How to Set OBS Scale Filtering to Point

When streaming or recording pixel art games in OBS Studio, the default scaling settings often result in a blurry, smudged image. This guide provides a direct, step-by-step walkthrough to configure your OBS “Scale Filtering” to “Point” (nearest-neighbor interpolation). By changing this setting, you will disable the automatic smoothing filters and force OBS to render your pixel art games with sharp, crisp, and perfectly defined edges.

Steps to Enable Point Scale Filtering in OBS

To fix the blurriness of your pixel art source, follow these steps:

  1. Launch OBS Studio and ensure your pixel art game is running and captured in your active scene.
  2. In the Sources dock at the bottom of the screen, locate the specific source capturing your game (this is usually a Game Capture, Window Capture, or Display Capture).
  3. Right-click on the game source. Alternatively, you can right-click the source directly inside the visual Preview window.
  4. In the context menu that appears, hover your mouse over Scale Filtering.
  5. A submenu will expand with several filtering options. Click on Point.

Once selected, the preview window will immediately update. The blurry edges of your game will disappear, replaced by sharp, pixel-perfect lines.

Why “Point” Filtering is Necessary for Pixel Art

By default, OBS Studio uses bilinear or bicubic scaling. These algorithms are designed for high-resolution 3D graphics or real-life camera feeds, where blending adjacent pixels creates a smoother, more natural image.

However, when applied to low-resolution pixel art, this blending causes unwanted anti-aliasing, making the retro graphics look fuzzy. “Point” filtering (also known as nearest-neighbor scaling) does not blend pixels. Instead, it duplicates the existing pixels to fill the larger screen space, preserving the exact blocky shape and color of the original artwork.