OBS Studio Screen Recording Cheat Sheet

Updated 2026-05-28

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OBS Studio (Open Broadcaster Software) is free, open-source software for live streaming and screen recording widely used by content creators, gamers, educators, and professionals. The current stable version is 32.1 (2026), which introduced a redesigned Audio Mixer, WebRTC Simulcast, and pinnable audio sources. OBS's scene-based workflow — composing layered scenes with multiple video and audio sources, applying real-time filters, and switching instantly — is what sets it apart from simple screen recorders. Understanding encoding settings, audio routing, and resource management is essential to avoid dropped frames or poor quality output, and the plugin ecosystem extends OBS far beyond its default feature set.

What This Cheat Sheet Covers

This topic spans 25 focused tables and 182 indexed concepts, 133 flashcards. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.

Table 1: Scene ManagementTable 2: Source Types and CaptureTable 3: Audio Mixer and FiltersTable 4: Encoding SettingsTable 5: Rate Control and BitrateTable 6: Recording Formats and OutputTable 7: Streaming ConfigurationTable 8: Scene TransitionsTable 9: Studio Mode FeaturesTable 10: Video Filters and EffectsTable 11: Plugins and ExtensionsTable 12: Virtual Camera SetupTable 13: Hotkeys and ShortcutsTable 14: Advanced SettingsTable 15: Browser Sources and DocksTable 16: Streaming ProtocolsTable 17: Projectors and OutputsTable 18: Audio MonitoringTable 19: Replay BufferTable 20: Source TransformationsTable 21: Scene Collection ManagementTable 22: Media Source ControlsTable 23: Chroma Key SettingsTable 24: Resource OptimizationTable 25: OBS WebSocket and Scripting

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Table 1: Scene Management

Scene-based workflow is OBS's core concept — mastering scene organization, nesting, and Studio Mode before anything else makes every other feature easier to manage. Scenes are containers; sources are the building blocks inside them.

Concept	Example	Description
Scene	Create "Starting Soon", "Main Gameplay", "BRB" scenes	• A container that holds multiple sources arranged in a specific layout • switch between scenes instantly during live recording or streaming
Scene Collection	Export scene collection as `.json` file	A saved group of multiple scenes that can be exported, imported, or duplicated for different projects or computers.
Studio Mode	Edit preview scene before going live	Enables preview and program split-screen workflow — edit scenes in preview without affecting live output, then transition when ready.
Nested Scene	Add "Webcam Overlay" scene as source in "Main" scene	A scene used as a source inside another scene, allowing reusable elements across multiple layouts without duplication.
Scene Transition	Fade (300ms) between scenes	Defines how one scene replaces another — options include Cut, Fade, Swipe, Stinger, or Luma Wipe.
Multiview	View 8 scenes simultaneously in grid	Displays multiple scenes in a single window for monitoring and quick switching, especially useful with multiple monitors or a Stream Deck.
Scene Duplication	Right-click scene → Duplicate	Quickly copy an entire scene with all sources and settings to create variations without rebuilding from scratch.

Table 2: Source Types and Capture

Sources are the individual elements placed inside scenes — video feeds, audio devices, images, or web content. OBS 30.1 added per-application audio capture embedded directly into Window Capture and Game Capture sources.

Type	Example	Description
Game Capture	Capture fullscreen game with hook injection	Most efficient method for games — uses direct GPU hook to capture fullscreen or borderless windowed games with minimal performance impact.

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 3: Audio Mixer and Filters

OBS 32.1 overhauled the Audio Mixer with a new vertical default layout, the ability to pin audio sources, and a toolbar button to toggle audio monitoring per source. Filters are applied per-source in the Filters dialog and processed in chain order.

Filter	Example	Description
Noise Suppression	RNNoise (AI-powered)	• Removes background noise like fans, keyboard clicks, or hum using spectral analysis • RNNoise offers better quality than Speex

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 4: Encoding Settings

Encoding is where streaming quality and CPU/GPU load are traded off. Hardware encoders (NVENC, AMF, QuickSync) offload work from the CPU; software encoders give finer quality control. AV1 delivers the best quality per bitrate but requires newer hardware.

Encoder	Example	Description
x264	Software encoder (CPU preset: veryfast)	• CPU-based H.264 encoding with multiple presets — slower presets yield better quality but require more CPU • the universal fallback for any machine

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 1: Scene Management

Concept	Example	Description
Scene	Create "Starting Soon", "Main Gameplay", "BRB" scenes	• A container that holds multiple sources arranged in a specific layout • switch between scenes instantly during live recording or streaming
Scene Collection	Export scene collection as `.json` file	A saved group of multiple scenes that can be exported, imported, or duplicated for different projects or computers.
Studio Mode	Edit preview scene before going live	Enables preview and program split-screen workflow — edit scenes in preview without affecting live output, then transition when ready.
Nested Scene	Add "Webcam Overlay" scene as source in "Main" scene	A scene used as a source inside another scene, allowing reusable elements across multiple layouts without duplication.
Scene Transition	Fade (300ms) between scenes	Defines how one scene replaces another — options include Cut, Fade, Swipe, Stinger, or Luma Wipe.
Multiview	View 8 scenes simultaneously in grid	Displays multiple scenes in a single window for monitoring and quick switching, especially useful with multiple monitors or a Stream Deck.
Scene Duplication	Right-click scene → Duplicate	Quickly copy an entire scene with all sources and settings to create variations without rebuilding from scratch.

Table 2: Source Types and Capture

Type	Example	Description
Game Capture	Capture fullscreen game with hook injection	Most efficient method for games — uses direct GPU hook to capture fullscreen or borderless windowed games with minimal performance impact.

Table 3: Audio Mixer and Filters

Filter	Example	Description
Noise Suppression	RNNoise (AI-powered)	• Removes background noise like fans, keyboard clicks, or hum using spectral analysis • RNNoise offers better quality than Speex

Table 4: Encoding Settings

Encoder	Example	Description
x264	Software encoder (CPU preset: veryfast)	• CPU-based H.264 encoding with multiple presets — slower presets yield better quality but require more CPU • the universal fallback for any machine