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crescentfool · 2 months

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so you want to use OBS

hello! i’ve decided to compile information on my OBS setup and some resources that have helped me along the way. this is mostly for personal reference, but maybe others can make use of this information!

some notes before i get into it:

i use OBS for both offline recording and (twitch) streaming. any footage i record is edited using DaVinci Resolve 18, which is free.

most of my OBS captures are of video games (through a USB capture card, specifically elgato), and the occasional screen/application capture (like clip studio paint, and sometimes PC games).

as such, the information here is reflective of these experiences. this post is not comprehensive to all of OBS’s features- this is just an overview of the settings and configurations that are most relevant to me.

with that out of the way, all the information will be under the cut!

Basic Setup

file format:

how to change: settings -> output -> recording -> recording format -> press “apply” once finished!

I save most of my recordings as .mkv files- it supports multi-track audio! i prefer .mkv over .mp4 because if your power goes out, you still have a recording to work with.

.mkv files can be read by DaVinci Resolve without an issue- but for Adobe software, they'll need to be remuxed to .mp4 within OBS! (file -> remux recordings -> press the … to select a file -> press the “remux” button)

video resolution and framerate:

how to change: settings -> video -> output (scaled) resolution

my obs canvas is @ 1920 x 1080p (16:9)

i switch between 720p and 1080p as needed! if you're concerned about space, you can probably just go for 720p. i also record at 30 fps, simply because that’s what my capture card supports.

video bitrate:

how to change: settings -> output -> encoder settings (located in both the streaming and recording tab) -> press “apply” once finished!

bitrate is a bit of a doozy to explain, but the most important thing to know is that bitrate affects your video’s quality. lower numbers = lower quality, while higher numbers = higher quality.

generally speaking, you'll want higher bitrate when you're recording things with high depth of information (e.g. you’d want a higher bitrate for something fast-paced like splatoon, compared to a slower-paced game like animal crossing).

my video bitrate is either set to 3000 or 4000 kbps! and here's some of my other (related) settings while i'm at it:

you can put your bitrate at much higher values than me if you're a stickler for quality- but keep in mind that a higher bitrate means:

bigger file size

more information to upload (when streaming)

your computer will need to encode more

i’d recommend reading twitch’s guidelines on encoding, bitrate, resolution, and framerate to get an idea of what values to pick. for people who are doing offline recording or streaming on a different platform, i suggest googling the appropriate resources!

multi-track audio:

this is mostly applicable to anyone looking to do video editing!

multi-track audio basically allows you to separate your audio sources (e.g. discord, game audio, and your own microphone) into different tracks.

this is an immensely helpful tool because it lets you adjust audio levels in post-production (editing). some examples of how this can be used:

increasing someones microphone volume if they speak too softly

increasing/decreasing game audio

muting swear words/sensitive information

completely muting voice call + microphone if you want to upload a no commentary video

and more!

to set this up, take a look at your audio mixer panel, and press the ⚙ icon. this will bring up advanced audio properties.

by checkmarking a track box, it puts the audio on that track. to make the above screenshot easier to digest:

track 1 consists of ALL three audio sources- desktop, elgato, and microphone.

track 2 only has the microphone audio.

track 3 only has desktop audio (i use this for voice calls)

track 4 only has the elgato capture card audio (game audio). the volume has also been lowered so that any speaking voices can be heard clearly.

tracks 5 and 6 are unused.

you might be wondering, “why do all three of these have 1 checked off?” this is what i call the universal audio track. i recommend having a universal audio track for a few reasons:

when you stream from OBS onto twitch/youtube- you have to select ONE audio track.

it’s also a nice backup in case you didn’t separate your audio correctly.

if for whatever reason you need to move around your individual audio tracks in editing, the universal track acts as a nice reference point.

mark off your audio tracks for each audio source as you see fit! once you’re finished with the advanced audio properties, go to settings > output.

for the streaming tab, you’ll want to have the number of your universal audio track selected. in my case, that will be audio track 1.

