How to Use OBS Studio to Record Screen (Beginner Tutorial)

About this video

Kevin gives a beginner walkthrough of OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software), a completely free, open-source recorder/streamer for Windows, Mac and Linux with no watermarks, recording limits or subscriptions, suitable for tutorials, gaming and Zoom/Teams meetings. After installing from the official site, the Auto Configuration Wizard lets you optimize just for recording, set the base (canvas) resolution — usually your screen size — and pick FPS, with 60 preferred for fast-moving content and 30 fine for static tutorials. He then shows the core workflow: create and rename a scene, add a Display Capture source (choosing the monitor and capturing the cursor, noting the infinite-mirror effect if OBS itself is captured), add Audio Input Capture for a microphone and check the green meter in the audio mixer, and add Audio Output Capture for computer/system sound. In Settings > Output he sets the recording path and quality, and recommends fragmented MP4 if available (combining MKV’s crash safety with MP4 compatibility), otherwise MKV, which can later be converted to MP4 via the File menu; a hardware encoder such as NVENC is suggested for NVIDIA GPUs. In Settings > Video he distinguishes base resolution from output (scaled) resolution and FPS, noting matching a 29.97 FPS webcam helps editing sync. Recording is started, paused and stopped from the bottom-right controls, and files are found via File > Show Recordings. Bonus tips add a webcam via Video Capture Device as a movable top-layer overlay and assign hotkeys for start/stop recording and mute toggling.

Key takeaways

• OBS Studio is free and open-source on Windows, Mac and Linux with no watermarks, limits or subscriptions; run the Auto Configuration Wizard and optimize for recording to get sensible defaults fast.
• A recording is a scene plus sources: add Display Capture for the screen, Audio Input Capture for your microphone, and Audio Output Capture for system sound, checking levels in the audio mixer.
• Choose 60 FPS for gameplay or animation and 30 FPS for tutorials or static screens to save resources.
• For recording format, prefer fragmented MP4 if supported, otherwise MKV for crash safety (MP4 can lose the file if OBS crashes) and convert to MP4 later; use a hardware encoder like NVENC when available.
• Overlay a webcam with a Video Capture Device source and set hotkeys for starting/stopping recording and muting so you do not need to show OBS on camera.

Episode details: published August 1, 2025 · 11:43 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Kevin Stratvert’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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