For a typical SDR recording made in OBS and uploaded to YouTube, use Partial (limited) output range and BT.709 color space as your compatibility-oriented starting point. OBS defaults to Partial, and YouTube recommends BT.709 for SDR uploads and says it converts full-range uploads to limited range. The exported file’s color metadata should match how the video was mastered.
What to set for a typical SDR YouTube upload
In OBS, set the output video range to Partial and the color space to BT.709 for an ordinary SDR recording. OBS Studio’s Media I/O reference documents Partial as the default video range. YouTube recommends BT.709 for SDR uploads. Its upload guidance also recommends progressive scan, H.264, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, and matching the frame rate to the recorded content; its bitrate figures are recommendations, not mandatory settings.
OBS’s precise controls and encoder behavior can vary by version and encoder. Check the current OBS settings for your version rather than assuming every recording path exposes identical choices. This recommendation is for the output file you upload, not a rule to force every capture source to Partial.
Color range and color space are different settings
Color range describes how video levels are represented. Partial—also called limited or legal range—uses a narrower nominal code-value span than Full. Color space identifies color properties such as primaries, transfer characteristics, and matrix coefficients. OBS lists range and color space separately; its documented color-space options include Rec. 601, Rec. 709, sRGB, and Rec. 2100 PQ and HLG.
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A mismatch in how a source is interpreted or how an export is tagged can make an image look washed out, or make dark and bright details appear clipped. The setting names alone do not tell you whether a mismatch exists: the incoming signal, OBS’s interpretation of it, the output conversion, file metadata, and playback display all matter.
Set up the capture and output as separate stages
- Identify the source and intended delivery. For standard SDR footage intended for YouTube, start with BT.709 and Partial output range. Do not choose an HDR color space for SDR material.
- Check the incoming signal. If you record a console, camera, or other device through a capture source, find out what range that device sends. A device may expose a separate source-range control in OBS; interpret the signal it actually receives rather than automatically matching the output setting.
- Set the OBS output. Use Partial for the typical SDR file and BT.709 for its SDR color space. The OBS default range is Partial, but confirm the selected value in your version and with your encoder.
- Check the encoded file. Confirm that its color metadata describes how the footage was mastered. YouTube identifies mismatches in transfer characteristics, color primaries, or matrix coefficients as possible causes of color problems.
- Compare playback. Check the original export against the YouTube upload. If the original looks right but YouTube playback does not, compare the upload in another browser or on another device to help separate file-tagging or processing issues from display-specific behavior.
Some capture devices or formats may be exceptions to a Partial input assumption. A 2020 OBS community guide specifically discusses full-range XRGB and some MJPEG cases, but that is applied, device-dependent advice—not a replacement for YouTube’s current upload recommendation. Verify the signal and device documentation before changing source interpretation.
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Why a recording can look washed out after upload
- Range mismatch: OBS or a capture source may interpret the incoming signal differently from how it was encoded. The result can be lifted-looking blacks, dull contrast, or clipped details.
- Incorrect metadata: The file’s transfer characteristics, primaries, or matrix coefficients may not match the mastering workflow, so the destination or playback software interprets colors incorrectly.
- Playback-chain differences: A browser, display, or device can make the same file appear different. Compare the source and YouTube playback in another browser or device before changing settings.
- Wrong dynamic-range target: Selecting Rec. 2100 PQ or HLG for ordinary SDR footage confuses the SDR/HDR workflow. Use BT.709 for SDR; HDR needs its own correctly mastered and tagged workflow.
Change one stage at a time and keep a short test export. If you alter source interpretation and output range together, it becomes harder to tell which change corrected—or introduced—the problem.
How this differs from a YouTube live stream
This guidance concerns a prerecorded file that is uploaded to YouTube. YouTube’s separate live-encoder guidance also recommends Rec. 709 for SDR, but live ingestion and post-recording file upload are different workflows. Do not substitute live encoder settings for checks of an already encoded upload.
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Or let it run in the cloud
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