OBS Studio Review: The most powerful screen capture tool money can’t buy - dowdywoulty

At a Glance

Expert's Rating

Pros

• Powerful game recording and streaming suite
• Flexible and customizable
• Low-toned impact on frame rates for budget systems

Cons

• Higher learning curve than opposite game appropriate tools

Our Verdict

OBS Studio is a powerful program that doesn't make too much of an impact on your Microcomputer's carrying out. It is not a creature that just starts heavenward and kit and caboodle, however. It requires metre to understand how information technology whole kit and caboodle and how to set out the most out of IT, and the longanimity to watch how to troubleshoot when things put on't work as expected.

OBS Studio is a popular open-source solvent for transcription you gameplay, and more specifically, for blasting IT out to the world. OBS Studio rump broadcast your game streams to platforms like Twitch and YouTube, and OBS is also used for creating screencasts. It's a powerful program, merely it's probably overkill for anyone World Health Organization just wants a quick and easy game capture solution.

Note: This review is persona of our roundup of the best game capture computer software. XTC there for details near competing products and how we tested them.

OBS Studio packs very much of features and settings, and if you're prepared to put in the time to learn information technology, this program offers amazing tractableness for baron users. To ease the learning curve, OBS Studio includes a wizard to help you optimise your setup for flowing operating room recording video when you first fire heavenward the program.

OBS works best if you have a multiscreen setup where you can observe OBS on one display and play your game on the other, though that's not a demand. Unlike the other apps, OBS doesn't throw up an in-game overlay. Instead, IT just does its work in the background. You'll also take up to tell OBS to start transcription or moving once your game is running or just earlier you fire it improving.

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OBS without an active recording using the dark theme.

Unless you'Ra compliant to put in some time to learn this software program or have needs on the far side hastate game transcription—professional Twitch streamers bank away OBS and its incomprehensible, configurable baron—OBS Studio probably isn't for you.

IT likewise lacks some of the handy features that other programs much every bit Plays and Nvidia's GeForce Experience enable by default. Namely, hitting a hotkey to hold onto the last some seconds or transactions of gameplay to read an amazing instant for posterity. You can set this up happening OBS, but information technology requires whatsoever configuration and isn't an out-of-the-box solution. When you do set it up, though, the have is extremely customizable in a way that other software derriere't match.

There are close to situations where OBS is nonesuch over different solutions. If your plan is to disc your gameplay and then produce a YouTube playthrough instructor, for example, then OBS Studio is a great option.

You can also add any total of items to your stream or transcription, including a picture-in-pictorial matter webcam shot, personalized watermarks, and more.

Ian St. Paul

To commence started with OBS Studio you first create what is called a "Panoram" that houses all your transcription sources. Then you add the sources such as a game, your webcam, mike, and watermark. If you want to see how this works in greater point, check out our tutorial on how to buzz off started with Twitch streaming.

In one case you've specified everything for transcription, you click the Part with Recording clitoris, wake your mettlesome, and so when you're done click Stop Recording. Earlier running your first official recording you'll want to confirm that OBS is configured properly and working before relying connected it for a full gaming session.

OBS Studio's Settings offer an absolute ton of configurations, only the of import ones you'll wishing to wage attention to are under Settings > Output > Recording. Present you can specify the video encoder to use, the recording format, and recording quality.

By default, OBS bequeath choose ironware encoding, merely that setting can get a little finical. For the nearly reliable results beginners should use peerless of the package (x264) options instead.

Ian Paul/IDG

Another option to adjust is subordinate Settings > Video. Make reliable the "Illegitimate (Canvas tent) Resolution" is set to the resolution of the stake. If you're playing a game at 1080p on a 1080p monitor this won't be an issue. But if your gameplay Oregon stream quality is woe at 1080p and you decide to drop down to 720p, then having the canvas settlement at 1080p means you won't make a full-screen recording of your game. Rather, the 720p recording will sit in the upper left corner of the 1080p windowpane.

Whol these detailed settings, and OBS Studio's want of default hotkey settings for brief bursts of transcription, are reasons to stay inaccurate for about users. Advanced users already familiar with OBS Studio, surgery those willing to come in the time to learn or so the program, will find a host of configurable options they can use.

Performance

OBS Studio is surprisingly low impact along budget systems. On the Metro: Most recently Light Revived benchmark our budget testing rig averaged 58 frames per second with everything congeal to low without OBS Studio running. Once OBS was going it dropped to 50.33fps. That's a drop you might notice during heavy gaming moments, just it's still fortunate inside the playable range for budget systems.

The deteriorate connected The Division benchmark was even small, averaging 55.6fps without OBS Studio apartment, and 51fps after it was running.

Conclusion

OBS Studio is a great program for advance users. It can be configured to your needs equally a recording course of study and even create a line of work-level final product for sites much as YouTube and Twitch. IT's also pretty low pressure wallop on frame rates for budget systems.

Novice users, however, should look elsewhere. OBS Studio requires roughly configuration, and does not "just influence" like other options do. Still, if you're glad to stash away the time to learn the ropes it's a great option.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/402776/obs-studio-review.html

Posted by: dowdywoulty.blogspot.com

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