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How do I optimize OBS studio?

By Madison Flores |

How do I optimize OBS studio?

Here are some ways you can reduce resource utilization and, hopefully, make both OBS and your programs run faster while encoding:
  1. Downscale your output resolution.
  2. Lower your frame rate.
  3. Change your x264 preset.
  4. Try Quicksync, AMF, or NVENC.
  5. Check your sources.
  6. Upgrade your hardware.

Furthermore, what are the best settings for OBS studio?

To help you set up OBS faster, we've prepared this easy guide on the best OBS settings. So, what are the best OBS settings for streaming?

The Best OBS Video Bitrate.

QualityResolutionRecommended Video Bitrate (kbps)
Medium360800
High4801200
High Definition7201500
High Definition10804000

Also Know, how do I customize my OBS studio? How to Customize Your OBS Stream Layout

  1. To move windows in OBS Studio, all you need to do is click on its title and drag it to where you'd like it to be.
  2. A small preview window should pop up.
  3. Note: If you've yet to install the OBS.
  4. Within the Overlay Editor, you'll see the scene on the right and a list of the elements within the scene on the left.

Similarly, how do I optimize OBS?

8 OBS tips to make your stream run smoothly

  1. Use your Graphics Card for Encoding.
  2. Load your Overlay from a single Browser Source.
  3. Adjust Video Bitrate.
  4. You can set your Video Bitrate in Settings > Output > Streaming.
  5. Advanced Encoder Settings.
  6. There are a couple of hidden settings within Settings > Output > Streaming.

What is the best rate control for OBS?

If you're streaming, use CBR as every platform recommends it and it's a reliable form of Rate Control. If you're recording and need to be high quality, use CQP if the file size is no issue, or VBR if you want to keep file size more reasonable.

What bitrate should I use for 1080p 60fps?

Recommended video bitrates for SDR uploads
TypeVideo Bitrate, Standard Frame Rate (24, 25, 30)Video Bitrate, High Frame Rate (48, 50, 60)
2160p (4k)35-45 Mbps53-68 Mbps
1440p (2k)16 Mbps24 Mbps
1080p8 Mbps12 Mbps
720p5 Mbps7.5 Mbps

Should I use Nvenc or x264?

NVENC in the GTX 10-series GPUs provides superior quality than x264 Very Fast, the most commonly used x264 preset. And in the new RTX 20-series, NVENC performs better than x264 Fast and on par with x264 Medium, a preset that requires an expensive dual PC setup.

Is Streamlabs better than OBS?

Streamlabs OBS is ultimately an advancement of OBS with increased functionality. Streamlabs OBS is essentially the same OBS code revamped with a better user experience. This software is also free and offers an even easier installation process than OBS.

What is the best downscale filter for OBS?

The option called Downscale Filter will decide how you choose to downscale your resolution if you choose to do this. The top option is Bilinear and it is the best option for streaming on a less powerful computer. Since it's the fastest it doesn't spend as much resources doing the downscale.

Why is my OBS recording choppy?

The main cause of a choppy video is a computer that does not meet our minimum hardware requirements. If your machine does meet these requirements, please follow the below steps to confirm you have setup OBS correctly: Check Frame Rate – Your recordings should be set to 30 frames per second (FPS).

What bitrate should I record at OBS?

If you have low-end specs, you will need to downscale the bitrate to 15000-25000. If your computer can handle it, you can upscale bitrate. The last OBS settings to change in this screen are in the Two-Pass Encoding. Set GPU to 0 and B-frames set to 2.

Does Streamlabs OBS use more CPU than OBS?

With the simple interface, OBS Studio usually boasts a lower CPU usage while streaming. OBS Studio is also the parent to most of the other alterations of the program, such as OBS Live and Streamlabs OBS.

Does OBS use CPU or GPU?

In particular, NVENC on the NVIDIA 10-series GPUs is currently better than any Quick Sync (Intel) or AMF capable (AMD) product. Additionally, OBS also requires some CPU resources to be running, just like any other app. The more sources you have, the more CPU it will require.

What should my bitrate be?

For 720p video at 60 frames per second, the bitrate should be between 3,500 and 5,000 kbps. In terms of upload speeds, that means between 4.4 Mbps and 6.2 Mbps. For 1080p video at 30 frames per second, the bitrate should be 3,500 to 5,000 kbps – same as for 720p video at 60 fps.

How can I improve streaming quality?

There are a few tricks you can use to improve stream quality:
  1. Restart the streaming service.
  2. Reboot your home network.
  3. Move your Wi-Fi hub and router to an optimal location — somewhere central, open and away from obstruction.
  4. Kick some devices off the network.
  5. Disable your VPN.
  6. Change your DNS server.