for the recording tab, checkmark all the audio tracks that are applicable to you (in my case, audio tracks 1, 2, 3, and 4). by default, only audio track 1 is selected.

if you don’t check off the additional audio tracks in the output > recordings section, you will not have access to those audio tracks in editing, and you won’t be able to edit your audio tracks independently of each other. so don’t forget to do this! 👍

custom browser docks

custom browser docks are a great tool for when you’re streaming and want to have access to your twitch chat and/or activity feed! (or if you wanted to have some other web browser on OBS).

to create one, go to docks -> custom browser docks.

you’ll be given a table interface that asks you to put the dock name and URL. for streamers who want to have chat and alerts available, do the following:

on twitch’s homepage, go to the upper right and click your icon

then, click creator dashboard

once you’re on your dashboard, go to stream manager

click the vertical “...” on my chat OR activity feed.

press “pop-out chat” OR “pop-out activity feed”

copy and paste the link into the table back into OBS

press apply once you’re done

click and drag the docks around at your leisure to put them where you like!

if you ever decide you don’t want to have something on your OBS dock (or want to bring something back), go to the toolbar, click “docks,” and click the appropriate dock!

third party things

a section of optional things that you may enjoy having.

streamlabs alerts

this is basically for anyone who streams and wants to have their chat and/or follower notifications visualized on screen!

streamlab alerts can be added to OBS by adding a browser source into your scene, and the specifics can be customized on streamlabs itself. it’s pretty self-explanatory, so i’ll just leave a link to streamlabs website, where you can log in using the streaming platform of your choice: https://streamlabs.com/

discord overlay

this is a browser source that can be set up to show people who are in a server's voice chat and who speaks. i recommend this to people who make multiplayer content- it can help viewers distinguish who is who but also it can be helpful in editing.

to set this up, go to https://streamkit.discord.com/overlay, click “install for OBS,” and after logging in with discord, go to “voice widget” and click the server and voice channel you want.

you are able to apply CSS if you'd like more control over the visuals, but the standard layout tends to work fine for me! a search of “discord overlay css” on youtube can help you get more information.

veadotube mini

this is a pngtuber software that a friend recommended to me! no webcam is required- mouth opening and closing is based on your microphone input!

you can download it here (it’s pay what you want!): https://olmewe.itch.io/veadotube-mini

for a proper tutorial on how to use it, i recommend checking out the app's documentation, which you can read here: https://veado.tube/help/

source record

have you ever wanted to stream something with a chat overlay/layout, but wanted your recording to ONLY be the gameplay? or maybe you wanted to record BOTH your gameplay AND your webcam so that you can have a crisp zoom-in on your webcam!

source record is a third party plugin that can help you with that!

the general gist of source record involves applying the “source record” filter on either a scene or source, and customizing the encoding settings accordingly. the exact details of how to set it up is beyond the scope of this post, so I'll just direct people to this video instead (it was very helpful to me):

youtube

⚠ a quick note about source record: this plugin can be intense for your computer. be sure to do test recordings and the like to see what your computer can handle (and see if the recordings come out the way you like). it took me a few tests before i settled onto something i liked!

you can download and install source record here: https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/source-record.1285/

vdo.ninja

have you ever wanted to do a collaborative video or stream where you feature someone else’s video on your stream? or maybe you’re doing a multi-person streaming event! vdo.ninja is the perfect tool for you!

vdo.ninja turns your OBS virtual camera into a browser source link- which your collaborator can add on their stream! this is a new tool that i’ve added to my arsenal recently- since my friend and i are planning to stream a side order challenge together! i’ve still got to iron it out a bit more, but i like what i’ve used of it so far.

try it out for yourself at their website here (with documentation and demos available on the homepage!): https://vdo.ninja/ (no downloads required!)

ok! i’m set up! what now?

and with that, that’s all of the settings and tools that i thought would be worth mentioning! while most of my setup was written with video games in mind, some of these plugins and setups may be applicable to other types of videos (e.g. tabletop gaming with a physical camera)!

