How to Create Picture in Picture in OBS Studio

This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step walkthrough on how to set up a picture-in-picture (PiP) effect in OBS Studio for your tutorial videos. You will learn how to add your display capture, overlay your webcam feed, resize and position your video sources, and crop your camera frame to achieve a clean, professional layout.

Step 1: Create a New Scene and Add Your Background Source

First, you need to set up the main background of your tutorial, which is typically your computer screen. 1. Open OBS Studio. 2. Go to the Scenes box in the bottom-left corner, click the + (plus) icon, and name your new scene (e.g., “Tutorial Layout”). 3. Go to the Sources box next to it, click the + icon, and select Display Capture (to capture your entire screen) or Window Capture (to capture a specific application). 4. Name the source and click OK. Select your primary monitor or window from the dropdown menu, then click OK again.

Step 2: Add Your Webcam Source

Next, you will overlay your camera feed on top of your background capture. 1. In the Sources box, click the + icon again. 2. Select Video Capture Device. 3. Name the source (e.g., “Webcam”) and click OK. 4. Select your camera from the Device dropdown menu and click OK. 5. Ensure the “Webcam” source is positioned above the “Display Capture” source in the Sources list. If it is underneath, click and drag it to the top of the list so it overlays the screen capture.

Step 3: Resize and Position the Picture-in-Picture Window

Once both sources are active, you can format the layout to create the picture-in-picture effect. 1. Click on your webcam source in the Sources list or click directly on your webcam feed in the preview window. A red bounding box will appear around it. 2. Click and hold one of the square handles on the corners of the red box, then drag inward to shrink the webcam feed to your desired size. 3. Click inside the red bounding box and drag the entire webcam window to your preferred location (typically the bottom-right or top-right corner of the screen).

Step 4: Crop the Camera Feed (Optional)

If your webcam captures too much background space on the sides, you can crop the edges to focus on your face. 1. Select the webcam source to bring up the red bounding box. 2. Hold down the Alt key on your keyboard (or the Option key on a Mac). 3. Click and drag the side handles of the red bounding box inward. The border lines will turn green, indicating that the source is being cropped. 4. Release the Alt/Option key when you are satisfied with the crop, then reposition the window in your corner.