OBS Studio is the most popular free software for live streaming. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux and gives you control over video sources, audio mixing, overlays, and encoding settings. This guide walks you through setting it up for your first stream.
Installing OBS Studio
Download OBS Studio from obsproject.com. The installer is straightforward on all platforms. When you first open OBS, it will offer to run an auto-configuration wizard. Accept it. The wizard tests your system and internet speed, then recommends settings that should work for your hardware.
If the wizard does not produce good results, you can adjust settings manually later. But for most first-time streamers, the automatic configuration is a solid starting point.
Adding video and audio sources
OBS uses a concept called "scenes" and "sources". A scene is a layout, and sources are the things inside it: your camera feed, a screen capture, an image overlay, or a text label. For a simple stream, you need one scene with one video source.
Click the plus button under Sources, choose "Video Capture Device", and select your camera or capture card from the dropdown. If you are using a webcam, it will appear immediately. If you are using an external camera via a capture card, select the capture card as the device.
For audio, OBS will usually pick up your default microphone automatically. Check the audio mixer at the bottom of the screen to make sure the levels are moving when you speak. If you are using a USB audio interface or mixer, select it in Settings, then Audio.
Configuring your stream settings
Go to Settings, then Output. Set the output mode to "Simple" for now. Choose a video bitrate between 2,500 and 4,500 kbps depending on your upload speed. Set the encoder to x264 or, if your computer has a modern GPU, use the hardware encoder (NVENC for Nvidia, AMF for AMD).
Under Settings, then Video, set your base resolution to match your camera output and your output resolution to 1280x720 for a 720p stream or 1920x1080 for 1080p. Set the frame rate to 30 fps, which is ideal for most events.
Connecting to your platform
Go to Settings, then Stream. Choose "Custom" as the service. Paste your RTMP URL into the Server field and your stream key into the Stream Key field. Your streaming platform will provide both of these when you create an event.
Click "Start Streaming" to begin sending your feed to the platform. If everything is configured correctly, your platform dashboard will show the stream as active within a few seconds.
Got OBS set up? Now get paid for your streams.
PassCast gives you an RTMP address and stream key that you paste straight into OBS. Set your ticket price, share your event link, and start earning.
Get started free