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OBS has a terrible interface and fundamental limitations for making multiple scenes. I had to take quite a lot of time to go through the process, with nobody giving clear instructions. So I'm making them.
Using the same webcam in different scenes ∞
OBS Studio has a known limitation that a webcam can only be added as a source to one single scene one time.
You will be working with two areas:
- The bottom "Sources" list
-
The bottom "Scenes" list
Build your sources ∞
For this tutorial, it is assumed you have a "fresh install", which means that you don't have any scenes or sources at the moment.
- OBS comes with one scene, which you'll see in that list.
left-click
it. - In the sources list, at its bottom-left you will see
+
.left-click
it. - Select
Video Capture Device
(o) Create new
(_) Add Existing
Type in a unique name. Consider using the make/model of your webcam. - You are taken to the "Properties for 'Video Capture Device'"
Device [select your webcam]
All the defaults ought to be fine.
If you do not see a preview for your webcam, stop this tutorial and troubleshoot this problem. This guide does not offer help for that.
Build a second scene with the same webcam ∞
- At the bottom-left is a
+
, click it. - Enter any unique name like "scene 2".
Now you have two scenes, the previous one with your webcam, and this new one with nothing. - In the Scenes list, find your first scene, and
left-click
it. - In the Sources list,
right-click
on your webcam , and selectCopy
- In the Scenes list, find your second scene, and
left-click
it. Right-click
in the empty Sources list, and selectPaste (reference)
Now the webcam can be used, and uniquely resized and positioned in this second scene.
However, if you make any changes to the properties to the webcam in this scene, those changes will be applied to the first scene as well. The developers have known about this limitation for years. A partial solution follows..
Using a webcam with different filters in different scenes ∞
Imagine that you want to keep the webcam full-screen in one scene, but in the second scene you want to make it smaller. You can do this by changing the size of its rectangle. However, if you wanted to crop the webcam view, you would normally right-click
, select Filters
and work with that dialog. The problem is that when you do this your changes will also be applied to the webcam in your first scene.
- In the Scenes list, find your second scene, and
left-click
it. - In your Sources list, for your webcam,
right-click
it, and selectGroup Selected Items
. Give it a unique name. - In your Sources list, for that new group,
right-click
it, and selectFilters
.
Now you can work with that dialog and your changes will be applied to only that group in that scene.
[unresolved] - Different webcam properties in different scenes ∞
There is no way to have different webcam properties in different scenes. For example, to have different resolutions for different scenes.
Last updated 2023-04-15 at 11:50:19
Thanks for the brief writeup. I was about to start pulling my hair out trying to figure out how to keep those darned filters separate!
I'm glad to have helped.
This was very helpful for me as well. Thank you so much for it. Saved the day.
That's good to hear. I'm happy it's still relevant.
Thanks for the group trick. Exactly what I was looking for
Hi there. I am looking for a way to switch shots from one end of the room to the other and back. The transition has to happen quickly. We originally had it set up using multiple scenes, "replay input" and taking still shots with hot keys to cover the transition time and releasing them when the camera arrived at the new shot. Is that the best way to do this? We lost the set up during a glitch and now the guy who set it up for me doesn't remember what we did and I was only watching so I don't know. If there is an easier way I'd love to know what that is too! Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!
The trick is to have both cameras constantly on and active even though both of them aren't being used within an OBS Studio scene.
In the "sources" section..
For each of your webcams, right-click and check the properties.
Make sure "Deactivate when not showing" is not checked-on.
Now your scene switches should be instant.
Thanks mate - appreciated :)
There are some little grammar typos: it's => its (for example in "at it's bottom-left")
Fixed.