How to Create Vertical Videos in OBS Studio for TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts
- Teacher Nine
- 2d
- 6 min read
Tired of Editing Everything on Your Phone? Create Vertical Videos with OBS Instead
If you're a content creator, chances are you've spent plenty of time creating videos directly on your phone. Apps like Instagram's built-in editor, CapCut, and other mobile editing tools have become incredibly powerful, giving creators access to transitions, effects, captions, and editing features that once required a full desktop workstation.
Even with all of those advancements, creating content on a phone isn't always the most comfortable experience.
For many creators, editing on a small screen can feel limiting. Trimming clips with your thumbs, moving layers around with touch controls, and trying to manage multiple assets on a phone can become frustrating, especially when you're producing content regularly. While mobile editing is convenient, it isn't always the most efficient workflow.
That's where a desktop-based setup can make life a lot easier.
Many creators already use OBS Studio for streaming, podcasting, tutorials, gaming content, interviews, and screen recordings. What some people don't realize is that OBS can also be an excellent tool for creating vertical content designed specifically for platforms like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels, and TikTok.
Using OBS gives you access to features that are difficult or impossible to replicate in many mobile apps. You can work with multiple cameras, professional microphones, custom overlays, browser sources, screen captures, images, videos, alerts, and even virtual backgrounds. You can also see everything on a large monitor while recording, making it easier to create polished content without constantly squinting at a phone screen.
Another advantage is workflow. If you're already creating content on your computer, it often makes more sense to record, edit, and organize everything in the same environment rather than transferring files back and forth between devices.
The challenge, however, is that OBS wasn't originally designed around vertical video. By default, most OBS installations are configured for traditional widescreen formats such as 1920×1080. Instagram, on the other hand, is built around vertical content, which means you'll need to make a few adjustments to ensure your recordings fit properly.
The good news is that setting up OBS for Instagram content is surprisingly simple. With just a few changes to your canvas size and output settings, you can create professional-looking vertical videos that are ready for Instagram Reels and other mobile-first platforms.
In this guide, we'll walk through a basic OBS setup that matches Instagram's preferred video dimensions. We'll also discuss a few optional settings that can help if you're interested in streaming to Instagram using OBS and third-party streaming tools.
Let's get everything configured and turn OBS into a vertical-content creation machine.
How to Set Up OBS Studio for Vertical Video Recording
Step 1: Change Your OBS Canvas to a Vertical Resolution
The first thing you'll need to do is tell OBS that you're creating content for a phone instead of a traditional computer screen.
By default, OBS is configured for horizontal video, usually at a resolution of 1920×1080. That's perfect for YouTube videos, livestreams, and standard widescreen content, but Instagram Reels are designed to be viewed vertically.
To change your canvas size:
Open OBS Studio.
Click Settings in the lower-right corner.
Select Video from the left-hand menu.
Locate the Base (Canvas) Resolution setting.
Change it to 1080 x 1920.
Set your Output (Scaled) Resolution to 1080 x 1920 as well.
Click Apply and then OK.
Your preview window will immediately switch to a tall, phone-shaped format.
Don't panic if everything suddenly looks stretched, cropped, or misplaced. That's completely normal. OBS is simply displaying your existing sources inside a new vertical canvas.
The next step is reorganizing your content to fit the new layout.
Step 2: Create a Scene Designed for Vertical Content
Rather than modifying your existing streaming scenes, it's usually better to create a dedicated scene specifically for Instagram content.
In the Scenes panel:
Click the + button.
Create a new scene called Instagram Reel, Vertical Content, or any name you prefer.
Now begin adding your sources.
Depending on the type of content you're creating, your scene may include:
Webcam
Screen Capture
Window Capture
Images
Logos
Text
Video Files
Browser Sources
Background Graphics
The biggest difference between a vertical scene and a traditional OBS scene is spacing.
A horizontal canvas provides lots of room from left to right. A vertical canvas is much narrower, so you'll need to be intentional about where elements are placed.
As a general rule:
Keep important information near the center.
Avoid placing text too close to the edges.
Leave room at the bottom for Instagram's interface elements.
Make sure your face or primary subject remains clearly visible.
Think of your vertical canvas as premium real estate. Every inch of space matters.
