To make videos in an OBS playlist appear at a consistent size, set the display area on the playlist source—not just on the video currently playing. OBS uses a VLC Video source for playlists. A community-reported workaround is to add a Scaling/Aspect Ratio Filter to that source and set its target resolution; test it with your OBS and VLC versions because the report is not an official guarantee.
Set the size on the playlist source
- Confirm the source type. In your scene’s Sources list, select the playlist source. OBS’s built-in VLC Video source supports playlists and requires VLC to be installed. A Media Source is for an individual media file, rather than a playlist. See the OBS Media Sources guide.
- Choose a consistent display area. Select the VLC Video source and adjust its transform in the preview, or right-click it and use the transform options. For a playlist where individual videos keep appearing at different sizes, a community answer recommends adding a Scaling/Aspect Ratio Filter to the playlist source and setting a target resolution. Its example uses 1920×1080; choose a target that matches your scene instead of treating that example as a universal setting. See the community report.
- Advance through the playlist and check each item. The reported issue was that fitting the currently playing item did not carry over to later videos. Confirm the filter behaves consistently as the playlist advances in your installed OBS/VLC setup.
OBS documents source transforms and video settings, but its official guides do not promise automatic per-item normalization for every playlist and filter combination. If the filter does not behave as expected, check the aspect-ratio choices and test the affected playlist items individually.
Choose how different aspect ratios should fit
Matching the displayed dimensions does not make videos with different aspect ratios identical. Decide whether to preserve the full picture, fill the canvas, or accept distortion:
- Fit: Keep the entire image visible. A video with a different aspect ratio may leave bars or empty space.
- Crop or enlarge: Fill more of the canvas, but some edges may be cut off.
- Stretch: Fill the canvas without bars, but alter the picture’s proportions. OBS warns that stretching can distort the image; use it only if that tradeoff is acceptable. See the OBS aspect-ratio guide.
OBS describes 16:9 as a common display aspect ratio and gives 1920×1080, 1280×720, and 3840×2160 as examples. Those examples do not mean every playlist should be forced to 16:9; choose the target for your intended composition.
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Keep canvas size separate from stream or recording size
In OBS, open Settings → Video. The two resolution fields serve different purposes, so changing the output size is not the same as resizing a source:
- Base (Canvas) Resolution is the workspace used to arrange sources in your scene. Choose it for the composition you want. Changing it can require you to reposition or resize sources.
- Output (Scaled) Resolution is the resolution sent to the stream or recording. Set it for your destination or recording needs. OBS says this should be the stream output resolution; a lower output resolution can reduce encoder load.
Do not lower the Base (Canvas) Resolution just to make one playlist source fit. OBS cautions that doing so complicates capture and asset management because sources may need to be repositioned and resized. If high-resolution files are being scaled down and you do not need their extra detail at the displayed or output size, OBS’s performance guidance recommends considering lower-resolution media instead. It does not specify a universal performance cost for scaling mixed-resolution playlists.
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Troubleshoot inconsistent playlist sizing
- Only the first video looks right: You may have transformed the current item rather than set a consistent area on the playlist source. Try the source-level scaling filter, then check what happens when the playlist advances.
- The whole image fits but bars remain: That is the expected tradeoff when preserving a frame whose aspect ratio differs from the canvas. Use crop or enlarge only if losing edges is acceptable.
- The picture looks stretched: Change the aspect-ratio treatment to fit or crop; stretching changes proportions.
- The picture is too soft: Check whether the source is being enlarged beyond its original resolution. Try a target and output size appropriate to the media rather than assuming a filter can add detail.
- The filter does not affect later items consistently: Test several playlist entries with your installed OBS, VLC, and filter versions. The filter fix is a community-reported workaround, and behavior may vary.
- Resolution changes disturb other scene elements: Restore the intended canvas size if it was changed, then realign affected sources. The canvas controls the scene workspace; output resolution controls stream or recording size.
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