Have you ever wondered how those intricately designed Youtube and Twitch feeds with premium overlays were made possible?
That’s something I used to do, and it turns out it’s not a premium paywalled software that only the best streamers have access to.
The software behind all those cool overlays and functions like Super-chat pop and so on is called Open Broadcaster Software Studio or OBS Studio as it is commonly known.
It’s a free and open-source and fully cross-platform screen/video recording and broadcasting tool with a tonne of capabilities. Equipped with the features of OBS, you can start streaming from the comfort of your home in no time.
Glossary: Open-source software means that the source code of the software is accessible to anyone on the internet but editable only by authorized personnel. Thus, transparency is maintained whilst upholding security.
This may appear too good to be true; a free application with paid features does raise a few warning flags. So, Is it really safe to use OBS?
We will clear this query in this article as well as give you some curated pointers that will help you kick-start your streaming/recording journey with OBS.
Is it Safe to Download & Use OBS Studio?
If you download Open Broadcaster Software Studio (OBS Studio) from official sources, it is completely secure. For further safety checks, you should match the MD5 hash of the downloaded file with the one provided on the website.
If you still need further reassurance that the file you have downloaded is safe or not, you can check its integrity on these online Malware test sites which will instantly tell you if your file is malicious.
Visit these sites to check:
OBS Studio is free, Safe and open-source, and it’s widely used by the community, including the top-earning streamers across several platforms. Its user base is way too huge for it to try to be malicious.
If it even narrowly tries to be malicious, it will be instantly exposed by the community.
So, we can conclude that yes, OBS is safe to use for you.
Where to Download OBS Studio (Official)
You can download OBS studio from the official site located at obsproject.com or if you are a bit techy you can consider downloading it from the official Github Page.
These are the only sources where you should download it from in order to avoid malware or adware.
A Beginner’s guide to OBS Studio: How to Record and Stream
Here’s a quick guide to get you started with recording and streaming with OBS Studio.
How to Record Screen with OBS Studio
Screen recording is one of the decorated features that OBS Studio is well known for. Here’s how you can record your screen:
1. Fire up the OBS studio application software.
2. You will be met with an auto-configure prompt. Select your preferred settings and OBS will automatically set itself up for streaming or broadcasting.
3. Next, to record your screen click on the Plus icon (+) under the Sources Tab. Select Screen Capture.
4. From then on select the default settings and you will be all set for recording your screen.
How to Stream with OBS?
Streaming with OBS is pretty much the same as recording. The only extra effort you have to put in is to set up the streaming server and links, etc.
It varies from one streaming platform to another. Facebook Gaming has a different set-up than YouTube or Twitch,
Refer to your platform’s guide to set up your OBS studio for streaming.
That’s all for this article. We hope we were able to assist you in troubleshooting your concerns. For further queries, do leave a comment below!