- Open Broadcaster Software and Elgato Game Capture HD Software Follow these step, which are shown int the above video, to integrate your Elgato Game Capture HD software with OBS Studio. 1) Install Elgato Game Capture HD software, which will work with any Elgato Gaming device. 2) Install OBS Studio.
- If you enable the Automatic Game Capture functionality, Streamlabs OBS will automatically detect which game you are playing. There are other options, like “Window Capture”, which will only display a specific window from your computer, or “Display Capture” which will display your entire screen.

Once you have OBS Studio installed and open, go to the bottom half of the OBS Studio window. You should find a column on the left called Scenes and next to it a column called Sources. Below the Sources column, click on the + button below. Then choose Video Capture Device.
- Part 1: What Does OBS Stand For?
- Part 2: How to Use OBS to Record
- Part 3: OBS Alternatives
- Part 4: FAQs About OBS
Capture video, audio, online tutorial, etc on Windows/Mac, and you can easily customize size, edit the video or audio, and more.
- Screen Recorder
- Mac Video Recorder
- Windows Video Recorder
- Mac Audio Recorder
- Windows Audio Recorder
- Webcam Recorder
- Game Recorder
- Meeting Recorder
- Messenger Call Recorder
- Skype Recorder
- Course Recorder
- Presentation Recorder
- Chrome Recorder
- Firefox Recorder
- Screenshot on Windows
- Screenshot on Mac
Recording screen on computer used to be a challenge, you need to either pay a tool or use a complicated program to get it done. There are many different screen recorders on the market, including OBS, iSpring, Apowersoft, FoneLab Screen Recorder, etc.
As one of the most most popular recording software, you should know OBS from Google results. Here comes the question, what is OBS Studio? And how to use it properly?
In this post, we will show you all you need to know about it. Before we dive in, you should know what exactly it is.
Guide List
1. What Does OBS Stand For?
OBS means Open Broadcaster Software, which is a free and open-source live streaming and recording program on computer. Obviously, it can help you capture screen video, audio, gameplay, online meeting, and many others.
Compare to other tools, it might be a little complicated. However, it can solve problems like some recorders unable to record system sound, or not be allowed to capture video and webcam concurrently.
FoneLab Screen RecorderFoneLab Screen Recorder allows you to capture video, audio, online tutorial, etc on Windows/Mac, and you can easily customize size, edit the video or audio, and more.
- Record video, audio, webcam and take screenshots on Windows/Mac.
- Preview data before saving.
- It is safe and easy to use.
2. How to Use OBS to Record
No matter you want to know how to record discord audio with obs or want to record video with OBS, this part will show you clear instructions.
Step 1Download OBS Studio from the official site. You can click Windows, Mac or Linux button on the center of the page. Then follow the instruction to choose a location to install it on computer. The program will be run automatically after that.
Step 2Go to Sources section, click + icon, choose Display Capture. Input the name in the box and click OK button.
Step 3Click Start Recording button if everything is ready.

OBS is a powerful and professional software, but it also can be an overkill for people who just want to record screen video or audio easily. Therefore, we will introduce several alternatives to OBS Studio.
3. OBS Alternatives
You will always find similar tools to capture computer screen no matter you are using Mac, Windows or Linux. If you feel frustrated to make a choice from tons of options, here are 3 recommendations for you.
Top 1. FoneLab Screen Recorder
As a video recorder and editing tool, FoneLab Screen Recorder lets it easy to tinker with the various recording settings to find more possible options. It allows you to record video, audio, webcam simultaneously, and it is available to edit videos including add text, line, drawings, etc. What’s more, you can trim video after recording if you want to remove the unwanted parts.
Can’t wait to learn how to use it? Below is the demonstration.
Step 1Download FoneLab Screen Recorder from official site, and then install it. Launch it after that.
FoneLab Screen RecorderFoneLab Screen Recorder allows you to capture video, audio, online tutorial, etc on Windows/Mac, and you can easily customize size, edit the video or audio, and more.
- Record video, audio, webcam and take screenshots on Windows/Mac.
- Preview data before saving.
- It is safe and easy to use.
Step 2Choose Video Recorder on the interface, them enable system sound, webcam or microphone as your needs. Click REC button to begin recording.
Top 2. Any Video Recorder
Any video recorder helps users record streaming video, local audio, rental iTunes videos, etc. Another recommendable feature is its clean interface. So you can easily discover its all options in the interface. It is a pity that it has only one output format - MP4. And you are not allowed to edit video with it. If you want to edit the video after that, you have to use an additional video editor.
Top 3. Apowersoft Screen Recorder
Apowersoft screen recorder captures computer video, audio and other accordingly. The simplicity with which you can capture screen online is noteworthy. This application does not require Java Applet but you will be required to install a launcher while you are the first time using it. Then you can record screen within 3 steps.
4. FAQs About OBS
How to Fix OBS Display Capture Not Working/OBS Display Capture Black Screen/OBS Not Capturing Game?
You can change preference of dedicated graphics, grant administrative access, use compatibility mode on OBS, reinstall OBS Studio or update graphics drivers to fix these issues on computer.
Where Does OBS Save Recording?
About where do OBS recording go, you can go to Output Settings > Recording > Recording Path.How to Add Webcam to OBS?
