Advanced OBS Recording Settings by Encoder

Use Advanced output mode in OBS when you need more control over a local recording than the Simple quality presets provide. You can choose the encoder and quality controls independently of your live stream.

These are recording settings. They should not be copied into a streaming configuration without checking the destination's requirements.

Open the recording controls

1. 1.Open Settings → Output.
2. 2.Set Output Mode to Advanced.
3. 3.Select the Recording tab and the standard recording type.
4. 4.Choose a recording folder, format, and available video encoder.
5. 5.Confirm which audio tracks will be recorded.

To configure an independent recording, choose its own encoder rather than simply reusing the streaming encoder. Your computer must handle any additional encoding work.

Choose an encoder and quality control

OBS's advanced recording guide provides these baseline quality controls:

Lower numbers in these modes generally mean higher quality and larger files. The numbers are not a promise of identical results across different encoders, codecs, cameras, or computers.

If the listed mode is not offered by your selected encoder, do not substitute an unrelated option just because its name looks similar.

Use a sensible encoder preset

The official guide lists NVENC P5 with High Quality tuning and x264 veryfast among its baselines. Its AMD and Quick Sync examples use their own preset or target-usage controls.

Use a baseline for the matching encoder as a starting point, not as a mandatory maximum-quality setting. More demanding encoding can cause missed frames even when the resulting file would otherwise look better.

For a first test, leave specialized options at their documented defaults unless the matching OBS guide gives you a reason to change them.

Test quality, movement, and file size

Record a representative sample with your normal camera, lighting, and microphone. Include movement and any overlays you plan to use.

Play the file in your editor as well as a video player. Check that the codec is supported, motion is smooth, audio is present, and storage use is manageable.

If recording while streaming, repeat the test with both outputs running through an appropriate test workflow. A recording-only test does not show whether your computer can sustain the combined workload.

Keep the simpler option when it works

You do not need Advanced output mode merely because you create paid content. If a Simple-mode preset already produces a suitable file reliably, keeping it is a reasonable choice.