Loads of people ask me how I record my videos, tutorials, and live streams.The tech setup. The tools I use. How I make it look slick without dropping a ton of cash.So here's the full walkthrough of how I do all of it for free using OBS Studio — a bit of kit I’ve used, loved, and battle-tested over the years.Let’s get into it. 👇<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="true" autoplay="false" disablekbcontrols="false" enableiframeapi="false" endtime="0" ivloadpolicy="0" loop="false" modestbranding="false" origin="" playlist="" progressbarcolor="white" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d9ntbgvJ-Co?color=white" start="0"></iframe></div><hr><h2 id="4f36469a-3a2f-43c4-a1b4-e19b41b5e761" data-toc-id="4f36469a-3a2f-43c4-a1b4-e19b41b5e761">First things first: what the hell is OBS?</h2>OBS Studio is a free app for recording and live streaming. Think of it like a digital control room for your videos.When you first open it, it can feel like a spaceship cockpit — a bit much.But once you know what you're looking at, it’s a breeze. Here's the breakdown:<ul><li>🪞 Preview Window – Shows what’s being recorded or streamed</li><li>🎭 Scenes – Think of these like different layouts you can switch between</li><li>🎛️ Sources – The actual content inside a scene (camera, mic, slides, etc.)</li><li>🎚️ Audio Mixer – Adjust your mic or other sound inputs</li><li>🔄 Scene Transitions – Fancy fades and cuts between scenes</li><li>🕹️ Controls – Start recording, streaming, or using a virtual camera</li></ul><hr><h2 id="7d65cc3f-bbf4-4908-95f4-e57350b9c768" data-toc-id="7d65cc3f-bbf4-4908-95f4-e57350b9c768">Step 1: Set Up Your First Scene</h2>We’re starting with the basics: just your face on camera.<h3 id="ca757d5f-79ac-47a5-9c6f-5d043b474e10" data-toc-id="ca757d5f-79ac-47a5-9c6f-5d043b474e10">🎥 Create a new scene</h3><ul><li>Right-click &gt; Rename it something like Front Camera</li></ul><h3 id="5bd5ed5d-fdee-4fcf-9d72-cbb3e8e3e6e7" data-toc-id="5bd5ed5d-fdee-4fcf-9d72-cbb3e8e3e6e7">➕ Add your camera</h3><ul><li>Add a new Video Capture Device</li><li>Name it something useful (mine’s called Elgato Facecam)</li><li>OBS should find your camera automatically</li></ul>If the camera looks too big or cropped weird:<ul><li>You can resize it with the red corner handles</li><li>Or better: change the resolution to 1080p so it fits your canvas</li></ul><hr><h2 id="7699ed97-c0dd-482c-91c4-6eae2989cc95" data-toc-id="7699ed97-c0dd-482c-91c4-6eae2989cc95">Step 2: Add Your Audio</h2>Camera? ✅ Now let’s make sure people can hear you.<h3 id="1baf96fa-31cc-4af1-8ea4-938e532945c2" data-toc-id="1baf96fa-31cc-4af1-8ea4-938e532945c2">🎙️ Add your mic</h3><ul><li>Add a new Audio Input Capture</li><li>Name it something like Microphone</li><li>Choose your mic from the list (mine’s a Shure Digital)</li></ul>You’ll now see it show up in the Audio Mixer.Make sure it’s sitting in the sweet spot on the meter — somewhere between -10 and -5 dB is usually ideal.If it’s too quiet or too loud, tweak the mic volume in your hardware settings or nudge the slider in OBS.<hr><h2 id="31147689-3525-4de1-a394-d5d32f15ff97" data-toc-id="31147689-3525-4de1-a394-d5d32f15ff97">Step 3: Set Up Screen Sharing</h2>Want to walk people through your browser, slides, or anything else on your monitor?Here’s how.<h3 id="d3c03633-7fe8-43be-b7ab-2e45953df0c8" data-toc-id="d3c03633-7fe8-43be-b7ab-2e45953df0c8">🖥️ Create another scene</h3><ul><li>Name it something like Left Monitor</li><li>Add a Display Capture</li><li>Pick the monitor you want to share</li></ul>Boom. Now you’ve got one scene for your face and another for your screen.<hr><h2 id="b3b21bd5-1b1f-4e1c-8553-a9dfdc60ca99" data-toc-id="b3b21bd5-1b1f-4e1c-8553-a9dfdc60ca99">Step 4: Add Hotkeys for Fast Switching</h2>To flip between scenes like a pro, use keyboard shortcuts.<ul><li>Go to Settings &gt; Hotkeys</li><li>Assign something like:<ul><li><code>Ctrl + Shift + C</code> for Camera</li><li><code>Ctrl + Shift + M</code> for Monitor</li></ul></li></ul>Now you can jump between views without touching your mouse. Chef’s kiss.