Should I use software or hardware encoding OBS?

The software encoder (x264) will use your CPU to encode video, while hardware encoders like NVENC will offload the encoding process to your GPU. However, the advantage is a decreased load on your CPU. If you have a particularly powerful GPU or a dedicated streaming PC, consider using a hardware encoder.

Does stream delay improve quality?

It'll give a (slightly) better image quality, and optimize the encoding portion so you get more visual quality for less bitrate. But again, it's only a slight fidelity improvement for a pretty noticeable CPU load increase. (edit) Also, some people DO use a local RTMP server and re-encode it

What does OBS do for streaming?

OBS Studio is a free and open-source software suite for recording and live streaming. Written in C, C++ and Qt, OBS provides real-time source and device capture, scene composition, encoding, recording, and broadcasting.

Can you edit videos on Streamlabs OBS?

The XSplit Express Video Editor is the best way to edit your recordings, expand your content's reach and is 100% free. Import recordings from OBS, Streamlabs, StreamElements, and XSplit at the click of a button!

Does Streamlabs have free overlays?

StreamLabs is a free desktop streaming application built for professional streamers. It includes hundreds of free themes and design elements you can install directly into your editor, with one click. You can select from both static and animated themes.

What can you do on OBS?

Instead of recording a video with your handheld iPhone, OBS enables even casual users to learn how to use multiple cameras and switch between them, add professional-looking titles, make smooth transitions between cameras, and then create a smooth recording for upload to YouTube or Vimeo.

Who uses Streamlabs OBS?

Nowadays, there are two popular broadcast software programs: OBS Studio and Streamlabs OBS. Nearly every streamer on YouTube, Mixer, Twitch, and Facebook Live uses one of them.

How do I use OBS to live?

Network connection for streaming.
  1. Step 1: Connect AV.io capture device.
  2. Step 2: Open OBS Studio.
  3. Step 3: Add AV.io device as a source.
  4. Step 4: Add additional source(s)
  5. Step 5: Gather stream key from Facebook Live.
  6. Step 6: Set OBS to stream to Facebook Live.
  7. Step 7: Configure encoding settings.

Does Bitrate affect recording?

Bitrate is the number of bits per second. The symbol is bit/s. It generally determines the size and quality of video and audio files: the higher the bitrate, the better the quality, and the larger the file size because of File size = bitrate (kilobits per second) x duration.

Does higher bitrate use more CPU?

Bitrate does have an influence on cpu, since you basically convert more data per second. But it's pretty minor even on lower end cpu's unless you go for extremes (in the 100000's). Preset, resolution and fps are of a much bigger influence on your processor.

What is Rate Control in OBS?

CBR controls bitrate. CQP specifies a quality level, regardless of how much (or how little) data needs to be captured to achieve that quality level. Streaming sites want non-variable bitrates, but when you're recording it doesn't matter as much.

What is rescale output OBS?

Thanks in advance. Yeah, "Rescale Output" in the Streaming and Recording tabs is CPU calculated, unlike the "Output (Scaled) Resolution" in Video settings (which has downscaling filters and is GPU handled). It puts more load onto the CPU and also looks bad when downscaling for example 1080p to 720p.

Is variable bit rate better than constant?

The biggest advantage of VBR when compared to CBR is the sound quality to file size ratio. You can usually achieve a smaller file size by encoding audio with VBR rather than CBR because of the way the bitrate is altered depending on the nature of the sound. The bitrate reduces for silence or quieter parts of a song.

Should I use my GPU or CPU to stream?

If you have a powerful GPU, GPU encoding is better. If you have a powerful CPU, CPU encoding is better. The recommended number of cores for streaming is 6 so if you have 6 cores you can easily stream your game play. If you have the new Nvidia Turing cards I will suggest you use GPU encoding.

Why does my bitrate drop?

Network congestion is the main culprit. Having a static bitrate can cause frames to drop because your connection is unable to keep up and will drop frames to improve the stability of your stream and minimize latency. An unstable connection to your ISP or streaming over wifi is most common.

What is tune in OBS?

Tune=film. For Performance. CPU Preset= Veryfast. Profile=main. Tune=fastdecode or zerolatency.

What is OBS keyframe interval?

It's part of the h. 264 codec. Basically a keyframes is a full compressed image, like a jpeg. Having a lower keyframes interval means that you will sent more framerate and this needs more bitrate and upload rate. Finding the optimal setting depends on the type of game you stream/record.