{"id":1651,"date":"2021-07-26T11:00:59","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T11:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/?p=1651"},"modified":"2021-07-26T11:01:01","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T11:01:01","slug":"how-to-set-up-obs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/how-to-set-up-obs\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Set Up OBS Studio and Stream Online"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To start streaming<\/a>, you need what’s called an encoder\u2014a software tool for capturing and broadcasting content from your PC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OBS Studio is the encoder of choice for most streamers today. OBS makes it easy for content creators<\/a> to broadcast content to their streaming platform of choice. The tool is free to use, easy to learn, and comes with support for many input sources, streaming platforms<\/a>, capture devices, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll give you a quick run-through on how to set up OBS and start streaming today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Choose OBS?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
$\"obs$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
OBS is an open-source, cross-platform streaming and recording tool. It takes input sources, including video, audio, images, and text, and merges them into a stream ready to broadcast on platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, or Facebook Live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This encoder has an extensive list of features for producing, editing, and broadcasting livestreams, making it an ideal choice for both professional and hobby streamers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its main benefits include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Completely free for both commercial and non-profit use.<\/li>
Support for many different media formats.<\/li>
Easy to add new functionality through user-made plugins.<\/li>
Fine-grained control through an extensive settings menu.<\/li>
Fast and intuitive to use UI.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
How to Set Up OBS: Step-By-Step Guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
OBS is not that difficult to use. What sometimes makes things tricky for beginners is the number of settings and customization options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To help you navigate OBS and set up your first live stream, let\u2019s go over the basic process from start to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Download OBS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Browse to the official OBS Studio download page<\/a> and choose the installer for your operating system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are slight differences between input sources supported by the Windows, Linux, and Mac versions. Otherwise, the tool is almost identical on all OSes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Install OBS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Windows<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Windows and Mac, run the downloaded installer and follow the installation instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Linux<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Linux (Ubuntu), load the terminal and enter the following commands:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Add the OBS repository:<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
`sudo add-apt-repository ppa:obsproject\/obs-studio<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n`Update app repository:<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nsudo apt update<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nInstall OBS:<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nsudo apt install obs-studio<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n3. Configure OBS<\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe quickest way to configure OBS is to run the auto-configuration wizard. The wizard detects which hardware you’re using and adjusts the settings accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To customize OBS further, navigate to the File <\/em>menu and select Settings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Configure Video Settings<\/h4>\n\n\n\nThese settings determine the visual quality of your stream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note that higher settings impact performance. For example, setting the output resolution too high can result in an FPS drop during streaming and degrade the quality of the stream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a good default setting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set the Output (Scaled) Resolution <\/em>to less than your screen resolution (i.e., 1920×1080).<\/li> Set the Common FPS Values<\/em> to 30 FPS<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nConfigure Audio Settings<\/h4>\n\n\n\nThese settings determine the audio quality of your stream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Audio settings have less impact on performance unless you have an advanced audio setup with multiple microphones, instruments, or uncompressed audio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a good default configuration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set Channels<\/em> to Stereo<\/strong>.<\/li> Set Decay Rate <\/em>to Fast<\/strong>.<\/li> Set Peak Meter Type<\/em> to Sample Peak<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nConfigure Output Settings<\/h4>\n\n\n\nThese settings define the parameters of the final output file or stream. Output settings determine the file size after encoding, which can impact stream performance if you have data limits or a slower internet connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a good default setting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set the Video Bitrate<\/em> to 2500 Kbps<\/strong>.<\/li> Set the Encoder<\/em> to Hardware (NVENC)<\/strong>.<\/li> Set the Audio Bitrate<\/em> to 192<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n4. Link OBS to A Streaming Service<\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe beauty of OBS is that it supports every streaming service out there, including some defunct ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whichever streaming service you choose, you need a stream key to connect to it. The process of obtaining a stream key is different for every service. We will cover the three most popular streaming platforms: YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook Live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n YouTube<\/h4>\n\n\n\nTo find a YouTube stream key:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go to your YouTube Studio page.<\/li> Click the Camera icon<\/strong> in the top right corner of the screen and select Go Live<\/strong>.