Above Video describes 4 different methods of recording the highest possible quality video depending on your circumstances.
This post is about recording your webcam while also using Skype or Zoom for communication.
With OBS you can use your webcam or even a USB connected DSLR to record high quality video as 29.97 H264 Quicktime.mov.
As a bonus use a USB lavalier for improved audio.
One time only preparation in 7 steps:
- Download & install OBS. Depending on your version of Mac OS X or Windows , you might want to download an older version.
- Open OBS, do the setup wizard (one time only)
- -set to Optimize for recording.
4. OBS Preferences:
OUTPUT
-Output mode >Simple
-Streaming bitrate 5000
-Encoder Software (x264)
-Audio Bitrate 320-set your recording path
-Recording quality:
On a fast computer> Indistinguishable quality, large file size 2000-4000 Kbps
1 hr= 2000-3000 MB
On a normal computer or if the streaming quality is low anyhow:
High Quality, Medium file size averages 1500 Kbps,
1 hr= 400MB.
-Editing with the “Large File Size” is also more demanding during edit. (unless you transcode to an edit friendlier codec like ProRes 422)
-Do your own test and compare quality.
-Recording format mkv
-Encoder Software (x264)
VIDEO
-Base Resolution 1920×1080
-Output Resolution 1920×1080
-Downscale Filter> Bicubic
-FPS> 29.97
AUDIO
-sample rate 48 kHz
-channels Stereo
-Devices depends on scene you use to record.
-Set Mic/Auxilary Audio to your Lavalier or DSLR.
Advanced
-Color format> NV12
-color space 709
-color range> full
-check box to automatically remux to mp4
With these settings you’re not recording in .mov or .mp4 because if you crash you’ll lose the file!
With mkv recording you can set OBS to remux to mp4 automatically. This seems to be what the Zoom app does also.
And if remux mkv doesn’t work there is always Avidemux
You get your mkv & mp4 automatically when you check the box to remux .mp4
Nice to have a backup!
Using OBS
-Create a new scene and add your Webcam, DSLR and USB lavalier.
-Webcam should be added as a Video Capture Device, Mic as Audio Input.
-Start Recording will capture the shot to your harddrive.
-For best quality share the video for editing on Dropbox, Wetransfer or Google drive.
-Use “sharable link” option and email the link.
Note: Uploading the file YouTube or Vimeo with the goal of having someone edit the video is not a good idea, because streaming platforms like YouTube degrade the audio and video quality.
