OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software) is the world’s most popular free live streaming and recording software. Used by millions of streamers, content creators, and video professionals, OBS gives you complete control over every aspect of your live stream at absolutely zero cost. This complete OBS Studio tutorial for beginners walks you through everything you need to know to set up and start streaming in 2025.
Downloading and Installing OBS Studio
OBS Studio is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Download it for free from the official website at obsproject.com. Run the installer and follow the setup wizard — OBS will automatically detect your hardware and configure basic settings during first launch. The Auto-Configuration Wizard runs on first start and sets recommended bitrate, resolution, and encoding settings based on your system’s capabilities and internet speed.
Understanding the OBS Studio Interface
The OBS interface has several key sections you need to understand before streaming. The Preview Window shows exactly what viewers will see. The Scenes Panel (bottom left) lets you switch between different layouts — for example a “Gaming” scene and a “Just Chatting” scene. The Sources Panel shows all the elements in your current scene (webcam, game capture, microphone, overlays). The Audio Mixer controls volume levels for every audio source. The Controls Panel contains the Start Streaming and Start Recording buttons.
Setting Up Your First OBS Scene
- In the Scenes panel, click the “+” button and name your scene (e.g., “Main Stream”)
- In the Sources panel, click “+” to add sources to your scene
- Add Video Capture Device to add your webcam
- Add Audio Input Capture to add your microphone
- Add Game Capture or Display Capture if you want to show your screen
- Drag and resize elements in the preview window to arrange your layout
Configuring OBS Stream Settings
Go to Settings → Stream to connect OBS to your streaming platform. Select your service from the dropdown (YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, etc.) or choose “Custom” and enter a Server URL and Stream Key for any RTMP destination. Then go to Settings → Output to set your video bitrate — 3,000–6,000 kbps for 1080p is a good starting range for most internet connections. In Settings → Video, set your base and output resolution, and your FPS (frames per second) — 1080p60 or 720p60 are the most common choices.
OBS Encoding: Software vs Hardware
OBS can encode your video using your CPU (software encoding with x264) or your GPU (hardware encoding with NVENC for Nvidia, AMF for AMD, or QuickSync for Intel). For most beginners, hardware encoding is the better choice — it uses your graphics card instead of your processor, which means you can stream and game or run other apps simultaneously without significant performance impact. In Settings → Output, change the encoder from “Software (x264)” to your GPU’s hardware encoder for better performance.
Adding Alerts and Overlays to OBS
Alerts (follower notifications, donations, subscriptions) and overlays (borders, animated graphics, info panels) add production value to your stream. You can create free custom overlays at sites like Streamlabs or StreamElements, then add them to OBS as a Browser Source. Paste the overlay URL into the Browser Source, set the width and height, and your alerts and graphics will appear directly in your OBS output.
Streaming from OBS to Multiple Platforms
By default, OBS streams to one platform at a time. To multistream to YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and more simultaneously, the easiest approach is to use OBS alongside Streemzy. Connect your OBS output to Streemzy’s custom RTMP ingest, and Streemzy will distribute your stream to all your connected platforms automatically. This requires only one encoder output from OBS and puts no additional strain on your computer or upload bandwidth compared to managing multiple outputs yourself.
OBS Studio Tips for Better Stream Quality
Always use a wired ethernet connection instead of WiFi for the most reliable stream. Close unnecessary background applications before going live to free up CPU and RAM. Set OBS’s process priority to “Above Normal” in Settings → Advanced for more consistent encoding performance. Use OBS’s built-in Stats window (View → Stats) to monitor dropped frames and encoding lag in real time during your stream — if you see dropped frames, lower your bitrate or switch to hardware encoding immediately.
Once you’ve mastered OBS, take your streams further with Streemzy’s free multistreaming — broadcast from OBS to every major platform simultaneously with one simple RTMP connection.