OBS Screen Recorder: All You Should Know About It

Jane Zhou updated on Apr 22, 2024 to EaseUS RecExperts

OBS Screen Recorder is one of the most popular screen recording and broadcasting software. You can screen record with excellent features and live stream on various platforms. This post gives a detailed OBS Screen recorder review and a perfect OBS Studio alternative.

Probably, OBS is the first thing you hear from gamers, educators, and every professional who records their screens. The OBS Screen Recorder is an open source screen recorder for recording and live broadcasting. You can use the app to record gameplay, presentations, screencasts, and more. It enables you to work on multiple scenes at a time and amalgamate them to make professional videos.

OBS is open source, free, and one of the most premium screen recording software available in the market. Through this post, we will see an OBS Screen Recorder review, and what it can do. Also, a perfect OBS Studio alternative for much simpler screen recording.

OBS Screen Recorder Full Overview

#1. What Is OBS Screen Recorder

OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) Studio is a free and open-source app developed for screen recording and live streaming. This is one of the most popular apps among gamers, educators, and multimedia professionals to record and publish their content. Starting from the features, functions, and customizations the OBS Studio offers are unlike any other app in the same field.

#2. Features & Functions

Here is a list of the features and functions you can avail of on the OBS Studio.

1️⃣Screen Recording

You can capture your computer screen for gameplay, tutorials, and many more. This tool lets your record full screen, a specific part of your screen, a window, etc. You can see custom resolutions, bitrate, and fps according to your needs. There are various audio codecs available to get seamless audio.

2️⃣Scene and Source Management

OBS lets you add as many scenes as your want to add to record along with your screen. Also, you can include various sources like display capture, gaming, image, slideshow, text, video capture, gaming, webcam, etc. You will also get to change the properties of them according to your needs.

3️⃣Audio Mixer

OBS provides seamless audio mixing capabilities. Since recording or streaming deals with system and microphone audio, you can add them both to your recording. You can also control some other audio properties like Audio compressor, Audio gain, Noise suppression, Noise gate, etc.

4️⃣Editing and Transitions

You can apply video and audio filters in real-time to enhance the overall output video. These filters include chroma keying, color correction, noise reduction, masking, etc. You can also easily make smooth transitions between scenes of one source and others. 

5️⃣Multi-Platform Support

Since OBS is available on Windows, Linux, and Mac, it is accessible to everyone. And, since it's open-source, the developer's community creates plugins and extensions to improve the capabilities by adding additional features to the platform.

6️⃣Hotkeys

Users can easily set up hotkeys combinations for shortcuts with the OBS. The best part is that almost every platform activity can be accessed using a hotkey.

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#3. Pros & Cons

Let us discuss some pros and cons of the app.

😀Pros:

  • Completely free and is updated continuously by a community of developers.
  • Get customizing options for audio, video, filters, transitions, and many more.
  • Make edits in real-time with audio filters, color correction, transitions, and effects.
  • Offer built-in integration with popular streaming platforms like YouTube, Facebook Live, Twitch, and many more for live streaming.

😭Cons:

  • Not beginner friendly and requires a learning curve.
  • The video editing features are basic compared to dedicated editing software.
  • It is resource intensive and takes up CPU resources.
  • It has an active community but lacks official customer support.

#4. How to Use The OBS screen recorder

If you are familiar with the interface, you can easily configure and try out various settings on OBS to screen-record videos with premium quality. Let us see how to record screen with OBS screen recorder.

Step 1. Download and Launch OBS Screen Recorder

Install the OBS screen recorder by following the on-screen instructions. Then, open the OBS, and you will see a scene added by default in the bottom left corner of your screen.

Step 2. Add a Source

Now, before you can start recording, you need to add a source to the scene. That is what you want to record with OBS. Choose the default scene, click the + icon at the bottom of the Sources part to see the list, and add Display Capture to record your screen.

Step 3. Configure the OBS

Although the OBS configures itself, it is much better to tweak settings to suit your needs. The OBS also offers official settings estimator to help you configure your PC for optimal settings. The three major settings you need to check out are Video, Audio, and Output.

Video settings include resolution, FPS, and output resolution.

Audio settings include all the audio sources from desktop audio, microphone, etc. You can also choose what type of audio codec you want to use.

Step 4. Start Recording

After configuring, what you want to record, and how you want to record, click on "Start Recording" to begin recording. When completed, click on Stop Recording to save the recording. You can then share or export your screen recordings.

Best Alternative to OBS Screen Recorder

For a beginner, configuring and understanding OBS is a task in itself, and would look for something simple and easy to start. EaseUS RecExperts is a professional screen recording program that is simple and starts recording in UHD quality with just a click.

EaseUS RecExperts is the best alternative to OBS Screen Recorder with a simple user interface and excellent features. You can use it to record games, informative tutorials, presentations, and many more in UHD quality with no lag. And the best part is you can even record encrypted videos of various platforms without any issues.

⭐Key Features of EaseUS RecExperts:

  • Flexible screen recording modes for various purposes.
  • Inbuilt video editor and cutters to edit videos.
  • Supports audio recording needs with Noise Reduction features.
  • Inbuilt screenshot tool to capture game highlights.
  • You can record video with a 4K/8K resolution of up to 144fps.
  • Supports up to 13 file formats, including MP4, Mp3, AVI, FLV, etc.

😀Pros:

  • User-friendly and intuitive user interface.
  • You can add webcam overlays for gameplay.
  • Scheduling screen recordings.
  • Editing and highlighting features.
  • Multiple import and export formats support.

😭Cons:

  • The quality of the recording depends on your system specs.
  • Editing options are few compared to dedicated editing software.

OBS Screen Recorder FAQs

Here are some of the most frequent FAQs asked on OBS Screen Recorder. If you have similar queries hope this will help you.

1. Is OBS Studio screen recorder free?

Yes, the OBS Studio screen recorder is completely free and open-source. You just have to download and use the apps to record your screen. This app is among the best screen recorder for both screen recordings and live streaming.

2. Can OBS record the entire screen?

Yes, you can record your entire screen using the OBS Studio. To record your desktop screen, click on the + symbol beside the Sources windows and select Display Capture to capture your entire screen.

3. How much does OBS cost?

OBS Screen Recorder is completely free of cost. It is an open-source platform, and you can use it without any subscription. All you have to do is download the app and get started right away.

Conclusion

OBS Screen Recorder is a great program for advanced users. The kind of customizations, configurations, multi-platform, and plugin supports it offers are no match to any other platform. Along with screen recording, you can directly live stream on popular platforms like Twitch and YouTube. Read the post to know the OBS Screen Recorder review in detail.

For beginners, if you are looking for an OBS Studio alternative, you should check out EaseUS RecExperts. This software offer is a complete tool for all screen recording needs with multiple screen recording modes and excellent features. If you like the content, please share it with your friends.