For a typical pre-recorded SDR video destined for YouTube, set OBS Color Space to Rec. 709 and Color Range to Partial. That is a sensible starting point, not proof that every input or recording is configured correctly: check what your source actually supplies and compare a short test recording with the original.
Rec. 709 describes the colour standard; Partial describes how video levels are represented. They are separate choices, and changing one cannot reliably correct a mismatch elsewhere in the chain. YouTube recommends BT.709 for SDR uploads and says it converts full-range uploads to limited range, so choosing Full simply because a picture looks washed out may make the problem harder to diagnose.
Use Rec. 709 and Partial for typical SDR video
If your file is an ordinary SDR video, Rec. 709 and Partial are the practical baseline in OBS. YouTube's recommended upload encoding settings name BT.709 as the standard colour space for SDR uploads. OBS calls the corresponding option Rec. 709, and its documentation describes Partial as the default range.
That recommendation fits many common clips: an edited devotional programme, a recorded music performance, a local news segment or an ambience loop produced for standard displays. It is not a universal instruction for HDR material or for an input whose range is known to differ. A camera, capture card or console may expose its own format and range controls; what OBS should expect depends on that device and the signal it sends.
Partial is not a lower-quality setting. In conventional SDR video, limited-range levels are a normal representation, not a sign that the image has been deliberately degraded. YouTube also documents conversion of full-range uploads to limited range. That makes it important to know what the file contains rather than selecting Full as a general-purpose picture correction.
The distinction matters if you are preparing a long-running channel. A small mismatch can recur each time a loop plays, even if the video itself is otherwise stable. If you are still choosing a way to run the playlist, the practical considerations in making a YouTube live stream from a folder of videos are separate from colour configuration but help clarify where OBS fits in your workflow.
Find Color Space and Color Range in OBS
In OBS, the output colour controls are in Settings under Advanced, in the Video section. There you can review Color Space and Color Range; for a conventional SDR output, use Rec. 709 and Partial as the starting values. Labels and layout can shift between software versions, so if your screen differs, consult the current OBS interface and documentation rather than assuming another menu item has the same effect.
The controls here describe OBS's output handling. They do not necessarily override every source-level property. A capture device can have separate properties in its source configuration, and those properties may include a range choice. The OBS community's explanation of full versus partial ranges is useful background, but treat device controls as hardware-dependent: a setting appropriate to one card is not automatically right for another.
For a prerecorded file played into OBS, also consider how the media source and the file itself are interpreted. A file rendered by an editor, a desktop capture and a camera input are not interchangeable just because they appear in the same scene. Start with the output baseline, then check the source and the recorded result. Avoid changing several controls at once; otherwise you cannot tell which change helped or caused a new mismatch.
If OBS is part of a larger always-on operation, keep the colour test separate from the reliability test. A workflow such as running a continuous YouTube stream with systemd on Ubuntu addresses process continuity, not whether a file's levels are interpreted correctly. Confirm the image first, then test how the stream behaves over time.
Understand colour space versus signal range
Colour space and range answer different questions. Colour space identifies the colour standard used to describe colour values. Range identifies how video signal levels are mapped and represented. Rec. 709 is a colour-space choice; Partial and Full are range choices. Selecting Rec. 709 does not by itself tell OBS whether incoming levels are limited or full.
For SDR upload work, YouTube's wording is BT.709, while OBS's interface and reference use Rec. 709. The labels refer to the expected standard in this workflow. The range control, meanwhile, concerns the span of levels in the signal. In simplified practical terms, Partial corresponds to the conventional limited/video-range representation, while Full uses a broader range. The important operational question is not which sounds more complete, but which range the source actually emits and how each subsequent stage treats it.
| Setting | What it describes | Typical SDR YouTube starting point | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color Space | Colour standard used to interpret colour values | Rec. 709 | Whether the source and file are SDR and labelled/interpreted accordingly |
| Color Range | Mapping of video signal levels | Partial | Whether the device output and OBS capture expectation match |
| Full range | A different level representation | Only when the source and path warrant it | Whether capture, recording, upload and playback preserve that interpretation |
The table is a diagnostic framework, not a promise that every device exposes these controls or reports them consistently. OBS's media I/O reference lists Rec. 709 and distinguishes Partial from Full; its default range is Partial. You can read those definitions in the OBS media I/O reference. A default gives you a useful starting point, but it cannot confirm that a capture card is outputting the expected levels.
