OBS has two separate controls that can sound like “playlist transition times”: playlist playback settings determine how media files advance, while Scene Transitions determine how long a change between scenes takes. To loop one video, use a Media Source; to play several files, use a VLC Video source. A scene fade or cut duration does not schedule when the next playlist item begins.
First, decide what “transition time” means
If you want OBS to change scenes over a set number of milliseconds, adjust the scene transition duration. If you want one video to repeat or several videos to play in sequence, configure a media source or playlist instead. OBS’s documentation describes these as different controls: its playlist settings cover looping, shuffle, and visibility behavior, while its scene transition controls set the length of a scene change (OBS Media Sources; OBS Studio Overview Guide).
YouTube does not provide a separate playlist-transition-duration setting in the OBS workflow described here. Configure playback and scene transitions in OBS, then send the resulting program to your YouTube live stream.
Loop a single video in OBS
- Add a Media Source: In the scene where the video should appear, add a Media Source and select the file you want to play.
- Enable Loop: Turn on the source’s Loop option. OBS repeats the file after playback completes.
- Check the scene: Confirm the source is visible in the scene and that the video and audio play as expected before taking the scene live.
This is the appropriate setup for one recording that should repeat. It does not create a multi-file playlist.
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Play multiple videos as a playlist
For multiple media files, OBS uses the VLC Video source. VLC must be installed, and OBS notes that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. The source’s playlist controls determine order and what happens when the playlist reaches its end; they do not provide an individually timed schedule for each item (OBS Media Sources).
- Install the matching VLC version: Install VLC if it is not already available. Match its 32-bit or 64-bit architecture to OBS; 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC.
- Add a VLC Video source: In the scene, add a VLC Video source and add the media files you want to play to its playlist.
- Choose the order: Leave Shuffle Playlist off for the listed order, or enable it if you want the order randomized.
- Choose whether it repeats: Enable Loop Playlist if playback should start over after the playlist reaches the end.
- Set hidden-source behavior: Choose whether playback stops and restarts, pauses and resumes, or continues while the source is not visible, according to the visibility behavior option shown for the source.
- Test the full playlist: Preview playback and check the end of one item and start of the next. The documented loop and shuffle options do not promise a gap-free or frame-accurate crossfade between files.
Set a scene fade or cut duration
To control how long OBS takes to switch between scenes, use the Scene Transitions controls. OBS includes Fade and Cut transitions from the first launch, and the active transition’s duration can be changed. Quick Transitions can also have configured durations (OBS Studio Overview Guide).
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- Choose a transition: In OBS, use the Scene Transitions controls to select Fade or Cut.
- Set its duration: Adjust the duration shown for the selected transition. This is the length of the scene change, not a countdown or per-video playlist timer.
- Check Quick Transitions separately: If you switch scenes using Quick Transitions, review their configured durations too; they can have their own values.
- Preview the change: Switch between scenes and confirm that the visible transition matches the intended timing.
OBS’s scene API separately documents show and hide transition durations for scene items in milliseconds (OBS scene API). Those settings concern an item’s visibility animation; they are not a schedule for advancing playlist files.
What OBS playlist settings do—and do not—control
| What you want | OBS control | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat one video | Media Source: Loop | Repeats the selected file after playback completes. |
| Play several videos | VLC Video playlist | Plays media files in a playlist; VLC must be installed. |
| Restart a playlist at the end | VLC Video: Loop Playlist | Starts the playlist again after it reaches the end. |
| Randomize playlist order | VLC Video: Shuffle Playlist | Randomizes the order of playlist items. |
| Change playback while the source is hidden | VLC Video visibility behavior | Controls whether playback stops, pauses, or continues while the source is not visible. |
| Set the length of a scene change | Scene Transitions or Quick Transitions | Sets how long a scene transition takes; it does not set a playlist item schedule. |
Troubleshooting
- VLC Video is unavailable: Install VLC and check that its architecture matches OBS. In particular, 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC.
- The playlist stops at the end: Enable Loop Playlist if it should begin again after the final item.
- Items play in an unexpected order: Check whether Shuffle Playlist is enabled.
- Playback changes when you switch scenes: Review the VLC source’s visibility behavior and choose the stop/restart, pause/resume, or always-play behavior you need.
- The scene fade is right, but video timing is not: Scene transition duration only controls a scene change. It does not set how long a playlist item plays or when the next one begins.
- You expect a seamless crossfade between playlist files: The documented VLC playlist controls establish loop, shuffle, and visibility behavior, not a guaranteed crossfade or frame-accurate handoff. Test the actual setup rather than assuming a transition is seamless.
Or let it run in the cloud
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