CHECK THIS FIRST

Before you change a setting

Write down three values: Video Bitrate in Settings → Output, and Output (Scaled) Resolution and FPS in Settings → Video. Then watch a fast scene on the stream itself, not in the OBS preview. The preview shows the picture before it is compressed, so it can look sharper than what viewers get.

Find the line that matches what you see

IF YOU SEESharp when still, blocky when movingLIKELY REASON

The bitrate is too low for this resolution and frame rate once the picture starts changing quickly.

TRY THIS

Lower Output (Scaled) Resolution one step, keep the bitrate, and stream the same scene.

IF YOU SEEThe stream only looks soft on a lower quality optionLIKELY REASON

The platform makes the lower-quality versions of your stream itself (transcoding). OBS does not control how those look.

TRY THIS

Check the highest quality option in the player before you change any OBS setting.

IF YOU SEEThe blur comes with freezes or skipsLIKELY REASON

Frames may also be getting dropped or skipped, which is a separate problem.

TRY THIS

Paste the log from that session into the OBS Log Analyzer and read the three percentages.

What to change, in order

  • Step 1. Open Settings → Output and compare Video Bitrate with your platform's recommended value. If it is lower, raise it to that value. The OBS connection guide gives 75% of your upload speed as a starting point, and the Bitrate Calculator on this site uses 70%.
  • Step 2. If the bitrate is already at the platform's value, open Settings → Video and lower Output (Scaled) Resolution one step, for example from 1920x1080 to 1280x720. Keep the bitrate the same.
  • Step 3. Or keep the resolution and change Common FPS Values from 60 to 30.
  • Step 4. Stream the same fast scene again and compare it with the first run. Judge it on movement, not on a still menu.

How to restore your old settings

Type the three values you wrote down back in. You can also save everything first with Profile → Export Profile and bring it back with Profile → Import Profile.

Steps checked against: OBS Project: Stream Buffering Troubleshooting ↗ · OBS Project: Stream Connection Troubleshooting ↗ · OBS Project: Transcodes / Transcoding ↗

Can an OBS log show this?

A log cannot show this. A log cannot tell you how the stream looked or sounded, so blur and blockiness are not in it. The OBS Log Analyzer, OBS Log Compare and the Repair Report ($9.99 one-time) all work from the numbers in a log, so they cannot help with this one. The Bitrate Calculator is the free tool for this one. If the picture also freezes or skips, that is a different problem, and the OBS Log Analyzer can read it.

Open the free Bitrate Calculator →

Common questions

01Why is my OBS stream clear until I move?+

A still picture needs very little data. Fast movement changes most of the picture in every frame, and at a fixed bitrate the encoder has to drop detail to keep up. You see that as blocks and smearing.

02Should I just raise the bitrate?+

Only up to your platform's recommended value. The OBS connection guide gives 75% of your upload speed as a starting point. Past that, a lower resolution or 30 fps is the safer change. OBS also points out that a lower bitrate reaches more viewers without buffering.

RELATED OBS SYMPTOMS