The Best OBS Recording Settings in 2023 – Movavi

Frequently asked questions

What are the best settings for OBS recording?

For many users, the best settings for OBS recording are:

• Video file format: MP4

• Audio track: 1

• Encoder: x264

• Bitrate: 40,000 (or 15,000-25,000 if you’re working with a lower-end computer)

How do I set up OBS for recording?

When you first open OBS Studio, you should be prompted to go through the auto-configuration process. If the Auto-Configuration Wizard tool doesn’t automatically pop up, you can find it in the Tools menu at the top of your screen. Run this tool to let OBS automatically check your system’s requirements and attempt to find the settings appropriate for your computer. This should include the settings for your recording, resolution, encoder, bitrate, and other settings.

Once you’ve run the auto-config tool, check that OBS is set up for your preferred audio device. You can do this by clicking Settings > Audio. Then verify that it has the right audio device selected or change it if you’re using another device.

Next, you’ll need to add your video source(s). Find the Sources box at the bottom of the screen and click +. This will give you several options, including Game Capture, Window, or Video Capture Device (for capturing webcam video). Select the appropriate video source(s), and you’ll be set to start recording.

How do I set up OBS for recording games?

To record gameplay with OBS, go to Settings > Audio to ensure that your audio output is set correctly to your internal computer audio or to an external microphone if you’re using one. Next, go to the Sources box at the bottom of the screen. Click + and select Game Capture. This will ensure that you record the window for your game and no other video sources.

Why is my OBS recording laggy?

If the video you’re capturing isn’t lagging, but your OBS recording is, you likely need to reduce your bitrate and/or turn down your resolution settings for your game. If the problem persists, and you know that your computer is not lagging, you might want to try an alternative video capture application, like Movavi Screen Recorder.

Check out this overview of no-lag screen recorders:

Best no-lag screen recorders

What’s the best recording format in OBS?

We recommend setting FLV as the recording format in OBS. Picking FLV has a great advantage – if OBS crashes during recording for whatever reason, everything you’ve captured before that will be saved. In terms of format support, your best choice is MP4 since this format is most commonly used.

What are the best OBS settings for 720p 60fps?

For streaming or recording in 720p, the two main options are bitrate and resolution. For 720p video at 60 frames per second, the recommended bitrate range is 2,500 to 5,000 kbps. The Canvas Resolution should be the size of the window you want to capture. The Scaled Resolution should be 1280 × 720 for a 720p stream or video.

Which OBS encoder is the best?

It depends mostly on your hardware. If you have an NVIDIA graphic card, you can use the NVIDIA NVENC H.264 codec that provides better quality than x264 encoder, but doesn’t have its custom options. On the other hand, x264 encoder uses CPU and might be a better choice for streaming. If you are an advanced user, there are OBS custom x264 encoder settings you can utilize that aren’t present in NVIDIA NVENC H.264 codec.