Is Obs Good For Recording Youtube Videos

I manage a YouTube aqueduct for the FreeDOS Projection, where I record "how-to" videos with FreeDOS running inside the QEMU PC emulator software. When I started the aqueduct in August 2019, I didn't know annihilation about recording videos. But with Open Broadcaster Software, as well called OBS Studio, I've found recording these videos to be pretty straightforward. Here's how yous can do it, as well.

Install OBS Studio

I run Fedora Linux, which doesn't include the OBS Studio software by default. Fortunately, the OBS Studio website has an installation guide that walks you through the steps to install OBS Studio via the RPM Fusion alternative repository.

If you don't already accept RPM Fusion set upwards on your organization, yous can add the repository on Fedora using this one-line command:

                                    $                            sudo              dnf              install              https://download1.rpmfusion.org/costless/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm              -Due east              %fedora).noarch.rpm https://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm              -E              %fedora).noarch.rpm

In one case the RPM Fusion repo is set up, you tin can install OBS Studio with this command:

                                    $                            sudo              dnf              install              obs-studio

If you have an NVIDIA graphics card, there'southward an actress step in the installation guide to install hardware-accelerated video support. But my graphics card is from Intel, so I don't need to run the actress steps.

Nevertheless, OBS Studio does not back up Wayland, at least not in the Fedora build. That means when I want to tape videos with OBS Studio, I need to log into my GNOME desktop using an Xorg session. On the login screen, enter your password, click on the gear-shaped icon in the lower-right corner, and select GNOME on Xorg.

Configure OBS Studio

The first time you launch OBS Studio, the software runs an auto-configuration wizard to make up one's mind the best settings for recording videos. This makes setup a breeze. If you're recording videos on the desktop, like I am, so click the Optimize merely for recording radio button and click Next.

OBS Studio configuration

OBS Studio will run through a series of automated tests earlier information technology confirms the all-time video settings for your arrangement. On my system, that's 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second (fps), which is good enough for recording my videos.

OBS Studio configuration

My setup

The default OBS Studio interface shows the video front and center and positions the controls at the lesser of the screen. While this is not a bad default arrangement, yous can see in my early videos that I occasionally look away from the photographic camera as I alter from a full-screen webcam video to my QEMU screen. That's considering the default OBS Studio configuration places the Scene controls in the lower-left corner.

OBS Studio configuration

Breaking virtual eye contact like this is distracting, so I wanted another way to change scenes without looking for the scene controls. I discovered that I could click and drag the OBS Studio controls to unlike areas on the screen. By positioning the scene controls at the top of the screen, near my computer'south webcam, I don't need to look abroad from the photographic camera to change scenes.

OBS Studio configuration

Then, my outset step whenever I set up OBS Studio is to drag the controls to the top of the screen. I like to identify the Scene selector panel in the middle, and then I don't have to look very far away from my camera to change scenes. I go on the recording controls to i side because I'm never on camera when I start or stop the video, so it doesn't thing if I look away to start or finish my video recording.

OBS Studio configuration

Setting up scenes

Yous tin set up OBS Studio to support your preferred video way. When I started recording videos, I watched other how-to videos to see how they were organized. Most first with a brief introduction by the host, then switch to a hands-on demonstration, and end with a "give thanks y'all" screen to advertise the channel. I wanted to create my videos similarly, and you can do that with scenes.

Each scene is a different arrangement of sources, or elements in the video. Each source is like a layer, then if you have multiple image or video sources, they will appear to stack on peak of one some other.

How you define your scenes depends on the kind of video you want to make. I do a lot of hands-on demonstration videos, so I take one scene with a full-screen webcam video, some other scene that's merely a QEMU window, and even so some other scene that's "picture-in-picture show" with me over my QEMU screen. I can as well ready split up scenes that show a "thanks" paradigm and links to subscribe to my aqueduct or to join the project on social media.

With these scenes, I tin can tape my videos every bit Live—significant I don't need to edit them afterward. I tin use the Scene controls in OBS Studio to switch from the QEMU scene to the Full-screen webcam screen and dorsum to the QEMU screen before wrapping up with separate scenes that thank my supporters and share data about my channel. That may sound similar a lot of work, but once you lot take the scenes gear up, changing scenes is just clicking an item in the Scenes carte du jour. That's why I like to center the Scene selector at the top of the screen, and so I can easily select the scene I demand.

Here's what I utilise to tape my videos and how I set up the sources in each:

Full-screen webcam: I set a webcam source from my Vitade webcam as a video capture device (V4L) and use the Transform menu (right-click) to fit the webcam to the screen. This as well uses my Yeti microphone for sound every bit an audio input capture (PulseAudio).
QEMU: This is where I spend most of my fourth dimension in my videos. OBS Studio can use any window as a source, and I define my QEMU window every bit a window capture (Xcomposite) source. In case I need to reboot the virtual motorcar while I'one thousand recording a video, I as well ready a Color Bars image as a background image on a layer that's "behind" the window. This likewise uses my Yeti microphone for sound as an audio input capture (PulseAudio).
QEMU + webcam: My viewers tell me they like to see me on camera while I'chiliad showing things in my QEMU window, so I defined another scene that combines the QEMU and Full-screen webcam scenes. My webcam is a minor rectangle in one corner of the screen.
Patreon carte: At the terminate of my videos, I give thanks the people who support me on Patreon. I created a striped design in GIMP and set that as my background image. I and so defined a text source where I entered a "cheers" message and a list of my patrons. Equally before, I set my Yeti microphone for sound as an sound input capture (PulseAudio).
End card: As I wrap up the video, I desire to encourage viewers to visit our website or bring together united states of america on social media. Similar to the Patreon card scene, I utilise a background pattern that already includes my text and icons. Just to add a little visual flair, I created a blinking cursor subsequently our URL, as though someone had typed information technology in. This cursor is non really an blitheness but an image slideshow source that uses two images: a blank rectangle and a rectangle with a cursor. The image slideshow flips between these 2 images, creating the advent of a blinking cursor.

OBS Studio configuration

And activeness!

One time I create my scene collection, I'thousand ready to record my videos. I normally offset by talking over my QEMU window, and then I click on the QEMU scene so click the Commencement Recording push button. After I've said a few words to set the stage for my video, I click on the Full-screen webcam scene to fully introduce the topic.

After sharing some information almost whatever I'm talking about in the video, I click on the QEMU scene or the QEMU + webcam scene. Which scene I choose depends on whether I need to be seen during the video or if the "movie-in-picture" video will obscure important text on the screen. I spend most of the how-to video in this scene, ordinarily while playing a game, demonstrating a program, or writing a sample program.

When I'grand ready to wrap upwards, I click on the Patreon carte du jour scene to thank everyone who supports me on Patreon. Some patrons support me at a college level, and they get a specific mention and their name listed on the screen. Then, I click on the Stop card scene to encourage viewers to visit our website, join the states on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and consider supporting me on Patreon. Finally, I click the End Recording button, and OBS Studio stops the video.

Using OBS Studio is a not bad way to record videos. I've used this same method to record other videos, including pre-recorded briefing talks, welcome videos for a remote symposium, and virtual lecture videos when I teach an online grade.

The adjacent time yous need to record a video, try OBS Studio. I think you'll find it easy to learn and utilise.