OBS Studio for Beginners - Learn How to use it to Record, Stream Video Online

What is OBS Studio, and why is it so popular among YouTubers?

OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) Studio is a free, open-source software used for video recording and live streaming. It works on all major operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux.

 

How to Add a Web Camera or Computer Screen for Video Recording

How to add a Web Camera

In OBS Studio, you will see the "Sources" tab at the bottom of the screen. 

Click the + icon (Add Source).

Choose "Video Capture Device". Leave the Default name or add the name you want. Then click the "OK" button. 

Then select your Web Camera from the list. 

Then click the "OK" button.

How to Record a Computer Screen

In OBS Studio, you will see the "Sources" tab at the bottom of the screen. 

Click the + icon (Add Source).

Choose "Display Capture". Leave the Default name or add the name you want. Then click the "OK" button. 

In "Capture Method", select the screen. 

 

How to Save the Last Settings I Used on OBS Studio

When you close OBS, your current settings, including video, audio sources, and scenes automatically saved. 

 

How to Switch Different Configurations

Some people will use OBS Studio for Screen Recording, Game screen Streaming. So they need to set up a separate configuration for two kinds of work.

If you want to save different configurations, you can use Profiles. 

In menus, go to "Profile". Rename your current profile.  

If you want to add a new Profile, just use the "Add" button.

How to Backup OBS Studio

On your Windows, go to the following location.

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\obs-studio\ 

Just copy the folder. Save this folder somewhere on your computer. If anything happens in the future, just paste it back in the same location.

Common Problems & Solutions

Problem 1: Video, Audio Unsync Problem

The voice plays before the video when I record videos on OBS Studio. It looks unsync.

Solution:

In the "Audio Mixer panel", find the exact audio input recorded with video. You will see the three-dot icon at the bottom right of the audio recording source. 

Click the icon and choose the "Advanced Audio Properties".

Set the "Sync Offset" value to your mic. Example 100 ms or 260 ms. You can calculate this value using the previously recorded video (which has a mouth sync problem). Add that video in Premiere Pro. Find the frames that have a difference. Then calculate the "Sync Offset" value.