A: First of all, you should connect webcam to computer, then open the OBS Studio. Then you can click + button in the Sources section, choose Video Capture Device > Enter a name and click OK button. You will be asked to select your device and click OK.
What Is A Good Bitrate For OBS?
Please check below video bitrate information in the table.
Quality | Resolution | Recommended Video Bitrate (kbps) |
---|---|---|
Low | 270 | 400 |
Medium | 360 | 800 |
High | 480 | 1200 |
High Definition | 720 | 1500 |
High Definition | 1080 | 4000 |
Ultra-High Definition | 4K | 8000 |
What are OBS System Requirements?
Please check below detailed information for you.
Operating system: Windows 7 and later, macOS 10.11 and later, Linux
Platforms: x86-32 (32 bit Intel x86), x86-64
RAM: At least 4GB (recommended, but not necessary)
What is OBS Video Editor?
How to edit obs videos? OBS doesn’t help you edit video. Thus, you will need another program to edit OBS video after that if you want. FoneLab Video Converter Ultimate is one of the best choices.
OBS Recording Settings (Best OBS Settings)?
Best audio settings for OBS Recording: Settings > Output > Audio, then set Desktop Audio and Mic/Auxiliary Audio to Default but leave others to be Disabled.
Best video recording settings for OBS Recording: If you want to record in 1080p leave the base resolution as it is the best settings. But you can downscale the resolution to 1280 x 720 if the recording quality is not good. And then click Downscale filter to select Lanczos (Sharpened scaling, 36 samples).
In conclusion, compared to others, FoneLab Screen Recorder is an all-in-one screen recorder to help you capture screen and edit recorded videos with ease. You can download and have a try now!
FoneLab Screen RecorderFoneLab Screen Recorder allows you to capture video, audio, online tutorial, etc on Windows/Mac, and you can easily customize size, edit the video or audio, and more.
- Record video, audio, webcam and take screenshots on Windows/Mac.
- Preview data before saving.
- It is safe and easy to use.
- 2 Newest Ways to Record iTunes DRM Videos to MP4 on Your Mac
- Ultimate ScreenFlow Alternatives for Windows and Mac in 2020
- How to Record an Omegle Video Chat on Windows and Mac without Lag
This is a very simple guide, and will only show how to setup and stream using the Game Capture HD. If you want to add a webcam, graphics or do more advanced things, this is not the guide for you.
How To Get Game Capture On Obs Mac
Please make sure you have done this before starting:
- You have a Game Capture HD60 or HD from Elgato
- You have installed the Game Capture HD software/drivers version 2.10.64+
- You have installed OBS 0.65+
- Open OBS, either 64bit or 32bit.
- Open the settings.
- Make a new profile. Name it whatever you would like, then click 'add'.
- Next, go to encoding. The settings you see are a baseline, but I recommend using the OBS Estimator, and then fine tuning your stream settings from that point on. Please remember all systems and setups are different and the estimator is only that, to estimate. You will need to do some tuning on your own.
- In the broadcast tab, For mode, choose 'live stream'. The rest you will need to choose.
- In the video settings, where it says 'Base resolution' set it to whatever the console resolution is set to(This will most likely be 1080p). I personally recommend downscaling 1080p to 720p for increased quality and also its easier on your computer.
- In Audio, select the speaker(Headphones) and microphone you will be using.
- In the Audio tab, set the last option 'Mic time offset' to 1400ms. The Elgato Game Capture HD has a delay. 1400ms is a good place to start, but I recommend testing to get more accurate. The Elgato Game Capture HD60 has a delay of around 650ms. You may need to adjust by +50 or -50ms, or even more. Do some test streams to figure it out the best you can.
- In the Advanced tab, leave most of the options the same. Once you have streamed for a bit, you can change these settings., however, set the 'Keyframe interval' to 2. This is a requirement by Twitch.
- Now, close the settings menu.
- At the bottom right, click on 'Global sources'.
- Add a new source.
- Click on 'Add Video Capture Device'
- Name the source 'Elgato Game Capture HD' for easy remembering.
- The Game Capture HD should be automatically selected at the top, if not, click on the dropdown menu and choose 'Elgato Game Capture HD'
- In the video options, tick the checkmark that says 'Enable buffering' and set the buffering time to 1.
- Now close the Game Capture HD settings screen.
- Right click in the scenes box, and choose 'Add scene'.
- Name the scene 'Game Capture HD' so you know whats in the scene.
- Right click in the sources box. Click on add.
- Mouse over 'Global source', and you should see the Game Capture HD(Or whatever you named it).
- Now turn on whatever console you will be streaming.
- In OBS, click on 'Preview stream'.
- You should see this image:
- After a few moments, your console screen should appear. Play around in the console menu, and you should see the left hand side audio bar move.
- Play a game of whatever you like to play to check for encoding issues listed below and to check for audio levels and quality.
How To Game Capture On Mac Obs Windows 10
Note: Most of the settings like FPS, resolution and X264 preset can be changed and based on your computer, you will most likely need to change them. Refer to this thread if you are getting 'Warning, taking to long to encode' messages, or this thread if your bit rate indicator is turning yellow or red.If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to either ask in the resource discussion, ask me on Twitter, or ask in the OBS help forum.
If you feel like your device might be having issues, please contact Elgato Support.