OBS
Open Broadcaster Software®️
Video Capture Sources
Table of Contents
These source types are generally used to add webcams and capture cards.
Video Capture Device
| Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ Available | ✅ Available | ❌ Not available |
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Description
The Video Capture Device Source allows you to add a variety of video devices, including but not limited to webcams and capture cards.
On Windows, for a device to work with OBS the drivers needs to support DirectShow output. Since DirectShow is the standard output format for Windows, there's a good chance that this is what your device outputs. All major webcams and capture cards support DirectShow and will work with OBS.
To add your device, simply add the Source, open the properties and select your device from the Device drop down list.
Properties
Windows
| Property | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Device | Specifies the device to use | |
| Deactivate/Active | Turns your device on or off | |
| Configure Video | Open any driver configuration utilities. For example, with a Logitech webcam it will open the Logitech camera configuration software for enabling custom options like facial tracking. With a capture card, it might open the options to configure the input resolution and FPS | |
| Configure Crossbar | Opens the device's Crossbar Configuration, if available. Consult your device's manual for more information | |
| Deactivate when not showing | Frees up resources by deactivating the device when it is hidden/not on the current scene. If switching to a scene that shows it again, there may be a small period of time where it is not showing while it reloads | Off |
| Resolution/FPS Type | Specifies the resolution and framerate combination. These are detected from the device. If they don't work, set this to Custom | Device Default |
| Resolution | Sets the base resolution for the video device. If the device does not support the resolution, the source will not display anything | |
| FPS | Sets the frame rate of the device. If the device does not support the frame rate, the source will not display anything | |
| Video Format | Sets the preferred format if your device supports multiple video output formats (such as MJPEG or XRGB) | Any |
| Color Space | Specifies the color space the device will output in | Default |
| Color range | Specifies the color range the device will output in | Default |
| Buffering | If set to Enable, turns buffering on which can help if you are getting stuttering during playback. If set to Disable, turns buffering off which can help if you are experiencing a delay on the device. | Auto-Detect |
| Flip Vertically | Specifies the video's vertical orientation in case the device sends the video input upside down | Off |
| Apply rotation data from the camera (if any) | On | |
| Audio Output Mode | You can set to Capture Only (meaning you will not hear, without Audio Monitoring), or Output desktop audio (DirectSound/WaveOut). Enabling desktop output will send the device's audio out through your system default device. | |
| Use custom audio device | Specifies that a separate audio device will be linked to your video device. For instance, useful if you want to use an external microphone on a webcam and want to tie the audio directly to the source itself | Off |
| Audio Device | If Use custom audio device is checked, specifies the separate audio device to link to the source |
Video Capture Device (V4L2)
| Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| ❌ Not available | ❌ Not available | ✅ Available |
Properties
| Property | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Device | Specifies the device to use | |
| Input | Specifies the device's input to use | |
| Video Format | Specifies the video format to use | YUYV 4:2:2 |
| Resolution | Sets the base resolution for the video device | Leave Unchanged |
| Frame Rate | Sets the frame rate of the device | Leave Unchanged |
| Color Range | Specifies the color range the device will output in | Default |
| Buffering | If checked, buffering on which can help if you are getting stuttering during playback. If unchecked, turns buffering off which can help if you are experiencing a delay on the device. | On |
| Frames Until Timeout | 5 |
Blackmagic Device
| Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ Available | ✅ Available | ✅ Available |
Description
The Blackmagic Device source allows you to add a variety of Blackmagic Design capture cards, using their provided developer SDK to ensure the best possible compatibility.
Properties
| Property | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Device | Specifies the Blackmagic Design device you wish to capture | |
| Mode | Specifies the video mode of the device. This should match your media (i.e. camera or game console), output resolution, and frame rate | |
| Format | Specifies the video format the device runs in. This should also match your media output you wish to capture | |
| Use Buffering | Enables or disables the use of buffering on the video/audio for the device. This can help with issues on systems with low resources available or a device with bad drivers/other hardware issues |
AJA Device
| Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ Available | ✅ Available | ✅ Available |
Description
TODO
Properties
TODO