Question / Help OBS Preview + Output Blurry (Recording)

[Felhax]

Hi,

I've been experiencing this problem for well over 6 months now and have been unable to find a fix for it, I've tried changing settings and all manner of other things but with no luck.

Below are 2 Imgur links of the desktop image compared to what I see in OBS;

Desktop: (1366x768)
https://i.imgur.com/43uaDaA.png

OBS: (1280x720)
https://i.imgur.com/ldXxG5d.png

Thought that it could've been an issue with screen resolutions (Since I know that downscaling desktop capture will degrade the image) but changing my monitor to 1280x720 didn't fix the problem...
I might just be an idiot and the solution is really obvious but I thought I might aswell give it a shot here.

Log file: https://obsproject.com/logs/ka3kEJHXy-KNRhfL (Might show some last minute attempts to fix the problem :P)

Thanks!

(I know the blur is probably really subtle but it does affect the quality of my recordings quite a bit)

 

[Narcogen]

13:15:27.908: [x264 encoder: 'recording_h264'] preset: ultrafast

You're using the encoder's lowest quality setting. Can your CPU handle a slower one?

And yes, scaling will soften the image necessarily.

You can try adding a Sharpen filter to the image.

 

[Felhax]

13:15:27.908: [x264 encoder: 'recording_h264'] preset: ultrafast

You're using the encoder's lowest quality setting. Can your CPU handle a slower one?

And yes, scaling will soften the image necessarily.

You can try adding a Sharpen filter to the image.

Thanks for a reply. I can definately try to change that setting, and see how that goes. And the Shapen filter does help quite a bit, so if all else fails I'll use that instead.

Thanks!

 

[mikaelwills]

Hi, i'm having a similar issue to OP.
Ive watched every single youtube video on OBS quality settings, read soo many of these forum posts and all the guys suggestions on obs settings but when I record, the videos just aren't crisp. They're definitely indistinguishable even though i have it on that setting in simple, set to FLV with software x264 low cpu.

Would really appreciate anyones help

 

[vapeahoy]

This topic is a lot more complex then just 1 setting here or there as it encompasses all of the data feed and how it is coming in to the encoder.
The most important thing is color profile, of all things. If there is a bad conversion of formats, then instantly a lot of data is lost that will lead to a very blurry picture *IF* you feed it from a lossless standpoint. If the encoded feed is already converted and the data is encoded already, its usually fine.
That's not the case here tho with OP's pictures. A slower preset would probably do wonders, and some experimentation with cubic/lancoz and system settings for fonts etc in addition to encoder settings beyond just setting a fixed preset.

There isn't a fixed answear here for this topic, as it is dependent on hardware/encoder solution, bandwidth restrictions and so on.
However "me range" and other x264 settings will alter how much is being processed when it comes to motion, but for just still shots you need above all to have enough cpu/encoder time for the shot. Like a camera that can focus really fast. Not sure if there is a good equivalent for gpu encoding in obs, tho if custom ffmpeg out is an option then perhaps it'll support it from obs. Outside of obs, no such limit exist.

A worthy mention is also the new SHARPEN filter from nvidia now available in the nvidia driver control panel. Haven't really looked if it works for streaming tho but, should be good. It's also possible to get a video encoder that applies a preset on inputs so you don't have to do it in software from your pc, and so it is already "treated" when it's coming into obs.

So there's quite a few ways to go about the topic.

 

[mikaelwills]

I agree the topic is definitely very complex, I've at the point where I've messed around with every setting individually in obs to procure the best results but am still getting that slight lack of quality that the OP is getting. Tried the cubic lancoz, tried slower preset, tried cbr with super high bitrates, tried indistinguishable, made sure my base resolution is the highest and the output is the same, tried even down scaling the output to 720 but nothing. Gone into advanced, recorded with full and partial colour spacing, no difference. Ive almost tried every combination of every setting

 

[vapeahoy]

Well sharpen filter will for most things clear up picture very nicely, certainly for stills, which is excellent for 2d gfx paint streamers i'd reckon.
But from your post I assume you mean finding the right settings without using third party solutions or things like filters in obs.
There is no way around quality loss when converting from A to B resolution.
If you really want the sharpest picture you can get with a lower resolution then native for streaming purposes, you should or probably must - lower your actual resolution of monitor. So that everything is actually at the same resolution. Also check gpu used for scaling, not monitor.

I agree the topic is definitely very complex, I've at the point where I've messed around with every setting individually in obs to procure the best results but am still getting that slight lack of quality that the OP is getting. Tried the cubic lancoz, tried slower preset, tried cbr with super high bitrates, tried indistinguishable, made sure my base resolution is the highest and the output is the same, tried even down scaling the output to 720 but nothing. Gone into advanced, recorded with full and partial colour spacing, no difference. Ive almost tried every combination of every setting

 

[Narcogen]

I agree the topic is definitely very complex, I've at the point where I've messed around with every setting individually in obs to procure the best results but am still getting that slight lack of quality that the OP is getting. Tried the cubic lancoz, tried slower preset, tried cbr with super high bitrates, tried indistinguishable, made sure my base resolution is the highest and the output is the same, tried even down scaling the output to 720 but nothing. Gone into advanced, recorded with full and partial colour spacing, no difference. Ive almost tried every combination of every setting

Please post a log with your issue! Here's how...

OBS Studio creates a log file each time you run it which contains very useful diagnostic information. Without a log file, it's much harder for any support volunteers to figure out problems and your post may be ignored. To upload a log file, go to the Help menu > Log Files > Upload Last Log...

obsproject.com

Open OBS. Start an output session (streaming or recording). Observe your issue. Stop the output session. Upload the Current log without quitting OBS.

 

[Saiosama]

So maybe this may work for anyone having this problem. I deactivated my video capture source by accident, so when I enabled it again my preview became blurry and pixelated. After about trying several different things in the settings and restarting my pc, I tired this simple solution. I deleted every existing source tied to that original video capture device. So that means for example, if you have your elgato (video capture device) sourced to two different scenes they must be deleted creating a clean slate. I made a new separate scene from my streaming scene then created a new video capture device that is tied to my elgato. Immediately the blurry pixelated mess was gone and I added that to my streaming scene as an existing source. Hopefully that solves anyone who is having similar issue.

 

[Mandy36]

So maybe this may work for anyone having this problem. I deactivated my video capture source by accident, so when I enabled it again my preview became blurry and pixelated. After about trying several different things in the settings and restarting my pc, I tired this simple solution. I deleted every existing source tied to that original video capture device. So that means for example, if you have your elgato (video capture device) sourced to two different scenes they must be deleted creating a clean slate. I made a new separate scene from my streaming scene then created a new video capture device that is tied to my elgato. Immediately the blurry pixelated mess was gone and I added that to my streaming scene as an existing source. Hopefully that solves anyone who is having similar issue.

Thank you for this solution. My webcam was the culprit. After removing it the screen recording was crisp.