A range mismatch can make dark areas seem crushed or the picture look flat and washed out. Yet those symptoms do not identify the cause on their own. A monitor or playback application may interpret the file differently; metadata may be missing or inconsistent; or the source could already have been converted before OBS receives it. Treat the picture as evidence to investigate, not as a reason to toggle Full blindly.
Check source and project colour behaviour
Before recording, make a quick inventory of the path from original to upload. Is the input a file, a camera, a console or a capture card? Was the file exported in SDR or HDR? If a device has a range option, does its manual or software describe the actual output? The answer may differ between a desktop capture and a console routed through a capture device.
For a file-based source, inspect the project or export settings in the editor that created it. Confirm that the intended output is SDR Rec. 709 if that is the workflow, and check whether the export or subsequent transcoding changes colour metadata. Do not infer the file's properties solely from the OBS project: OBS can only work with the signal and information it receives. If the export is already wrong, adjusting OBS output may hide one symptom while leaving the underlying file unsuitable.
For a camera or capture device, match the source setting to what the device sends, where that setting is available. Some devices describe a range control in their own properties; others do not expose one. Do not force a particular value just because it appears in an online example. The useful question is whether the device's output range and OBS's interpretation agree. If you cannot establish that from the device documentation, test a recording before committing the full programme.
Keep a note of the settings that produced the verified result: source mode, OBS source properties, output colour space and range, and recording format. This is particularly useful when the same channel uses more than one source, or when a driver update resets a capture setting. A short written record is more dependable than remembering which dropdown was changed during a late-night troubleshooting session.
For creators whose priority is a continuous playlist rather than a live scene built on a local computer, a continuous stream of recorded services illustrates a different operational pattern. Whatever the playback method, verify the actual uploaded image: continuity does not validate colour levels, and correct colour settings do not guarantee a continuous broadcast.
Compare a short test recording with the source
Use a representative excerpt rather than the entire programme for your first check. Include a dark scene, a bright scene, skin tones or familiar objects, and any title graphics. Record it in OBS with the intended settings, then compare that recording with the original in the same playback environment where possible. Look for consistent differences: black areas losing detail, highlights flattening, or the whole image appearing less saturated or unusually pale.
The comparison is most useful when you change one variable at a time. If the source is a capture device, first confirm its own output properties. Then verify the OBS output settings, make another short recording, and compare again. If you change source range and OBS range together, an improvement does not reveal which side was mismatched. Keep the original untouched so you can repeat the test and distinguish processing changes from playback differences.
Check the recording file outside OBS as well. A preview in the OBS canvas is not the final upload file, and a locally played recording is not necessarily interpreted identically by every application. Upload a brief test privately or unlisted if that is appropriate for your channel, then inspect it after YouTube has processed it. Compare the same visible scene, not a memory of how it looked earlier. YouTube processing and the player form another stage in the path.
For a channel built around recurring videos, repeat the check when the source changes: a new camera, an editor export preset, a new capture device, or a move from SDR to HDR. You do not need to retest every identical loop without reason, but a known-good test can serve as a reference. If the recording differs before upload, investigate OBS or the source; if it changes only after upload, inspect metadata, encoding and platform interpretation rather than applying an arbitrary global range switch.
Account for YouTube’s SDR upload guidance
YouTube's upload guidance recommends BT.709 for SDR. It also says full-range uploads are converted to limited range. In practical terms, do not assume that choosing Full in OBS means the uploaded video will remain full range end to end. Make the file for the intended SDR standard, and verify what YouTube displays rather than relying only on an OBS label.
