Stream HDR Games in SDR using OBS Studio

Streaming HDR games to an SDR platform like Twitch or YouTube without washed-out colors requires proper tone mapping in OBS Studio. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to configure your OBS Studio settings, capture sources, and color spaces to accurately convert High Dynamic Range (HDR) game visuals into vibrant, color-accurate Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) streams.

Step 1: Configure OBS Global Video Settings

To stream in SDR, OBS Studio must be configured to output an SDR color space. OBS 28 and later versions feature automatic tone mapping that converts HDR inputs to an SDR output.

  1. Open OBS Studio.
  2. Click on Settings in the bottom-right corner, then select the Advanced tab.
  3. Under the Video section, set the following parameters:
    • Color Format: NV12 (this is the standard format for SDR streaming and recording).
    • Color Space: Rec. 709 (the standard color space for SDR streams).
    • Color Range: Limited (the standard range for streaming platforms).
  4. Click Apply and OK.

Step 2: Configure Game Capture for HDR

If you are playing and capturing games on the same PC, OBS Game Capture can automatically capture the HDR signal and tone-map it to your SDR stream.

  1. Add a Game Capture source to your scene.
  2. Double-click the Game Capture source to open its Properties.
  3. Ensure that RGB Capture or Auto-detect is handled correctly. OBS will automatically detect the game’s 10-bit/HDR swapchain and apply its built-in tone-mapping algorithm to match your global Rec. 709 SDR settings.

Step 3: Configure Capture Cards for Console HDR

If you are streaming from a console (like a PS5 or Xbox Series X) using a capture card, you must manually tell OBS to ingest the HDR signal so it can be tone-mapped.

  1. Add a Video Capture Device source for your capture card.
  2. Double-click the source to open its Properties.
  3. Change Resolution/FPS Type from Device Default to Custom.
  4. Set the Video Format to P010 (this is a 10-bit format required to receive the HDR signal from the capture card).
  5. Set the Color Space to Rec. 2100 (PQ).
  6. Set the Color Range to Limited.
  7. Click OK. OBS will now take this 10-bit Rec. 2100 HDR signal and automatically convert it to your 8-bit Rec. 709 SDR stream without washing out the colors.

Step 4: Adjust Tone Mapping and Brightness

If the resulting SDR image appears too dark or slightly desaturated compared to your HDR monitor, you can adjust the tone-mapping intensity.

  1. Open Windows Settings on your gaming PC and navigate to System > Display > HDR.
  2. Adjust the SDR content brightness slider. This slider directly affects how Windows maps SDR elements and how OBS interprets the brightness baseline of your HDR content.
  3. If the stream colors still need tweaking, right-click your game source in OBS, select Filters, add a Color Correction filter, and slightly increase the Saturation or Contrast to match your desired aesthetic.