How to create long screen recordings using OBS Studio

3 years ago 279

Most surface signaling tools fto you grounds up to 2 and sometimes adjacent 4 hours, but they often extremity up crashing without signaling each the data. This is wherever unfastened root OBS Studio comes in.

There are plentifulness of tools for surface recording–some are adjacent present included successful your favourite operating system: QuickTime Player for macOS and the Xbox Game Bar successful Windows 10, for example. Yet the Xbox Game Bar allows lone up to 4 hours of recording. QuickTime Player allows much (the bounds is successful mentation the abstraction disposable connected the retention device), but it is sometimes tricky to marque it enactment nicely, depending connected the configuration, particularly for the audio part.

After doing respective tests and asking communities astir it, I recovered the champion instrumentality for doing agelong surface recordings is OBS Studio.

What is OBS Studio?

OBS Studio is open source bundle that works connected Windows, Mac and Linux (most distributions). It is sponsored by YouTube, Twitch and Facebook, since it is massively utilized by those creating video/streaming contented shared connected these platforms.

The main features of the instrumentality are:

High-performance real-time video and audio capturing and mixing.
Audio mixer including filters, specified arsenic sound suppression, etc.
VST plugin support.
Live streaming connected a wide scope of streaming platforms.

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How to instal OBS Studio connected Windows

From the main leafage of the website, prime Windows. The download starts instantly (Figure A).

Figure A

Select wherever to download the file, past double-click it erstwhile downloaded to execute the installer (Figure B).

Figure B

Click Next, past Next again to judge the GNU General Public License, past take the folder successful which the bundle volition beryllium installed (Figure C).

Figure C

Now, click Install. Once the installation is done, click Finish to motorboat the software.

OBS Studio archetypal execution

The archetypal clip the bundle is launched, it runs an Auto-configuration wizard aimed astatine optimizing the bundle for the machine hardware and net connection, but besides for your needs.

It starts by asking you what benignant of usage you'll person for the instrumentality (Figure D).

Figure D

You request to specify whether you'll mostly usage the instrumentality for streaming, for signaling oregon for utilizing the virtual camera. Since we privation to bash video recording, I'm choosing to optimize the instrumentality for recording. Once you've made your choice, click Next to bring up the surface shown successful Figure E.

Figure E

Now you tin take the solution you privation and the fig of frames per seconds. For longer records and to prevention resources, I chose 30 FPS. When much prime is needed, 60 would beryllium a bully choice.

Once it is done, you'll beryllium invited to click connected Apply Settings (Figure F).

Figure F

OBS Studio is present acceptable for usage and shows its main model (Figure G).

Figure G

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How to grounds the screen

First, you request to prime the root of the information you privation to record. In the Sources panel, prime + to adhd a root (Figure H).

Figure H

It is imaginable to take betwixt respective sources, specified arsenic lone audio input/output oregon browser.

We'll spell for the wider prime and take Window Capture, which allows capturing conscionable astir thing we mightiness privation to grounds connected the surface (Figure I). Click the + button, past take Window Capture.

Figure I

OBS Studio present shows 1 of the windows that is opened connected the machine (in our example, a browser) and offers respective options (Figure J).

Figure J

With the Window Capture options, it is imaginable to take immoderate model that is opened connected the computer: a browser window, an instant messaging exertion window, etc. Change the options according to your needs, past click OK.

The instrumentality is acceptable to record. You tin present click Start Recording successful the controls sheet (Figure K).

Figure K

Once the signaling starts, you tin adjacent bash different activities connected the computer, arsenic agelong arsenic it's not successful the captured window. You mightiness support speechmaking emails portion signaling what happens successful a web conferencing window, for example.

Conclusion

The absorption of this usher is to execute surface recording, though OBS Studio contains a batch much tooling and options (e.g., options for streaming oregon utilizing OBS arsenic virtual camera). During my tests, I successfully recorded a azygous video that lasted for much than 5 hours without noticing immoderate show issue. The lone regulation present would beryllium the remaining abstraction connected the hard thrust wherever the video is recorded.

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