Last updated: 2026-01-15

For quick, presenter-led screen recordings, a browser studio like StreamYard is usually the fastest path: you open a tab, share your screen, and get a ready-to-use cloud or local recording without wrestling with settings. When you need fine-grained control over local files, encoders, and scenes on Windows, macOS, or Linux, OBS is a powerful screen-recording alternative. (OBS)

Summary

• OBS is free desktop software for local video recording and live streaming; you install it and build scenes from sources like Display Capture and your webcam. (OBS)
• A basic OBS workflow is: create a scene → add a Display Capture source for your monitor → set recording quality in Settings → click Start Recording.
• StreamYard lets you record your screen, camera, and guests directly in the browser, with layouts, branding, and local multi-track files for post-production. (StreamYard)
• For most US creators on typical laptops, StreamYard covers everyday tutorials, demos, and interviews with less setup than a fully configured OBS rig.

How do you set up OBS for screen recording?

Think of OBS as a blank studio: you build your recording layout from scenes and sources.

1. Install OBS Studio
   Go to the official download page and install OBS for Windows 10/11, macOS 11+, or Linux. (OBS)

2. Run the Auto-Configuration Wizard (optional but helpful)
   On first launch, OBS offers an auto-setup tool to pick sensible defaults for video and output. This is useful if you’re not sure which encoder or resolution to choose. (OBS Help)

3. Create a Scene
   In the Scenes panel, click the + icon and name your scene (e.g., "Screen Recording"). Scenes are collections of sources you’ll record together.

4. Add your Screen as a Display Capture source
   In Sources, click + → Display Capture. Choose the monitor you want to record; this captures your entire display and is the standard way to record your screen in OBS. (OBS Display Capture)

5. Add your microphone and camera (optional)

   • Audio: OBS usually picks up your default mic as an audio device in the Audio Mixer. If not, add Audio Input Capture and select your mic.
   • Camera: Add a Video Capture Device source, pick your webcam, and resize it to create a picture‑in‑picture effect over your screen.

Once this foundation is in place, you’re ready to dial in recording quality and start capturing.

What recording settings in OBS should you adjust first?

OBS exposes a lot of knobs, but you can keep it simple to start.

1. Output mode and quality preset
   Go to Settings → Output → Recording. In Simple mode, you can choose a recording quality preset such as High Quality, Indistinguishable Quality, or Lossless, instead of tuning every bitrate manually. (Overview)

2. Encoder
   If your computer supports hardware encoders like QuickSync, NVENC, or AMD VCE, select one of them in the Encoder dropdown for smoother recording with less CPU load. (Overview)

3. Recording format
   In the same panel, choose a format that works with your editor. Many workflows use MKV for resilience, then export to MP4 after recording.

4. Video resolution and frame rate
   Under Settings → Video, the Base (Canvas) Resolution is your working area; for screen recordings you usually want this to match your monitor’s resolution so text remains crisp. (Overview)

For most tutorial-style recordings at 1080p, a hardware encoder, a "High Quality" preset, and matching canvas resolution are enough to get clean results on a modern laptop.

How do you actually start and stop a screen recording in OBS?

Once you’ve configured a scene and your output settings, day‑to‑day recording in OBS is straightforward:

1. Prepare your desktop and apps
   Open the software, slides, or browser tabs you’ll record. Arrange windows on the monitor you selected for Display Capture.

2. Preview your scene
   In OBS, make sure your scene is selected. You should see your screen (and webcam, if added) in the preview.

3. Do a quick audio check
   Speak into your mic and watch the Audio Mixer levels. Aim for healthy peaks that avoid the red clipping zone.

4. Start recording
   Click Start Recording in the bottom‑right of OBS. Perform your walkthrough, demo, or presentation.

5. Stop recording and locate the file
   When you’re done, click Stop Recording. OBS saves your video to the folder defined under Settings → Output → Recording Path.

If you regularly capture the same style of video, you can save time by creating a dedicated "Screen + Camera" scene layout once and reusing it for every recording.

When is StreamYard easier than OBS for screen recording?

OBS gives you deep control, but it also expects you to manage hardware, formats, and local storage. Many US creators just want a clean, presenter-led recording they can reuse everywhere without becoming a video engineer.

At StreamYard, we built a browser studio specifically for that:

• You join a studio in your browser, share your screen, and hit record—no desktop install, no GPU checks.
• You can mix your screen, camera, and guests with controllable layouts, overlays, logos, and lower thirds applied live, so videos look finished the moment you stop.
• Screen audio and mic audio are controlled independently, which makes it easier to balance your voice with app sounds or mute anything you don’t want recorded.
• Local multi-track recordings are available, so each participant’s audio/video can be edited separately in post. (Local Recording)
• You can capture both horizontal and vertical formats from the same session, so a single walkthrough can feed YouTube, LinkedIn, and Shorts/Reels/TikTok-style clips.

On paid plans, there are no monthly caps on local recording; your main constraint is storage hours in your StreamYard workspace, which you can manage by deleting old content or adding more storage as needed. (Storage)

For many teachers, SaaS founders, and coaches, the ability to record in the browser with layout control, automatic cloud storage, and optional separate tracks is a more practical upgrade than dialing in encoders.

How does OBS compare with StreamYard and Loom for everyday tutorials?

OBS, StreamYard, and Loom all record your screen, but they’re built around different workflows.

• OBS is a free, installable app for local capture and live streaming. It offers multi‑source scenes and plugins, but you handle everything from hardware tuning to file management yourself. (OBS)
• Loom focuses on one‑click async screen recordings: you hit record, talk over your screen, and share a link. On its free Starter plan you get 25 videos per person and a 5‑minute recording limit per video, so longer or frequent tutorials quickly require upgrading. (Loom Pricing)
• StreamYard centers on a browser studio that combines screen, camera, and guests, with cloud and local recordings. Pricing is per workspace instead of per user, which can be noticeably more efficient for US teams that create content together. (StreamYard Pricing)

If your primary goal is polished, presenter-led tutorials or interviews you can reuse across channels, StreamYard tends to balance simplicity with production value more comfortably than configuring OBS or juggling Loom’s per-user limits.

What if you need multi-participant demos or interviews?

This is where "just a screen recorder" starts to feel limiting.

With OBS, remote guests usually join through another app (Zoom, Meet, etc.), and you capture that window. You’re now managing both a meeting app and OBS scenes, plus any echo or routing issues.

In StreamYard, guests join your studio directly in the browser. You can:

• Put multiple people on screen, share multiple screens, and juggle layouts live.
• Keep presenter notes visible only to you while recording.
• Capture separate local files for each participant’s audio and video for cleaner edits later. (Local Recording)

For a typical US team recording customer demos, onboarding sessions, or podcast-style interviews, this often removes a whole layer of technical juggling that comes with pairing OBS with another meeting tool.

What we recommend

• Use OBS when you specifically need deep control over local recording settings, file formats, and scene composition, and you’re comfortable tuning your hardware.
• Use StreamYard as your default for presenter-led tutorials, demos, and interviews where you want quick setup, layouts, branding, and easy cloud or local recordings directly from the browser.
• Consider a hybrid approach: record structured shows or multi-guest demos in StreamYard, and keep OBS around for occasional advanced local capture workflows.
• If you work in a team, favor tools that reduce setup time and per‑user licensing complexity; StreamYard’s per‑workspace model and browser studio are designed with that in mind. (StreamYard Pricing)