Audio Sources |
Browser 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 |
Game Capture Source |
Image Sources |
Capture an entire display | Capture games (Windows-only) | Add an image or slideshow of images to a scene |
Media Sources |
Text 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 |
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Capture a single, non-game window from your display |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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 |