to label the source.

Before you confirm, make sure you choose

"Make source visible," and then click "OK."

If you have multiple monitors,

click "Display" and choose

what monitor you're going to record.

After you choose it, make sure to mark

if you want your cursor to be captured

by clicking on "Capture Cursor" and then "OK."

You can also crop your recording area to your desire

by adjusting the scale by dragging the corners.

Another source example is "Game Capture,"

which will only record the game screen of your choice.

Head over to Sources again

and click the plus button,

then "Game Capture."

Click "Make source visible,"

and then "OK."

After this, choose what mode you would like,

and then "OK."

Next to Sources, you'll see "Scenes."

This is where you can create

different combinations of sources

that you can transition to during a livestream.

For example, you can have one scene

be a game-capture and a video-capture device.

This is your basic video-game-streaming look.

Then you can have another scene

that is just a video-capture device,

which can show your webcam full screen,

for when you're not playing

and you're interacting with your chat.

The "Audio Mixer" window shows

the current audio inputs into OBS.

Mac users need to install a third-party app

that allows OBS to capture the desktop audio.

Check out the link in the description below

for more information on using OBS with a Mac.

If you want to change any audio settings,

go to the Audio Mixer,

click "Settings" on the audio track

you want to adjust, then click "Properties."

Here, you can adjust the source of the audio.

Next to it, in "Controls,"

you can choose to "Start Streaming"

if you're about to play a game.

Or click "Start Recording"

if you want to record your screen.

While you're recording your screen,

it will say "Stop Recording" to end your screen recording.

In "Settings," you'll find options for things

like streaming service and server settings.

In "Output," you can change video bitrate

to 3,000 or 3,500,

as it will present your stream

in the best quality possible.

In "Recording," you can choose where your files

are going to be saved, the recording quality,

the recording format, and the encoder.

In "Settings," we also have audio,

but leaving it as it is

is a good idea.

On "Video," we're going to be able to change

the base resolution to the size of your display.

An output resolution of

1,920 by 1,080 is preferred.

You're now ready to record with OBS.