<hr><h2 id="6593d009-eea4-4344-ab9b-5179360fb1df" data-toc-id="6593d009-eea4-4344-ab9b-5179360fb1df">Step 5: Superimpose Yourself (Circle Crop or Green Screen)</h2>Let’s level it up.You’ve got two ways to add your face on top of your screen share.<h3 id="801a5d62-79fd-4fee-9c4b-245997122e8d" data-toc-id="801a5d62-79fd-4fee-9c4b-245997122e8d">✅ Option 1: Circle Crop</h3>This gives you that fancy “talking head in a bubble” effect.<ol><li>Create a new scene (call it Camera Icon)</li><li>Add your Front Camera scene as a nested source</li><li>Right-click &gt; Filters &gt; Add Image Mask/Blend</li><li>Upload a PNG with a white circle on a black background</li><li>Choose Alpha Mask (Color Channel)</li></ol>This crops you into a circle. You can then overlay that scene wherever you want on your screen share.🌀 Pro tip: You can make different shapes — stars, triangles, even your logo — as long as the image is black + white.<hr><h3 id="ad0bbe9a-a0e4-4e93-ab5b-63cbc863b628" data-toc-id="ad0bbe9a-a0e4-4e93-ab5b-63cbc863b628">✅ Option 2: Green Screen (If You’ve Got One)</h3>Only do this if you already own a green screen and lights — don’t rush out to buy stuff unless you need it.Here’s how:<ol><li>Create a new scene (call it Green Screen Camera)</li><li>Add your camera as normal</li><li>Drop down your green screen</li><li>Right-click &gt; Filters &gt; Add Chroma Key</li><li>Tweak the settings until the green disappears</li></ol>Use <code>Alt</code> (or <code>Option</code> on Mac) to crop out any messy edges.Then just add that scene on top of your screen share. Now you’re fully superimposed.<hr><h2 id="0a0c394d-6689-4656-bf7f-1e33c4396bc3" data-toc-id="0a0c394d-6689-4656-bf7f-1e33c4396bc3">Final Touches Before You Record</h2>A couple more quick things:<h3 id="d8150500-165b-447b-ab15-9ecbcd80709e" data-toc-id="d8150500-165b-447b-ab15-9ecbcd80709e">🎚️ Add audio to every scene</h3>If you create a new scene and forget to add your mic again — your audience will hear nothing.Just go to Audio Input Capture, select the same mic, and you’re good.<h3 id="78534bc3-1ea7-46f0-aeef-23d96f8fafbe" data-toc-id="78534bc3-1ea7-46f0-aeef-23d96f8fafbe">🎥 Hit Record</h3>Bottom-right corner: hit Start Recording.To check where your video saves:<ul><li>Go to File &gt; Settings &gt; Output &gt; Recording Path</li></ul>It’ll show you the folder where your recording ends up.<h3 id="d6eee447-9898-418a-90e4-b442530ea247" data-toc-id="d6eee447-9898-418a-90e4-b442530ea247">📡 Want to stream?</h3>You’ll need to connect OBS to your platform (YouTube, StreamYard, etc.) — that’s coming in a separate tutorial.<hr>If OBS feels overwhelming at first — that’s normal. I was the same.But once you get familiar with scenes, sources, and filters, it’s a powerful tool that saves you a ton of cash vs paid software.And when you’re building your digital product stack? That’s what we want: free tools that look pro and support your business goals.This is one of the exact tools I use during the PLAN and BUILD phases of my Knowledge to Revenue (K2R) process — because when you’ve got clarity, content becomes way easier.<hr>Found this post randomly and not in the middle of a project with me? You can book a call at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.helpwithdigital.com">www.helpwithdigital.com</a> to get started.

Learn how to record pro-quality videos and live streams for free using OBS Studio. Step-by-step setup for cameras, mics, scenes, and screen sharing.

How I Record Pro-Level Videos (for Free) Using OBS Studio

First things first: what the hell is OBS?

Step 5: Superimpose Yourself (Circle Crop or Green Screen)

✅ Option 2: Green Screen (If You’ve Got One)

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How I Record Pro-Level Videos (for Free) Using OBS Studio

How I Record Pro-Level Videos (for Free) Using OBS Studio

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