Have you ever had a problem on your computer that you wish you could record so you can show your tech savvy friend before they help you? Are you a gamer and would like to record your gameplay for others? Do you have a presentation to give that requires you to record your screen? You can do all of this with a free program called OBS Studio.
What OBS Studio Is
Here is a very simplified definition of OBS Studio. It is a screen recorder on steroids. It can record your computer screen, record through your webcam, and even allows you to do livestreams for services like YouTube. It is free, very feature rich, and easy to navigate once you learn how to use it.
In this guide we are going to concentrate on how to record your computer screen. Why would you need to use a screen recording program?
- To record a problem that you have been experiencing. This can be a help to whover is troubleshooting your issue.
- To record your gameplay so you can share it with friends, upload it to Twich, or upload it to YouTube.
- To record a presentation for school or work.
- To create tutorials for others.
These are only a few examples. From here we are going to check out how OBS Studio works and how to use it to record your screen.
How OBS Studio Works
As I said before, OBS Studio is basically a screen recording program. When you first open it things may look pretty complicated, but once you know the basic options you will be recording away.
All you actually have to do (in most cases) is select what you want to record, adjust things to your liking, tell OBS Studio to start recording, and tell it to stop when you are done. Here is a step-by-step walkthrough on how to record your screen.
How to Record Your Screen in OBS Studio
The first thing to do is decide what you want to do. Do you want to just record your screen? Do you want to record your image and place it in one of the corners of your screen recording? What is the purpose of your screen recording? Is it just for your own benefit, an assignment for a class you are taking, or a presentation for work? Are you planning to upload your recording to YouTube?
Now let’s jump in and record your screen.
- Download and install OBS Studio.
- Open OBS Studio.
- Under Sources, click the Add button.
- Click Display Capture.
- Give the source a name if you like or choose one that you have already created.
- Click OK.
- Click OK.
- If you want to record yourself narrating continue here. Otherwise skip to step 14. Under Sources, click the Add button.
- Click Video Capture Device.
- Give the source a name if you like or choose one that you have already created.
- Click OK.
- You shouldn’t have to tweak any of the default settings here. If you do there are many online tutorials that you can find on Google to help you. Click OK.
- You can drag the corners of your image to resize it and drag the image itself to place it where you like on the recording.
- Click Start Recording.
- Minimize OBS Studio.
From here just do whatever it is that you want recorded. It can be anything from playing a game to demonstrating a piece of software or recording a problem you are having on your computer to aid whoever is helping you. It will record both your screen and your voice if you have a microphone connected. When you are done:
- Maximize OBS Studio and click Stop Recording.
- In the menu at the top click File.
- Click Show Recordings.
You will find the recording that you just made in the new window that opens. You can use a video editing program to clean up, edit, and even convert the video that you made into a preferred format. A program that I recommend is OpenShot. It is free, easy to use, and powerful enough for most users. You can find a guide on how to use it on Google or YouTube.
Takeaways
- OBS Studio is a free and very powerful screen recording software.
- The ability to record your screen can be useful for many reasons.
- You can get started by downloading OBS Studio, installing it, and following this basic guide.
- If you want to learn more, use more advanced featured, and dig into the settings of OBS Studio you can find some great guides on Google Search and YouTube.
OBS Studio is powerful and loaded with features. It is free and easy to use after you learn where everything is. With the combo of OBS Studio for recording and OpenShot for editing you will be well on your way to making your own videos. I hope this guide was helpful. Let me know how OBS Studio works out for you.
Tech on and have the best day.