now that i’ve outlined all these settings, i have one more thing i have to say: regardless of what you're using OBS for, do a test recording before doing anything “official” with it. this recording can be as short as 30 seconds. it’s a good habit to develop that can make sure your streams/recordings turn out the way you want them to!

here are the kinds of things i like to check! it’s not an exhaustive list, but this can be a starting point:

video:

does my video look the way i want it to (and can my computer handle that)?

can my computer handle the load of encoding? - OBS will note in the bottom if the encoding is overloaded. if it can’t handle it, turn down your bitrate or adjust other encoding settings (e.g. i had to toggle psycho visual tuning OFF because it was causing lag)

this is especially the case if you're recording PC games- you don’t want to have slowdown on either your game or the recording!

audio:

are my audio sources (e.g. desktop audio and microphone) correct? - if you plug/unplug devices a lot, be sure to check this (settings -> audio).

are any of my audio sources muted? - make sure you don’t have anything on 🔇 if you don’t want it to be muted! otherwise the audio will be lost forever… (i lost my friend’s VC audio once… it was sad)

are my audio tracks separated properly? - requires you to boot up your editing software, but it's worth doing! for the test recording, just have something from all your sources playing at once, and see if your editor has things separated into tracks.

can i hear the voices clearly? or does the music and/or game overpower them?

if for whatever reason your OBS crashes, or you want more information on anything “critical” or “warning” worthy in your set-up, you can go to help > log files > upload current log file > analyze. crash logs currently can’t be analyzed by the log analyzer- but they’re a valuable tool when asking for help on the OBS forums!

and that’s all! for real, this time. i hope that some of these tools and settings can help anyone wanting to get more out of OBS. there’s definitely other things i didn’t touch upon (e.g. audio filters for noise compression, suppression, etc.), so i suggest doing your own research and trying things out!

happy recording/streaming, and thanks for reading! ✨

#lizzy speaks #this was a fun little write up!! i've been slowly getting some of my friends into video making teehee and its SO FUN!!!#(digital) video is like one of my other passions next to art. everyone say thank you splatoon for getting me back into it again <3 #i've been using obs since like 2018 so i wanted to share some of the things i learned for funsies... i really love video...#but also i like having reference posts like this in the case people have questions they want to ask me...#because i don't always remember what video tutorials i watched and it's nice to document that somewhere...#warning to anyone who reads it this is like 2.1k words. i do want to stress that this isn't comprehensive but there's still a lot of info #that i wanted to put for this post...! that said topics like designing your own stream layout + assets for it are NOT in the scope of this #post and nor is this a beginner's guide to obs (i wrote this with the assumption that you know how to record and/or stream and that-#people already have an idea of how to use scenes and the different types of sources obs can use).#i hope everyone's had a lovely march 5th! i would love to look at the fanart but im still not done with reload...#but im hoping to finish it by the end of the month!!! yipee!!!#Youtube

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starheirxero · 2 months

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I've been thinking a lot about Lunar's different designs, and would love to ramble about them a bit, if you don't mind!

All of this is, of course, completely self-indulgent, and my own interpretation!

Now, Lunar has three official VR models. There's the most iconic one, with the crescent moon, the cuter version of moon, and of course his current one! For simplicity, I will refer to them as "Crescent", "CutieMoony", and will call his current one "Pastel".

There was one other design, his very first, which was shown in the thumbnail, though in the actual show was just a very pale recoloring of moon, and only shown in reaction videos. Though it was never canon, I do still have my own interpretation to that as well! This one, I will refer to as "Pale".

"Crescent" is most important design, as it brings meaning to the rest. It lays the foundation for everything else, as it is his real design. It's what he automatically glitches into when he's under high stress. Most importantly, it's what he's been shown to look like in every other universe. Lord Lunar, Lunara, swap Lunar, all of them are the same. Crescent is universally shown to be his real self.

