In OBS, Base (Canvas) Resolution is the workspace where you arrange a scene; Output (Scaled) Resolution is the size OBS sends to a stream or recording. Set them separately, then decide clip by clip whether to preserve the whole image, crop it, or design the unused space around it.
Mixed aspect ratios do not all fill one frame without cropping or distortion. For a dependable playlist, choose the composition and delivery dimensions first, then inspect the widest and tallest clips in the actual scene before going live.
Set the canvas for the scene
Open Settings → Video and look at Base (Canvas) Resolution. This is the working area shown in the OBS preview. Sources are positioned and sized within it; it does not, by itself, dictate the dimensions delivered to YouTube or saved in a recording.
Choose a canvas that suits the scene you are composing. OBS says the base resolution usually matches the monitor display resolution, or the game resolution when capturing a game. For a playlist-based channel, think instead about the layout you intend to build: perhaps one main video area, a title strip, a logo, or a background that will sit behind portrait clips.
A common landscape target is 1920×1080, but that is an example, not a rule for every channel. A vertical or otherwise non-standard composition may make sense when that is the intended destination or design. Decide what shape the finished scene needs before adjusting source positions. You can check YouTube's current live streaming guidance for the destination requirements relevant to your channel; do not assume that a familiar resolution is mandatory for every use.
Changing the canvas can affect existing scenes. OBS warns that sources may need realignment or resizing after a Base (Canvas) Resolution change. A logo placed near an edge, a text strip, or a fitted clip can end up in a different relationship to the new workspace. If you already have several scenes, take note of their layouts or work in a separate scene collection before making a substantial canvas change.
This is why canvas is best treated as a composition decision, not as a quick performance slider. If your scenes are already laid out and you only need a smaller delivered picture, changing the output setting is usually less disruptive. For a channel made from many prepared files, the Hindi video encoding guide can also help you think about source file size and preparation before building the scene.
Set the output size independently
In Settings → Video, set Output (Scaled) Resolution to the dimensions you intend to stream or record. When output is smaller than the canvas, OBS scales the scene to that delivered size using the selected downscale filter. This changes the whole composed image; it is not the same as manually resizing every clip in the Sources list.
For example, you could arrange a scene on a 1920×1080 canvas and deliver it at 1280×720. These are OBS documentation examples, not a recommendation that every channel use those dimensions. The important point is that a smaller output can come from a larger canvas, letting you make the scene at one size and deliver it at another.
Think about where you will use the output. If the stream and local recording are intended to share the same composition and dimensions, set the video output with that in mind and verify the recording as well as the live preview. Check the current destination guidance rather than relying on an old preset copied from another channel. The YouTube help page on live encoder settings is a primary place to check current streaming guidance.
If the stream stutters or OBS reports encoding trouble, lowering Output (Scaled) Resolution can reduce encoder work. Reducing frame rate can also reduce rendering and encoding work. Neither change guarantees a fix: high-resolution media can still consume resources even when it is scaled down, so source files and the rest of the scene matter too. OBS's performance troubleshooting guide discusses these trade-offs.
Do not start by lowering the canvas just because the stream is struggling. OBS cautions that reducing canvas size complicates capture and asset management, and existing sources may need repositioning or resizing. Try output size or frame rate first; revisit the canvas only when resource limits justify the extra layout work.
Mixed aspect ratios need a choice
Aspect ratio describes the relationship between a picture's width and height. A widescreen clip, a square image, and a portrait phone video do not have the same shape. If the scene has one fixed shape, changing the size of each clip alone cannot make all three shapes occupy that scene with every source pixel visible and no empty space.
There are three practical choices. Fit or contain a clip proportionally and accept unused space. Enlarge it until the canvas is covered and crop the parts that extend outside the frame. Or keep the clip's proportions and use scene elements—such as a background, title, artwork, or camera—to make the overall composition feel intentional.
| Approach | Whole source image visible? | Covers the canvas? | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit or contain | Yes | Not always | Bars or unused areas remain around some clips. |
| Enlarge and crop | No | Yes | Some sides or top and bottom are outside the frame. |
| Stretch to fill | Yes, but proportions change | Yes | Faces and objects look unnaturally wide or tall. |
| Preserve ratio and design around it | Yes | The overall scene can be filled | You need suitable background or layout elements. |
Decide what matters for the channel before editing a playlist. A devotional recording may need its full shrine or text visible, making fit the sensible starting point. A close-up music visual might tolerate a crop. A study channel could use a portrait lesson video alongside a softly designed background and a small schedule panel. The trade-off is editorial, not something a resolution setting can solve automatically.
A single playlist can mix these decisions, but consistency helps. If every clip is fitted differently without a reason, the stream may feel erratic. Establish a default treatment, then make exceptions only when a clip's framing or important content calls for it. OBS's guide to aspect ratios explains fitting and cropping in the preview.
Fit clips and keep the full picture
Start with proportional fitting when the whole image matters. Select the clip source in the Sources list, then use its transform controls or Edit Transform to set its position and size. OBS offers a Fit to Screen action in the preview context menu; it is a useful starting point when you want the source contained within the canvas rather than enlarged beyond it.
After fitting, look at the blank areas rather than treating them as a mistake. A landscape scene with portrait footage may leave space at the sides; a portrait scene with a wide clip may leave space above and below. Those areas are simply parts of the composition that still need a decision. They can remain plain, or you can place an image, colour, logo, or other visual there without changing the clip's own proportions.
Check the source's transform values if the picture seems unexpectedly cut off or small. A source can retain an earlier scale, position, or crop from previous editing. Edit Transform lets you review its position, size, and crop more precisely than dragging by eye. If the source was previously stretched or cropped, resetting its transform can be a clearer starting point, followed by a fresh proportional fit.
