How to set up OBS Studio for live streaming
Miscellaneous / / April 03, 2023
A guide for those who want to quickly organize a presentation, an online party or demonstrate their gaming skills.
Check general settings
After installing OBS Studio, you need to launch it and open the customization panel along the path File → Settings. If you have a program in English, then you can change it to Russian in the topmost item of the general settings.
Select the desired language from the list and click the Apply and OK buttons. The application will prompt you to restart, confirm this action. The program will close and start again with the changes applied.
In the general settings, you can also choose the appropriate design theme - dark or lighter. If you don't want OBS Studio tabs to be accidentally included in the live stream, check the corresponding box "Hide OBS windows from screen capture".
Adjust output settings
This is the name of the settings that are responsible for the video and audio stream that is broadcast live. To get started, it's best to use the simple output format available at the very top.
The bitrate level is important here, the quality of the broadcast depends on it. Too large values can lead to the fact that for most viewers the playback will be unstable, with freezes.
You can leave the default value or enter a level of about 2300 Kbps for video. If you are sure that you have a communication channel with a stable high speed data transfer, increase the bit rate to 3500 or 4000 kbps. For audio, you can set 320 Kb / s.
OSB Studio offers several encoders to choose from:
- software (x264) - uses only the central processor.
- hardware (NVENC) - available if the system has video card from Nvidia. Reduces the load on the CPU.
- hardware (QSV) - an encoder that uses the integrated graphics chip of the processor from Intel, if there is one in the system.
It is better to use the second or third option, if the filling of your computer matches them. Otherwise, leave the software encoder. It is slower, but at the same time versatile.
Next, in the encoder preset, select good or better quality if the bit rate allows. For broadcasts from a low-performance computer, an average value is suitable.
In the "Record" block, specify the path where the video stream will be saved, as well as in what format it will be recorded. You can leave the MKV format or choose MP4.
Customize video and audio
In the "Audio" section, you can configure the sound, microphone, and connect multiple audio sources for playback in the broadcast. It also changes the turn-on and turn-off delay time of the microphone. The values here may vary depending on devices and services.
The main options are "Desktop Audio" and "Microphone/Auxiliary Audio". For the first, you need to select the sound output to the speakers through the sound interface. In the second, specify the input device. This can be, for example, the input of the same sound card, built-in or USB microphone.
Next, in the appropriate section, optimize the quality of the video output to the broadcast. In the "Base resolution" section, specify the resolution and aspect ratio of the video - it can be 1080p or 720p.
The Output Resolution option allows you to reduce or enlarge the image, but still maintain the same aspect ratio of the image. This is necessary to minimize the load on CPU or video card. If you are confident in the performance of your computer, then the indicator can be left untouched.
In the same section, also adjust the frame rate per second. With a value of 60 frames, the broadcast will go as smoothly as possible, but the load on the PC will also be high. An indicator of 30 frames is suitable for a system with an average performance.
Take a look at advanced settings
In this section, you can additionally set the priority of the program process in relation to other running applications, as well as the format of the name of the saved video file. You can activate a "flow delay" for 20-30 seconds. This feature is useful for protecting against stream sniping - spying on a user through his broadcast during a multiplayer game.
Advanced settings also offer options for graphics processing, color quality, and color depth. All these points are best left unchanged.
Create Live Stream Scenes
In OSB Studio, you can create a large number of scenes that will display different content formats. These can be games, videos, browser pages, full screen with all system windows, and many other options.
You can switch between scenes to show viewers different content throughout the live broadcast.
To create a new scene, proceed as follows:
- Click on the plus sign in the "Scenes" block in the lower left corner of the main screen of the program.
- Enter a name for the scene.
- Turn on the game or open the app you want to showcase.
- In the "Sources" block, click the "+" button and specify from where the image will be captured to the stage during the broadcast.
To set up your webcam for live streaming, you need to do the following:
- Connect your webcam to your computer.
- Create a new scene and source, specify the desired device.
- Adjust video resolution and frames per second.
- Scale the recording from the camera and place on the screen in the most suitable area for you.
While broadcasting, the main screen also allows you to adjust the overall audio volume or separately the level for the microphone and captured programs.
Link OBS Studio to a streaming service
First you need to configure the broadcast settings in the "Broadcast" section. Proceed like this:
- Choose a streaming platform like Twitch or YouTube.
- Select the server where the live broadcast will take place. It's best to leave the default option.
- Enter your stream key, which can be found on your Twitch profile or YouTube Studio.
- Save and apply the settings.
The Twitch stream key is located in the broadcast settings section. Go to website, click your profile icon in the upper right corner and select Creator Dashboard. Next, in the menu on the right, open “Settings” (Settings) → “Broadcast” (Stream). Here you will find the stream key that you need to specify in OBS Studio.
On YouTube, information can be found if the creative studio launches a new live broadcast. On site click the "Create" button next to your profile icon in the upper right corner. Select "Start Broadcasting", then select "Right Now" and "Using Video Encoder". Then, on the broadcast screen, click on the inscription "Broadcast settings". A window will appear with the desired key, which can be copied and entered into OBS Studio.
After connecting OBS Studio to the desired platform, you can start live streaming. Click "Start broadcasting" on the main screen of the program in the "Management" section. There will also be a button to stop the stream.
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