Step 3: Resize and Position Your Camera
If you're recording talking-head content, tutorials, reactions, or educational videos, your camera will likely be the main focus of the scene.
After adding your webcam:
Select the camera source.
Drag the corners to resize it.
Position it within the vertical frame.
Many creators place their camera in one of three ways:
Full Screen Camera
This works well for vlogs, commentary, motivational content, and personal branding videos.
The camera fills most or all of the vertical canvas, creating a more intimate viewing experience.
Camera on Top, Content Below
Perfect for tutorials and educational videos.
Your webcam occupies the upper portion of the screen while screen recordings, graphics, or demonstrations appear underneath.
Camera with Branded Border
This style is common among streamers and content creators who want a polished visual identity.
You can add custom graphics, borders, logos, and branded backgrounds around your camera feed to make your videos instantly recognizable.
Step 4: Optimize Your Audio
People will forgive mediocre video.
They rarely forgive bad audio.
One of the biggest advantages OBS has over many mobile recording workflows is the level of control you have over your sound.
If you're using a dedicated microphone, make sure your audio levels consistently peak between -10 dB and -6 dB.
To improve sound quality:
Right-click your microphone source.
Select Filters.
Add a Noise Suppression filter.
Add a Compressor filter.
Add a Limiter filter.
These simple adjustments can make your recordings sound cleaner, louder, and more professional without requiring expensive editing software.
Before recording any important content, always do a quick test recording and listen back through headphones.
A thirty-second test can save you from recording an entire video with poor audio settings.
Step 5: Configure Recording Settings
Now it's time to make sure OBS is creating files that Instagram can handle easily.
Open Settings and select Output.
Under the Recording section:
Recording Format
Choose:
MP4
This format is widely supported and easy to upload to Instagram.
Encoder
If available, choose your graphics card's hardware encoder.
Examples include:
NVIDIA NVENC
AMD Hardware Encoder
Intel Quick Sync
Hardware encoding reduces strain on your computer while recording.
Video Bitrate
For most Instagram content, a bitrate between:
8,000 and 15,000 Kbps
will produce excellent quality.
Instagram will compress videos after upload anyway, so there is usually little benefit in recording at extremely high bitrates.
Step 6: Record a Test Video
Before creating your first masterpiece, record a short test clip.
Record thirty seconds to one minute of content and verify:
Video fills the screen correctly
Nothing important is cropped
Audio sounds clean
Text is readable
Graphics appear sharp
Movement looks smooth
Then transfer the file to your phone or upload it to a private Instagram account for testing.
Sometimes a video can look perfect on a computer monitor but feel very different when viewed on a mobile device.
Testing helps eliminate surprises.
Step 7: Add Branding and Visual Enhancements
This is where OBS starts to shine.
Because you're working inside a desktop environment, you can create layouts that would be difficult to build on a phone.
Consider adding:
Logo overlays
Lower thirds
Animated backgrounds
Call-to-action graphics
Website URLs
Social media handles
Progress bars
Countdown timers
Just remember that Instagram viewers move quickly.
Clean and simple usually performs better than cluttered and complicated.
Your goal is to support the content, not distract from it.
Can You Stream to Instagram Using OBS?
The short answer is yes.
The slightly longer answer is yes, but it usually requires additional tools.
Instagram does not provide native streaming support inside OBS the same way platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook do.
However, many creators use third-party services that generate a stream key and relay their OBS broadcast to Instagram Live.
If you're planning to livestream vertically to Instagram, the 1080×1920 canvas setup you've already created is a great starting point.
The exact setup process will depend on the streaming service you choose, but the scene design principles remain the same.
While Instagram is often viewed as a mobile-first platform, that doesn't mean you have to create everything on a phone.
OBS Studio gives creators access to a more powerful production environment, allowing them to record professional-looking vertical videos with better cameras, better audio, and far greater creative control.
Whether you're creating educational content, product demonstrations, gaming clips, reaction videos, podcasts, interviews, or short-form social media content, setting up OBS for a vertical workflow can dramatically streamline your production process.
Once your 1080×1920 canvas is configured, you're no longer limited by what your phone can do. You can build a complete content creation studio right from your desktop and produce Instagram-ready videos whenever inspiration strikes.
Better Audio. Better Visuals. Better Streams.
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