OBS Studio
Version 32.2.1 · OBS Project · Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit) · ranked #224 in the library
The recording and streaming application that professional broadcasts quietly run on, built around scenes and sources with a filter chain on every one and no limit on what you can wire together.
Read the installation section below before you start. The order of the steps matters on this release.
About this release
Overview
OBS is a compositing engine for live video. You build scenes, each holding any number of sources, and switch between them while recording or streaming. A source can be a display, a window, a game, a camera, an image, a browser page, a colour, a media file or the output of another scene, and each one carries its own transform, crop, blend mode and filter chain. That structure is why it scales from a single webcam recording to a multi-camera production with graphics and remote guests.
Audio is a full mixer rather than an afterthought. Every source has its own channel with gain, monitoring, and a filter chain that can hold a noise gate, noise suppression, a compressor, a limiter and a three band equaliser. Monitoring routes to a chosen device without feeding back into the stream, and each channel can be assigned to separate recording tracks so the finished file contains isolated audio for editing later.
Output is equally deep. Record to MKV or fragmented MP4 so a crash does not destroy the file, with hardware encoders from every vendor and a full set of manual encoder settings for anyone who wants to tune rate control directly. Stream to any service that speaks the common protocols. Replay buffer keeps the last stretch of footage in memory and writes it on a hotkey. The plugin ecosystem and the WebSocket control interface cover anything the base application does not.
What it does
Feature breakdown
Scene and source compositing
Unlimited scenes, each with any number of layered sources, with per-source transform, crop, blend mode, and scene switching by hotkey or by studio mode preview.
Per-source filter chains
Chroma key, colour correction, luma key, scaling, sharpening, masks and scroll on video sources, and gating, suppression, compression and equalisation on audio.
Full audio mixer with track routing
Independent channels with monitoring, and assignment to up to six recording tracks so the output file holds isolated audio for post.
Hardware and software encoding
NVENC, Quick Sync, AMF and software encoders with full manual control over bitrate mode, keyframe interval, preset and profile.
Replay buffer and instant recording
Keep a rolling buffer of recent footage in memory and write it to disk on a hotkey, without recording continuously.
Plugins and remote control
A large plugin ecosystem for virtual cameras, advanced masking and hardware integration, plus a WebSocket interface for driving it from a control surface or another machine.
Changed in this build
Version 32.2.1
- Improved capture reliability on games using the current generation of graphics APIs.
- New audio filter for automatic loudness normalisation across sources.
- Faster scene switching when scenes contain many browser sources.
- Recording output gained a hybrid MP4 format that survives an unclean shutdown.
- Reduced CPU use in the compositor on high refresh rate captures.
Installation
Follow these in order
- Extract the archive and run the installer, or use the portable build from the same package.
- Launch it and either run the auto-configuration wizard or skip it and set output settings by hand.
- Set the base and output resolutions in video settings before building any scenes.
- Choose an encoder in output settings, hardware if the machine has one.
- Build a scene, add a source, and run a short test recording to check for dropped frames.
- Set your recording path to a fast drive with plenty of space.
Release notes
From whoever packed it
- Record to MKV or the hybrid MP4 format. A plain MP4 recording is lost entirely if the machine crashes mid-capture.
- Game capture needs the application running in a supported mode. Fall back to display capture if a title refuses.
- Nothing here is time limited or watermarked. This is the full application as published.
System requirements
Minimum and recommended
| Operating system | Windows 10 version 21H2 or Windows 11, 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Processor | Quad core minimum, six or more cores for software encoding at high quality |
| Memory | 8 GB minimum, 16 GB for complex scene collections |
| Graphics | DirectX 11 capable GPU, hardware encoder strongly recommended |
| Storage | 500 MB for the program plus fast storage for recordings |
Questions about this release
Answered before you ask
- Is it really free?
- Yes, it is open source. There is no paid tier and no watermark at any point.
- Can it record and stream at the same time?
- Yes, with separate quality settings for each output if the machine has the headroom.
- Why are frames being dropped?
- Usually the encoder cannot keep up or the recording drive is too slow. Lower the encoder preset or move recordings to a faster drive.
Download
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