<\/li> Click Manage<\/strong> in the left-hand menu.<\/li> Click Copy<\/strong> next to the stream key to copy it to the clipboard.<\/li> Go to File<\/em> > Settings<\/em> > Stream <\/em>in OBS.<\/li> Select YouTube from the Service<\/em> list.<\/li> Paste the stream key in the Stream Key<\/em> field.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTwitch<\/h4>\n\n\n\nTo find a Twitch stream key:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go to your Twitch Channel page.<\/li> Click the Channel Icon<\/strong> and select Settings<\/strong>.<\/li> Go to the Channels and Videos<\/em> tab.<\/li> Click Copy<\/strong> next to the stream key to copy it to the clipboard.<\/li> Go to File<\/em> > Settings<\/em> > Stream <\/em>in OBS.<\/li> Select Twitch from the Service<\/em> list.<\/li> Click Use Stream Key<\/strong>.<\/li> Paste the stream key in the Stream Key<\/em> field.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFacebook Live<\/h4>\n\n\n\nTo find a Facebook Live stream key:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go to your Facebook homepage.<\/li> Click Live Video<\/strong>.<\/li> Click Use Stream Key<\/strong>.<\/li> Click Copy<\/strong> next to the stream key to copy it to the clipboard.<\/li> Go to File<\/em> > Settings<\/em> > Stream <\/em>in OBS.<\/li> Select Facebook Live from the Service<\/em> list.<\/li> Paste the stream key in the Stream Key<\/em> field.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow to Add Sources to Your Stream<\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe main element of an OBS stream is called a scene. Scenes can contain a variety of media sources, including audio recordings, screen capture, video files, text overlays, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at some of the sources you’re most likely to use during streaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo add an image source:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click the + <\/strong>button in the sources dock and select Image<\/strong>.<\/li> Toggle Create new<\/strong> and enable Make source visible<\/strong>.<\/li> Click Browse <\/strong>to find the image file on your hard drive, then click OK<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nText<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo add a text source:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click the +<\/strong> button in the sources dock and select Text<\/strong>.<\/li> Toggle Create new<\/strong> and enable Make source visible<\/strong>.<\/li> Write your text in the Text<\/em> field, stylize it to your liking, then click OK.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nVideo<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThere are several types of video sources you can add to your stream. This includes video files, screen recordings of an app (or the entire desktop), and webcam footage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The names of these sources will vary slightly based on the OS. For example, Windows uses the Game capture <\/strong>source for screen recordings of video game applications, while Linux uses the Windows capture<\/strong> source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To add a video file source:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click the + button in the sources dock and select Media Source<\/strong>.<\/li> Toggle Create new<\/strong> and enable Make source visible<\/strong>.<\/li> Toggle Local File<\/strong>, click Browse <\/strong>to find the video file on your hard drive, and click OK<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nTo add a webcam source:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click the +<\/strong> button in the sources dock and select Video Capture Device<\/strong>.<\/li> Toggle Create new<\/strong> and enable Make source visible<\/strong>.<\/li> Select your webcam from the Device<\/strong> list, then click OK<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nTo add an application source:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click the +<\/strong> button in the sources dock and select Window Capture<\/strong>.<\/li> Toggle Create new<\/strong> and enable Make source visible<\/strong>.<\/li> Select your application window from the Window<\/strong> list, then click OK<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nAudio<\/h3>\n\n\n\nThere are several types of audio sources that you can add to a stream, the most important being audio output capture and audio input capture. The names of these sources will vary slightly based on your OS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To add your desktop audio as a source:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click the +<\/strong> button in the sources dock and select Audio Output Capture<\/strong>.<\/li> Toggle Create new<\/strong> and enable Make source visible<\/strong>.<\/li> Select your desktop audio output device from the Device<\/strong> list, then click OK<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nTo add microphone audio as a source:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click the +<\/strong> button in the sources dock and select Audio Input Capture<\/strong>.<\/li> Toggle Create new<\/strong> and enable Make source visible<\/strong>.<\/li> Select your microphone device from the Device<\/strong> list, then click OK<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nLearn how content creators earn money<\/a> and how you can take advantage of this medium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nConclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\nOBS is easy to learn but difficult to master. The basic setup process is as easy as launching auto-configure, adding a few media sources, and connecting to a streaming service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you get the hang of it, you can dive into the numerous configuration options to further fine-tune your stream.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" To start streaming, you need what’s called an encoder\u2014a software tool for capturing and broadcasting content from your PC. OBS Studio is the encoder of choice for most streamers today. OBS makes it easy for content creators to broadcast content…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":1653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"post_series":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1651"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1651"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1703,"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1651\/revisions\/1703"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1651"},{"taxonomy":"post_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glimpse.me\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_series?post=1651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}