How to Set Up OBS Studio for Recording Online Courses (Free)
OBS Studio has no recording limits and costs nothing, but its defaults aren't tuned for course recording out of the box. Here's a setup that is.
1. Build a scene for talking-head + screen
In OBS, a "Scene" is a saved layout of sources. Create one scene with two sources: a Display Capture (your full screen or a specific window via Window Capture) and a Video Capture Device for your webcam, resized and positioned as a small overlay in a corner. Save a second scene with just the screen capture for segments where your face isn't needed — you can switch between them live with a click during recording.
2. Get audio right before anything else
Bad audio ruins a course faster than mediocre video. In OBS's Audio Mixer, add your microphone as a dedicated source and mute "Desktop Audio" unless you specifically need system sounds. Right-click your mic source → Filters, and add a Noise Suppression filter (RNNoise setting) and a Compressor to even out volume between quiet and loud moments. This alone puts your audio ahead of most unedited screen recordings.
3. Export settings for course platforms
Go to Settings → Output, set the output mode to "Advanced," and use the following as a starting point for course video, which balances file size against the quality thresholds most course platforms expect:
| Setting | Recommended value |
|---|---|
| Encoder | x264 (or NVENC/QuickSync if available, for less CPU load) |
| Rate control | CBR |
| Bitrate | 8,000–12,000 Kbps for 1080p |
| Resolution | 1920×1080 (downscale from higher only if your source is 4K) |
| Frame rate | 30fps (60fps only if showing fast on-screen motion, e.g. live coding scrolling) |
| Format | MP4 (not MKV — avoids a remux step if OBS crashes mid-recording) |
4. Don't skip the editing step
OBS has no built-in editor, which is its one real gap for course work. Plan to pair it with a free cutting tool (even basic ones like CapCut or DaVinci Resolve's free tier) to trim mistakes and dead air before uploading — raw, unedited OBS recordings tend to run long and lose viewers in the first two minutes.