OBS Recording vs Streaming Settings (Use Both Properly)
Recording locally can look far better than your stream. Here's how to set both up correctly.
Streaming is limited by your upload; local recording isn't. Set recording quality higher so your clips and YouTube uploads look better than the live stream did.
Record in a high-quality mode
In Settings → Output → Recording, use a high quality preset (or CQP around 18–23 on a hardware encoder) rather than matching your stream bitrate. Disk space is cheaper than quality.
Use MKV, remux later
Record to MKV so a crash doesn't corrupt the file, then File → Remux Recordings to MP4 for editing. Recording straight to MP4 is how people lose whole sessions.
Record even when streaming
The local file is your source for clips and VOD content — far better quality than downloading a compressed stream VOD.
Watch your drive
High-quality recording eats space fast. Point it at a drive with room, and clear it out weekly.
Clips look better with a good overlay
Since clips are your discovery engine, having your overlay visible in them does double duty.
Clips that carry your brand
A distinctive look that travels from your clips back to your channel.
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