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How to start live streaming using OBS Studio?

A beginner-friendly guide to setting up your first live stream with OBS Studio.

How to start live streaming using OBS Studio: A quick step-by-step tutorial

Did you know that OBS Studio is a free and open-source screen recorder available for Windows, Mac and Linux? It's super easy to use and packed with features that help you produce professional live streams.

While the Windows and Mac downloads come with standard installation packages, the Linux link will redirect you to another page with installation instructions.

You can use the OBS Studio to enhance your live streams and grow your audience. Below, we've laid out a simple guide to help you use OBS studio easily and get more views.

Getting started with OBS Studio

Download it using this link: https://obsproject.com/

At the top, you'll see a dashboard displaying visuals from your computer screen and at the bottom, an expanded submenu with several buttons. Don’t be overwhelmed, it’s quite easy to operate.

If you wish to record your screen and store it as a file on your computer (preferably to edit later), follow these steps:

Sources | Tell OBS Studio what to capture

Source 1

  • Tap the plus (+) button in the Sources box located at the bottom left of your screen
  • Select Display Capture
    rename the title as you wish.
  • Make sure "Make Source Visible" is checked, then click OK
  • Click the display dropdown to select the monitor you’re using. (if you’re using only one monitor, you’ll see only one option
  • If you want your mouse cursor to be captured while recording, make sure "Capture Cursor" is checked. Then click OK

Source 2

  • Go back to the Sources box and tap the plus (+) icon.
  • If you want to record a video game, select Game Capture.
    Rename the title as you like.
  • Make sure "Make Source Visible" is checked, then click OK
  • Leave everything at the default settings and click OK again.
  • If you want to change the Source settings, select the source and click the gear icon at the bottom
  • Here, you can change the display or choose to hide the "Capture cursor" option
  • To delete a source, select it and click the minus (-) icon at the bottom.
  • You'll be asked to confirm your selection. Click Yes or No.
  • The up and down arrows change the priority of your sources.
  • Make sure the source you’re currently using is at the top of the list.

Mixer | Control audio settings in OBS Studio 

Besides recording your display, OBS also records desktop audio from the application you're capturing (game, browser, or other software). The Mixer section next to Sources allows you to control all recorded audio settings.

If you wish to record audio from your microphone, follow these steps:

  • Make sure Desktop Audio is set to Default.
  • To do so, click the gear icon under Desktop Audio, select Properties, choose Default, and click OK
  • Below Desktop Audio, you’ll see a separate setting for the microphone.
  • Click the gear icon, go to Properties, and select the microphone you want OBS Studio to record
  • Once selected, click OK

Now that you’re familiar with the basics, here's a quick overview of the other options in the interface.

Some of these features cover more advanced aspects of OBS, so we won’t go into detailed explanations here.

Scenes | Record multiple scenes using OBS Studio

To the left of Sources is Scenes. This feature allows you to use more than one source when recording. It's a more advanced setup, and since this guide focuses on the basics, we won't dive into it here.

Scene Transitions | Preset transitions to enhance the visual experience 

To the right of the Mixer, you’ll see Screen Transitions.

Screen Transitions allow you to add effects between scenes. If you're not using transitions, you don’t need to adjust this section.

Controls | Quick settings to toggle streaming and recording

On the fair right of the interface, you’ll see Controls panel.

Under Controls, you’ll see options such as Start Streaming, Stop Recording, Studio Mode, and Exit.

Most of these options are self-explanatory, but here's a quick explanation of Studio Mode.

As you become more comfortable using OBS Studio, you may want to try Studio Mode.

This setting allows you to make changes while you’re streaming, such as adding and resizing images or adding text.

Settings | Optimize OBS Studio for best performance

While many settings are designed for advanced users (which we may cover in another guide) here are a few general settings you should know:

General

If you’re streaming and you want to save a copy of your live stream on your computer, under Option check the Automatically record when streaming option.

Stream

Depending on where you’re currently streaming you can select the streaming service. Under Stream, look for Service. It would be best to leave the server on auto, but if you wish to select it manually, you can do so by selecting the region you’re currently in or is closest to you.

Output

Output is where you make selections like Video Bitrate, Encoder, Audio Bitrate, among others. If you are streaming you might want to increase the Video Bitrate to 3500 for best results.

If you are recording you can choose where your recorded files should be stored, the quality of your recording, format, among other settings.

Audio

While it’s best to keep your Audio Settings at default, you can set your Mic audio device, Channels, Sample Rate among other audio settings.

Video

Under the video, you can select your base resolution (which ideally should be set based on the size of your display)

If you have a high-end PC, it would be best to keep the output resolution to 1920x1080. For low-end computers, however, you can reduce it to 1280x720.

Keeping in mind the performance of your computer you can set the Common FPS Values to somewhere between 30-60.

Hotkeys

The hotkeys section is where you can assign keyboard shortcuts for OBS Studio.

Conclusion

Open Broadcaster Software (OBS Studio) is an ideal solution for most streamers. Doesn’t matter where you stream. From Youtube and Twitch to DailyMotion and even Facebook Live OBS flawlessly covers most of them. The best part? Depending on where you’re streaming it automatically makes those changes to your general settings.

If you have just started streaming, or because the recording was a primary constraint you avoided the run, well this is your time! OBS Studio is free and available cross-platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is OBS software used for?

Ans: OBS is a free and open-source software for offline video recording and live streaming.

Q2. How do I get OBS?

Ans: You can download the OBS Software on your computer using this link: https://obsproject.com/

Q3. Is OBS good for low-end PC?

Ans: With OBS you can have a good quality stream even on a low-end PC.

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