For a playlist, do not assume that every item will look right because the first item does. A playlist source can change media while the scene stays fixed. Inspect representative landscape, square, and portrait files in the same source and scene arrangement you plan to use. If a clip has text near an edge, a full-fit treatment is often safer than a crop until you have checked what would be lost.
Playlist support also depends on the source type. OBS's built-in Media Source is for an individual media file; the VLC Video source provides playlist controls and requires VLC to be installed. If you cannot find playlist options on Media Source, that is a source-type distinction rather than a canvas setting. OBS documents the VLC Video source and playlist controls separately from single-file playback. Install VLC where necessary, then check ordering, loop and shuffle behaviour, and visibility settings against your intended sequence. Do not assume playback support for every file simply because it appears in a playlist; test the actual media in your installation.
Crop or fill the unused space deliberately
Cropping is useful when a clip must cover the canvas and the edges are expendable. Select the source and adjust its crop with the preview handles or the transform controls. You can then reposition the enlarged image so the important subject remains in view. This is a pan-and-scan choice: the frame is filled because part of the original image falls outside it.
Before settling on a crop, check all edges for meaningful material. Captions, a person's face, a lamp, a devotional image, or a date on a local news loop may sit close to the boundary. A crop that looks acceptable on one frame can remove information elsewhere in a moving clip. Scrub or preview different moments, especially where people or text move towards the edge.
Filling the empty area with scene design can preserve more of the source. For a portrait clip on a landscape canvas, you might use a still from the same programme behind it, darkened or softened, while keeping the foreground clip at its original ratio. You could instead use a plain colour, a logo, a channel schedule, or another small panel. Keep the supporting elements visually quieter than the main clip so that they do not compete with it.
When using a background made from the same footage, consider whether an enlarged, blurred copy is suitable. It can fill space, but motion behind the main image may make text harder to read or the scene visually busy. A still frame or simple colour may be more legible. The right choice depends on the content and on whether the stream is likely to be watched on a small phone screen.
The options can be mixed across clips. A portrait interview may be kept whole with a designed background, while an abstract landscape visual may be cropped to fill the canvas. What matters is that each treatment is deliberate and that important details remain visible. Avoid making “fill” a blanket instruction for the entire playlist.
Avoid stretching and test the playlist source
Stretching makes a source fit both canvas dimensions by changing its proportions. It preserves all of the source area in the frame, but a circle can become oval and a face can look wider or narrower. OBS describes this as distortion; it is usually a poor compromise when preserving image quality and recognisable shapes matters.
In the preview, use Edit Transform or the fit and crop actions from the source context menu rather than dragging a side handle without checking the result. OBS lists keyboard shortcuts for some preview actions, but shortcuts can vary by operating system and version; the menu and transform controls are the more dependable instructions. Check that width and height have not been independently altered in a way that changes the ratio.
The scaling filter is a separate question from whether the source is stretched. It affects how a source is resampled when resized. A softer video may benefit from one filter while pixel art or retro graphics may look sharper with another. Compare the available filter choices against the actual clip; there is no single filter that is best for all footage. The OBS scaling and aspect ratio filter reference describes the setting.
Prepare a short local recording or preview before relying on the scene overnight. Include a clip with the widest ratio and one with the tallest ratio, and check a moment where important content is near the edges. Verify that the recorded output has the intended dimensions, no accidental stretching, and no hidden title or logo. A preview of only the first playlist item cannot confirm that the later items are framed correctly.
Also test what happens at a playlist transition. Confirm that each item appears in the expected order, that loop or shuffle behaves as intended, and that the scene does not reveal an unexpected black frame or stale overlay. Playback and framing are different checks: the VLC source may advance correctly while the composition is still unsuitable for a particular clip.
If you run a channel from your own computer, a playlist adds another thing to keep available: the playback machine and OBS session. StreamNeo is useful when the recurring problem is having to leave that computer on for a prerecorded YouTube channel; it takes an uploaded video and runs it as a 24/7 YouTube live stream, so you can switch your own computer off. It does not decide how mixed-ratio footage should be composed, so prepare and check the file and scene treatment first.
For a longer-running setup, make the test part of a repeatable checklist: open the playlist, check representative aspect ratios, verify audio and transitions, and confirm the final output before starting the broadcast. If OBS itself stops unexpectedly, the OBS stream interruption checklist is relevant to that separate problem. If the visual playlist needs music between clips, the guide to adding background music between videos covers that adjacent setup rather than changing the resolution workflow.
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FAQ
What should my Base (Canvas) Resolution be?
Set it to the dimensions of the scene workspace you intend to compose, taking the destination and layout into account. A familiar landscape size may be suitable for a landscape channel, but it is not mandatory for every project. Changing it can disturb existing source layouts, so note or test your scenes before a major change.
What is the difference between canvas and output resolution in OBS?
Canvas is the composition area where you place and arrange sources. Output (Scaled) Resolution is the size of the stream or recording OBS produces from that scene. A larger canvas can feed a smaller output without manually resizing each source.
How do I make different aspect-ratio videos fit in OBS?
Fit each source proportionally if you need the whole image, accepting unused space where the ratios differ. Crop and reposition when filling the canvas matters more than showing every edge, or keep the clip's ratio and design background elements around it. Do not stretch the image to fill unless you accept the resulting distortion.
How do I play a video playlist in OBS?
Use the VLC Video source for a playlist; the built-in Media Source is for an individual file. VLC must be installed for the VLC source to be available. Test the actual files, ordering, and loop or shuffle settings in your OBS setup before relying on it.