OBS Studio

Free, professional-grade software for recording your screen and streaming live, built around scenes that combine cameras, windows, images and audio.

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Source code: github.com/obsproject/obs-studio. Flink is not affiliated with the OBS Project.

What it is

OBS Studio works with scenes and sources. A source can be your whole screen, a single window, a webcam, an image, a browser page or an audio device. You arrange sources into scenes, such as "intro", "screen share" or "camera only", and switch between them while recording or streaming. A built-in audio mixer lets you balance microphones and system sound and apply filters such as noise suppression.

Recordings are saved to disk in common formats, and streams can be sent to the major live-streaming platforms or any custom server. OBS Studio can also act as a virtual camera, so you can use your composed scene in video-call software. Hardware encoders from the main graphics-card vendors are supported, which keeps performance high.

Key features

Studio Mode and transitions

Studio Mode shows two views side by side: a preview where you prepare the next scene and the live output your audience sees. When the next scene is ready, a transition such as a fade or a cut sends it live, which keeps broadcasts looking clean.

Audio filters

Every audio source can have its own filters. Noise suppression removes background hum, a noise gate mutes the microphone when you are not speaking, and a compressor evens out loud and quiet moments. You can monitor each source through headphones.

Safe recording formats

OBS Studio can record to formats that survive a crash or power cut without losing the whole file, and then remux the recording to MP4 for editing. A replay buffer can keep the last few minutes in memory so you can save a moment after it happens.

Plugins and scripts

OBS Studio supports plugins as well as scripts written in Lua or Python. The community has produced plugins for advanced transitions, extra capture sources and automation, so the app can grow with your needs instead of forcing you to switch tools later on.

Getting started

On first launch, the auto-configuration wizard suggests settings based on your hardware and whether you plan to record or stream. Add a display or window capture source, check that the audio meters move when you speak, and make a short test recording before anything important.

Who it is for

Streamers, teachers recording lessons, developers making tutorials and anyone who needs more control than a basic screen recorder offers. It is free, yet many professional streamers use it every day.

Pros and cons

Alternatives

To watch the videos you create, use VLC media player. To organise a large personal video library, see Jellyfin.