For a typical SDR recording headed to YouTube, set OBS to Rec. 709 for Color Space and Partial for Color Range. YouTube recommends BT.709 for SDR uploads and converts full-range uploads to limited range; OBS defines its default range as Partial. These are the sensible starting settings, but your capture source and the rest of the recording path still need to match.
Recommended OBS settings for an SDR YouTube video
In OBS, choose Rec. 709 as the color space and Partial as the color range for a conventional SDR video. OBS uses the label Rec. 709; YouTube calls the recommended SDR standard BT.709. YouTube’s recommended upload encoding settings specify BT.709 transfer characteristics, primaries, and matrix coefficients: YouTube recommended upload encoding settings. OBS documents Rec. 709 and Partial in its media I/O reference.
OBS describes its default range as Partial. Partial means limited or video range; Full is a different representation of signal levels, not a general-purpose image-quality upgrade. YouTube says it converts full-range uploads to limited range, so selecting Full merely to correct a washed-out image may add another mismatch rather than fix the cause.
What Color Space and Color Range control
Color Space: the video color standard
Color Space identifies the standard used to represent video color. For SDR uploads, YouTube recommends BT.709, which corresponds to OBS’s Rec. 709 option. A correct setting is important, but the label alone cannot guarantee that every device and processing stage interprets the recording consistently.
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Color Range: how signal levels are represented
Partial and Full describe how brightness levels are encoded. For the ordinary SDR YouTube workflow, Partial is the documented baseline in OBS, and YouTube converts full-range uploads to limited range. Full is appropriate only when the source and subsequent processing actually emit and preserve full-range levels.
Set OBS and check the source
- Set the recording’s color options: in OBS, open Settings > Advanced and choose Rec. 709 for Color Space and Partial for Color Range. OBS’s labels and range definitions are documented in its media I/O reference.
- Check each capture input: for a webcam, capture card, console, or other video source, inspect its properties for color-space or range controls. OBS community guidance notes that range controls may appear in Advanced settings and in capture-device properties, depending on the device. If a source range can be set manually, match it to the signal the hardware actually supplies; there is no single source value that applies to all capture devices. See the OBS discussion of color format, space, and range for YouTube uploads.
- Record a short test and inspect it: check the recording before uploading, then compare the uploaded version in the same playback environment. This can help locate whether a mismatch is present in the source, OBS capture, recording, upload processing, or playback.
Troubleshoot dark or washed-out video
Do not switch OBS globally to Full just because the result looks wrong. A dark or washed-out image can come from a mismatch at several points: the source output, the OBS capture properties, the recording encoder’s settings or metadata, YouTube’s processing, or playback. YouTube documents how it handles recognized color spaces and unspecified transfer characteristics, matrices, and primaries, so a correct-looking OBS selection does not by itself confirm that the entire chain agrees.
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- Washed out: verify the source’s range, any range setting on the capture device, and the OBS recording’s output range. Avoid changing only the global OBS setting without checking whether the input really supplies Full levels.
- Too dark: inspect the same signal path, including the source and playback display. Confirm that the color-space and range assumptions remain consistent from capture through the uploaded file.
- Only one input looks wrong: compare that device’s properties with other sources. Capture-device controls are hardware-dependent, so one input may need a different source-specific configuration.
HDR recordings need a separate workflow
Do not apply the SDR Rec. 709 and Partial recommendation blindly to HDR. YouTube’s cited HDR instructions discuss live streaming and specify Rec. 2100 PQ or HLG for that dedicated workflow; they do not establish one universal setting for every prerecorded HDR export. Use an HDR workflow appropriate to the source and recording format rather than treating HDR as an SDR range adjustment.
Does the recording container change these color settings?
No. Container choice and SDR color-space/range selection are separate decisions. OBS says fragmented MP4 or MOV may suit users planning to upload to services such as YouTube or edit in common software, but choosing one does not change the SDR recommendation. See OBS’s recording guidance.
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