This article shows how to record your display using the Open Broadcasting Software (OBS)
In the era we live in now, media consumption has become part and parcel of us. With the high demand for media, consumption brings the demand for media creation. Different tools have aided with this process and one of those tools is OBS (Open Broadcaster Software). This software comes in handy when you need to record your screen or stream online. OBS makes it easy for creators to create tutorial and instructional videos, Presentations and demonstrations, Gaming, and content creation as well as personal documentation.
If you are not familiar with OBS, It is a free open-source software developed and maintained by contributors all over the world. The software records screens and audio and also makes it possible to stream live on the go. This article will show you how to record your screen with the Open Broadcasting Software.
Getting Started with OBS
Downloading OBS
Head over to the official OBS page and choose your platform accordingly. For this demonstration, Windows will be used. Your download should start automatically after choosing the platform.
Installation
Once the download is complete, Open the executable and follow the wizard to install the software. Once done. click on finish to launch OBS studio.
On the first launch, you will be met with a black screen on the top half and controls on the bottom half. Let us pay attention to the bottom half for now.
Using OBS Studio
As you notice in the image above, on the left tab of the controls, we have the Scenes tab followed by the Sources tab. In a nutshell, A source refers to the different types of media or inputs added to the project. These can include videos, images, text, audio, pages, and more. These are the building blocks of a scene. A scene on the other hand is a collection of all the sources. As an example, let's say you are recording a gaming session, you can have one scene for your gameplay and different arrangements of sources and layouts. You can set up different scenes with various setups and this makes it easy for you to switch between the different views. As a result, you get a professional appearance to your stream or recording. Now that we understand the scenes and sources, let's see how to start recording.
Recording with OBS Studio
OBS adds a scene automatically when you launch it. But if in your case, you don't have a scene, press the + button at the bottom of the scenes tab to add a scene. A pop-up window will appear asking you to name your scene. Give it a name and press Okay.
You can delete a scene by pressing the recycle bin next to the plus button.
Next, head to the sources tab. You will notice there is a display capture source from the default scene. If you add your own scene, this option will not be there. To add a source to your scene, press the + icon at the bottom of the sources tab.
This will open up a menu with different source options. Choose Display Capture from the menu since we are recording the display.
You should see a pop-up window prompting you to name your source. Give it a name and Press OK.
A new window should appear with display options. Leave them to defaults and press OK unless you have an external monitor in which case, you will select the external monitor as the display then press OK.
Now that the scenes and sources are in place. Let us choose the save location for the output. You can do this by clicking on the settings button at the bottom right of the controls.
A new window with the project settings should appear. Head over to the output settings. Under the Recording path, you can select the destination folder for your recording.
Once done, click apply then Okay. You are now ready to start recording.
To record, press the Start Recording button on the right of the controls section.
Once you are done recording, press the same button to Stop recording.
You should find the recording in the destination folder you chose in the settings.
The settings give you options for the quality of the video, recording path, and format. You also get to mess with audio settings, video, and streaming settings. You can also set up hotkeys to help you with redundant tasks like pressing the start and stop buttons. Find out more about tweaking the settings to get the best results with your recordings.
Just by following the steps above, you are able to get a high-quality recording of your display.
Conclusion
OBS Studio is a versatile tool for screen recording that offers countless possibilities for content creators, educators, and gamers. It has a user-friendly interface making it easy to use and it is available for different platforms. If you are looking for a powerful tool to record your display, look no further. If you found the article helpful, share it with friends and comment your thoughts below.
Thanks for reading : )
