How to Use Color Source in OBS Studio

Using solid color backgrounds in OBS Studio is a quick and effective way to enhance your live streams, create clean backdrops for text, or design custom overlays. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step tutorial on how to add, configure, and position the “Color Source” feature in OBS Studio to create professional solid backgrounds for your video productions.

Step 1: Add a Color Source to Your Scene

1. Launch OBS Studio and navigate to the Scenes dock to select the scene where you want to add the background.
2. Go to the Sources dock (usually located next to Scenes) and click the + (plus) icon at the bottom of the panel.
3. Select Color Source from the pop-up menu.
4. In the “Create/Select Source” window, give your source a recognizable name (e.g., “Blue Background”) and click OK.

Step 2: Configure the Color and Resolution

Once you click OK, the properties window for your new Color Source will automatically open. Configure the following settings:

• Color: Click the Select Color button. Choose a color from the basic palette, use the visual color picker, or enter a specific HTML Hex code. Click OK once you have chosen your color.
• Alpha (Opacity): If you want a semi-transparent background rather than a fully solid one, adjust the “Alpha” slider or enter a percentage value.
• Width and Height: By default, OBS will set this to match your current canvas resolution (e.g., 1920x1080). If you want the background to cover the entire screen, leave these numbers as they are. If you want a smaller color block, manually enter your desired dimensions.

Click OK to apply the changes.

Step 3: Arrange the Layer Order

By default, new sources are placed at the top of your Sources list, which means the solid color may block your webcam, gameplay, or text.

1. Go to the Sources dock.
2. Left-click and hold your newly created Color Source.
3. Drag and drop it to the very bottom of the list (or just below the layers you want to display on top of it).

Step 4: Resize and Reposition on Canvas (Optional)

If you did not set the color source to full-screen resolution, you can easily adjust it directly on your preview canvas:

• Click on the Color Source in your preview window or Sources list to select it. Red boundary lines will appear.
• Click and drag the red circular handles on the edges to resize the color block.
• Hold the Shift key while dragging the handles if you want to stretch or squash the shape without maintaining the original aspect ratio.
• Hold the Alt key (Option on Mac) while dragging the handles to crop the color source.