The guidance also describes how YouTube handles recognized colour information and assumptions where transfer characteristics or colour metadata are unspecified. Metadata is one part of the chain; it does not repair an incorrectly captured source. A file can carry a plausible label while its underlying levels or colours have already been altered. This is why the source, OBS recording, encoded file and platform playback all deserve consideration when the result looks different.
HDR is a separate workflow. The surfaced official YouTube HDR instructions concern live streaming and mention Rec. 2100 PQ or HLG in that context; that does not establish a blanket setting for every prerecorded HDR export. If your source is HDR, do not apply the SDR Rec. 709 and Partial recommendation as though it were a universal conversion recipe. Check the current official guidance for the exact upload workflow and preserve the intended HDR handling through the editor and encoder.
Container selection is also separate from colour configuration. OBS's audio and video formats guide discusses recording formats, including fragmented MP4 or MOV for workflows involving uploads or editing. A container affects how a recording is packaged and handled; it does not change the SDR colour-space recommendation. Choose a recording format for recovery and editing needs, then validate colour independently.
Troubleshoot washed-out or crushed levels
If the upload looks washed out, resist the immediate urge to set everything to Full. Start by asking where the change first appears: source preview, OBS canvas, local recording, or YouTube playback. Compare those stages using the same excerpt. If the OBS canvas already differs from the source, focus on source properties and capture interpretation. If the local file looks right but the upload does not, check the export's colour metadata and the platform's processing and playback.
If blacks look crushed, check whether a full-range source is being interpreted as Partial, or the reverse. The same apparent symptom can also come from the original grade, a display setting or playback software. Confirm device settings from its documentation where possible, and change only the relevant control. The important test is whether the resulting file preserves the detail seen in the source, not whether a setting name sounds appropriate.
A useful troubleshooting sequence is:
- Confirm the source type and whether it is SDR or HDR.
- Record the current source and OBS settings before changing them.
- Check any capture-device range property against the device's actual output.
- Keep Rec. 709 and Partial for the ordinary SDR baseline unless evidence points to a different source workflow.
- Make a short recording and compare it with the source locally and after upload.
If a correction improves one scene but damages another, return to the previous settings and re-check the whole path. A global output change can affect every scene and source, while the mismatch may exist only on one capture device. In that case, source-specific correction is preferable to changing the project for all material. When a source is outside the ordinary SDR case, consult its vendor's documentation and YouTube's current instructions rather than treating a forum setting as a standard.
When the colour test is finished, you can separately decide how the channel should stay live. If a local OBS computer being on overnight is the operational problem, StreamNeo removes that specific burden by letting you upload a video and run it as a YouTube live stream without keeping your computer switched on. It does not determine the correct colour settings for your file, so make and verify the recording first.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Should I use Rec. 709 and Partial for every OBS recording?
No. They are a sensible starting point for typical SDR YouTube uploads, in line with YouTube's BT.709 recommendation and OBS's Partial default. Check the source and recording path; HDR and device-specific inputs need their own verification.
Does OBS defaulting to Partial mean my source is configured correctly?
No. The default describes OBS's output range setting, not necessarily the range emitted by your camera, capture card or other source. Check the source's properties and compare a short recording with the original.
Should I switch to Full if YouTube looks washed out?
Not without checking where the mismatch begins. YouTube says it converts full-range uploads to limited range, and a mismatch can arise at capture, encoding, metadata interpretation or playback. Test one change at a time rather than changing the global setting on appearance alone.
Are these settings suitable for a prerecorded HDR video?
The Rec. 709 and Partial recommendation here is for ordinary SDR material, not a universal HDR recipe. YouTube's cited HDR instructions relate to live streaming and should not be generalized to every prerecorded HDR export. Check current official guidance for your specific HDR workflow.