OBS Studio

Score9 out of 10

45 Reviews and Ratings

What is OBS Studio?

OBS Studio is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming, featuring real time video/audio capturing and mixing. Users can create scenes made up of multiple sources including window captures, images, text, browser windows, webcams, and capture cards.

Categories & Use Cases

Mantra Manan Saraswat View profile

Product Manager in Product Management at 100ms (51-200 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We have a video conferencing and live streaming product. The live streaming product is built on HLS but it can take can RTMP-in feed as well as output RTMP if needed to external providers. We, as well as a lot of our customers, use OBS Studio for sending the RTMP feed to our live streaming product. This is primarily because OBS Studio is a lot more extensible and has support for multiple devices, mics, cameras as well as combining of different feeds.

Pros

RTMP Streaming with customizable bitrate
Scene Composition and Switching + source control which allows for creators and our customers to move between different types of content they might have (different video feeds, slides etc)
Audio mixer and audio control - noise gating, a/v syncing, audio source control

Cons

Guide on using the software since it has a steep learning curve
Mobile App or Remote Control - Some customers have asked if they could control parts of their stream using their mobile phones, especially source switching
OBS doesn’t offer native cloud syncing for configurations, scenes, or settings.

Return on Investment

Our revenue from streaming increased 5x as soon as we started supporting RTMP Ingestion since OBS studio is one of the most widely used software.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

StreamYard, Restream and Streamlabs

Other Software Used

StreamYard

Hayden LeMaster

Owner/Operator in Professional Services at LeMaster Graphics (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I have a few different uses for OBS, but mainly use it for video transfers; we do analog to digital transfers as one of our business services, and OBS does a great job of this. It allows manual adjustments (brightness, contrast, etc) with a preview window so we can fine tune the image quality before we do the actual transfer for our customers.

Pros

VHS to DVD transfer
Adjustments to picture quality
Doesn't take up too much computer speed, so I can multitask without losing quality during transfer

Cons

OBS can be a little clunky sometimes, the lots of features can be a bit overwhelming
I can multitask with it, but can't run heavy software like Premiere alongside it
No way to make adjustments to file after it's done, have to use After Effects or Premiere for that

Return on Investment

OBS has been a huge help with VHS to DVD transfers
Clients are always happy with instructional videos I make using OBS
Easy to add voiceover, many clients have returned to me due to the instructional videos

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Meld Studio and Bandicam

Other Software Used

Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator CC, Adobe Premiere Pro

Louis Schietekat

Founder and Tutor in Product Management at Cambrifun (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use OBS Studio regularly to capture, in video form, all the steps I perform to complete specific tasks and sequences of tasks. I can jump between different online platforms and tools and capture every nuance I face in order to complete complex tasks. Having these videos drastically reduced the time taken to train someone delegated to perform these complex tasks.

Pros

Full control of video and audio capture
Can accommodate multiple video inputs with easy switching between inputs
Minimum learning curve to get up and running

Cons

When one of the video inputs are set to an USB camera, other platforms such as Google Meet cannot use that camera, even if it is not live on OBS Studio.
Setting up multiple video inputs is not always that intuitive.
I can't really think of any other shortcomings

Return on Investment

Seriously reduced training time to get someone to do a task exactly as you need it done.
Also reduces repeat questions because the video is there, you can simply watch it again as a refresher.
An invaluable tool to "clone" yourself as an Entrepreneur/Founder.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Zoom Workplace

Other Software Used

Shotcut, ChatGPT, WordPress, Paid Memberships Pro

Bobby Matheson View profile

Owner/Operator at BucketHat Media (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use OBS for streaming audio/video performances online to websites such as Twitch and YouTube. It has helped to bridge the gap between musicians and listeners in a way I have been unable to previously. In the current pandemic atmosphere, OBS has allowed me to perform live for my audience and reach a broader swath of people easily and keep communication open with the viewers easily.

Pros

Easy to use overlays and on-screen elements.
Easily customizable.
Attractive layout with simple and intuitive navigation.
Easily switch between several pre-made “scenes”.
Old-school broadcast media options and functions for a trendy and modern medium.

Cons

I would really love the option to select and “preview” the next scene in queue before switching to it - much like an old-school Television switcher.
An option to have customizable colour schemes for the interface would be helpful.
The ability to use multiple scene transitions - hard cuts, fades, wipes, etc, and being able to use them freely between takes.

Most Important Features

Easy streaming interface.
Easy to set up custom layouts for on-screen chats, effects, etc.
Fantastic Audio and video output quality.

Return on Investment

Allowing me to reach new listeners and find new customers.
Making the process of streaming fun and easy, allowing me to make the most of my time on-stream.
Easily transferable settings and layouts between platforms - I can use the same settings on Twitch as I can on YouTube. This allows for consistent branding across platforms.

Alternatives Considered

Streamlabs

Other Software Used

Lucidspark, Apache OpenOffice, Adobe Premiere Pro

Joshua Welsh View profile

Assistant Professor at Central Washington University (1001-5000 employees employees)

Pros

Picture-in-Picture
Scene Changes
Lots if resolution settings

Cons

Help finding the right resolution setting.
Help understanding virtual backgrounds.
Easy way to name files as they are being recorded.

Most Important Features

Screen capture
Picture in picture
Adjustable resolution settings.
Cross-platform

Return on Investment

Cost is free, so any benefits are immense in terms of investment.
Learning curve is steep, so time can be a cost.
Flexibility is probably the biggest benefit to the people that use it.

Alternatives Considered

Panopto and Camtasia