"Pale", on the other hand is, simply put, what Eclipse wanted him to be. Something easily pushed into the background, something mild. Something to sit by quietly, to take what is thrown at him. Pale is the opposite of who Lunar actually is. Interestingly enough, his design in the thumbnail changed the day Moon returned, the day Lunar finally decided to cut off his puppet strings and reject Eclipse. That day, he rejected the image Eclipse had crafted for him, and his design, pale and barely there at all, bloomed into something bright, something noticeable. Lunar finally became themself, no longer bound to their purpose.

"CutieMoony", is the opposite of Pale, as it's what he chose to be. This design, to me, truly underlines Lunar's relationship and appreciation for old moon. He already has an actual design, one designed by his brothers, one that's truly him, in this universe and every other, and he can change into everything he wishes to be, yet he chooses to look like old Moon. Old Moon, who knew him best, right after Monty. They have shared the same body, and old Moon has seen the dents and hurt left in Eclipse's wake. He is the one Lunar ran to, when they couldn't bear the abuse anymore, the one they cried their heart out to. And despite what Lunar did, even under the influence of someone else, he met them with nothing but care and concern. He listened to them, and visibly tried to reach out, only to hesitate and hover instead, for his hands were only ever used to hurt before, something Lunar knew. He didn't force them to stay outside, and took their place, didn't even hesitate when Lunar asked him to be his brother. He is the first one who tried so hard to be a loving brother, arguably trying to be what he couldn't be for Sun, at least not in the beginning. He actively supported their interests, remembered what they liked. When Sun scared Lunar in a horror game and made them cry, Sun panicked because Moon would hear, showing just how much of a protective barrier old Moon was for Lunar. By taking his appearance, Lunar truly showed how much they looked up to him, and how safe he made them feel, considering they took this appearance while they were trapped by KC. Another thing to note is the red and yellow accents, very reminiscent of Sun, showing how much their bond has grown since the rocky start.

Last but not least, there is "Pastel". This design definitly has a lot of interpretation to give, but my favorite to focus on is the raw wrongness of it. Because we know what Lunar looks like. He's supposed to be vibrant and blue, yet this body is purple and mellow. Ironically enough, it's very similar to "Pale", the very personification of what Eclipse wanted him to be, showing the permanent mark he has left on them, as well as their mental state. Their energy isn't genuine anymore, it's a distraction and exaggeration to run from the mess left in their head. There is also the divinity inside of them, reflected in their eyes, showing them that now, they are more than just Lunar. They are part of something much bigger than themself. This body, in every sense of the word, is not their own. It's something they might never see as a home either. Another irony is how it once again links them to Eclipse, who himself is in a body not his own.

His body is a literal copy after all, not to forget that his "real self" was universally shown to look like Solar, minus God Eclipse.

This was a rather long ramble, but I really needed to get it out of my system! The brainrot's been growing steadily-

Thank you for reading!

-Stardust

BELOVED STARDUST ANON I'M GOING TO START DOING FLIPS OVER HOW EXCITED I AM ABOUT THIS OH MY GHOD

I don't even know what to say other than these are all a fantastic observations and that I am wholeheartedly accepting these into my soul forever I think

#asks #stardust anon #anon #THIS IS ALL SO IMPORTANT 2 ME....... U JUST DISSECTED THE FUCK OUTTA THIS LITTLE ROBOT I'M GENUINELY SO ENAMORED #i'd kind of rotated before the fact that lunar had /also/ gone thru multiple bodies/designs like eclipse had and how there's likely some-#-fun ideas you could make outta that but i never actually like #/THOUGHT/ ABOUT IT #I KNOW I SAID THIS ON UR LAST BIG RAMBLE BUT I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW ABSOLUTELY HUGE YOUR BRAIN IS FOR THIS AHSJWBSJSN #ghooooddd could you imagine if part of lunar's arc is learning to comfortable w/ themselves again #and it leads to them having the Crescent body/a new body that reflects more of who they are now #and they're Happy and Okay and Nothing Goes Wrong 🙏 GDJWHDJS #sun and moon show #the sun and moon show #tsams #sams lunar #lunar sams #laes lunar #lunar laes #lunar and earth show #the lunar and earth show #tlaes #lunar #long post #other's thoughts and rambles

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