How to Use OBS Studio to Record Screen (Beginner Tutorial 2025)

Quick Overview

This tutorial demonstrates how to use OBS Studio to record your computer screen and audio. It covers downloading OBS Studio, running the auto-configuration wizard for optimal settings, adding a display capture source for your screen, adding an audio input capture for your microphone, and configuring audio output capture for your computer's sound. The guide also touches on adjusting video settings like resolution and FPS, and setting up hotkeys for recording controls.

Key Points: OBS Studio is a free, open-source software for screen recording and live streaming. The tutorial covers downloading OBS, using the auto-configuration wizard, setting up scenes and sources (display capture, webcam, audio input/output), and configuring recording settings. Key settings discussed include recording format (recommending Fragmented MP4), video encoder (hardware encoding for better performance), and FPS (30 or 60). Users can add their webcam alongside the screen recording by selecting 'Video Capture Device' under sources. Both microphone audio and computer system audio can be captured using 'Audio Input Capture' and 'Audio Output Capture' sources, respectively. Hotkeys can be assigned in the 'Settings' menu to easily start, stop, and pause recordings. Saved recordings are found by navigating to 'File' > 'Show Recordings' within OBS.

Context: This video tutorial aims to guide beginners through the process of using OBS Studio, a free and open-source software, for screen recording. OBS Studio is a versatile tool commonly used for live streaming and video recording, offering extensive customization options for capturing various sources like screens, webcams, and audio.

Detailed Analysis

This video provides a beginner-friendly tutorial on using OBS Studio for screen recording. It begins by guiding viewers to download OBS Studio from its official website, obsproject.com. Upon launching OBS, the tutorial explains the auto-configuration wizard, which helps determine the best settings based on the computer's specs and internet speed, offering options for optimizing streaming or recording. The guide then walks through setting up the OBS interface by creating a 'Scene' (a layout of sources), naming it 'Screen Recording'. Next, it demonstrates adding a 'Display Capture' source to capture the entire computer screen, and crucially, advises selecting the correct display if multiple monitors are present to avoid mirroring issues. The tutorial also covers adding an 'Audio Input Capture' source for the microphone, showing how to select the correct device and adjust its volume in the audio mixer. It further explains how to add an 'Audio Output Capture' source to record the computer's system audio, such as music or game sounds. Key settings are highlighted, including the ability to choose recording quality, format (recommending "Fragmented MP4" for safety), video encoder (suggesting hardware encoding if available), and common FPS values (recommending 30 FPS for tutorials or 60 FPS for gaming). Finally, the tutorial explains how to set up hotkeys for starting, stopping, and pausing recordings, and where to find the saved recordings in the File menu under 'Show Recordings'.