Knowledge Base > Sources & Filters > Sources Guide

Source Types

Audio Sources
Audio Sources
Browser Source
Browser Source
Color Source
Color Source
Capture audio, including microphones, desktop, and application audio Add a web page to your scene. This is used for stream overlays Add a block of color to a scene
Display Capture Sources
Display Capture Sources
Game Capture Source
Game Capture Source
Image Sources
Image Sources
Capture an entire display Capture games (Windows-only) Add an image or slideshow of images to a scene
Media Sources
Media Sources
Text sources
Text Sources
Video Capture Sources
Video Capture Sources
Add audio/video files to a scene
Also includes VLC Video Source
Add text to a scene Capture a webcam, capture card, or other video device
Includes Blackmagic Device Source
Window Capture Sources
Window Capture Sources
Capture a single, non-game window from your display

Sources Overview

Scenes and Sources are the meat of OBS Studio. These are where you set up your stream layout, add your games, webcams, and any other devices or media that you want in the output.

Adding/Removing Sources

To add a Source, click on the + button at the bottom of the Sources dock (figure 1.1). From the Add Sources list (figure 1.2), you can choose a Source to add to your scene.

Whether it's a specific window, a capture card or game, image, text or your entire display that you want to capture, there are several different sources available in OBS Studio for you to choose from. Try them out!

To remove a Source, select the Source in the Sources dock and click the - button.

Figure 1.1: Sources dock
Figure 1.2: Add Sources list

Ordering Sources

Sources that are above others in the Sources list (Figure 1.1) are also located above other Sources in the preview. You can re-align sources in the preview and change their order by using drag and drop in the list, or using the up and down arrow buttons.

A Source that is listed above another Source in the list will be on top and might hide what's beneath it. This can also be useful for situations where you want something on top of another source, like a webcam to show over your game play.

Hiding/Showing Sources

To hide a Source temporarily, you can click the eye icon to hide the associated Source with it; the eye will become greyed out.

To show the Source again, click the eye another time; the eye will become white.

Figure 2.1: Visible Source
Figure 2.2: Hidden Source

Positioning and Sizing Sources

Figure 3.1: Bounding box

When a Source is selected in the Sources list, you will see a red box that shows up around it (Figure 3.1). This is the bounding box, and can be used to position sources within the preview as well as make the source larger or smaller.

Drag Sources around to position them within the Scene. Drag the red drag handles on the corners and edges of the Source to resize it to the desired size.

To place and size Sources with the greatest accuracy, use the Edit Transform window (figure 3.2): click on the Source, then click the Edit menu → Transform → Edit Transform… (Ctrl-E/Cmd-E). There are also options available in the Transform list (figure 3.3).

Figure 3.2: Edit Transform window
Figure 3.3: Transform menu

Advanced Sizing

Figure 3.4: Cropping a source

To show only part of a Source, you can crop it to the part of the image you wish to show.

You can crop a Source using the Edit Transform window (Figure 3.1) or by holding the Alt/Option key and dragging the bounding box's drag handles. The edges will change to green to show it's being cropped. You can see both techniques being used in Figure 3.4 above to crop and enlarge only the part of the screen we want to show.

Hotkeys

The following Hotkeys are available in the preview to tweak the source position and size:

Function Windows macOS
Edit Transform Ctrl-E Cmd-E
Reset Transform Ctrl-R Cmd-R
Fit to Screen Ctrl-F Cmd-F
Stretch to Screen Ctrl-S Cmd-S
Center to Screen Ctrl-D Cmd-D
Crop Hold Alt and drag the bounding box Hold Option and drag the bounding box
Disable Source/Edge snapping Hold Ctrl Hold Cmd