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If videos in an OBS playlist appear at different sizes—or a smaller clip sits in the top-left with black space—apply OBS’s Scaling/Aspect Ratio filter to the source that plays the playlist. Set its Resolution to a common size that fits your composition, then check how clips with different aspect ratios are framed.
Normalize the playlist videos with a source filter
- Find the source that plays the playlist. For a playlist of local files, use OBS’s VLC Video source. It requires VLC to be installed; match VLC’s architecture to OBS (for example, install 64-bit VLC for 64-bit OBS). OBS’s built-in Media Source is intended for an individual media file, while VLC Video is the documented option for a playlist. See the OBS Media Sources guide.
- Open the source’s filters. In the Sources list, right-click the playlist source and choose Filters. OBS filters are attached to a source or scene through this menu. See the OBS Filters overview.
- Add the filter. In the source’s effect filters, add Scaling/Aspect Ratio. Set the filter’s Resolution property to the common dimensions you want the playlist source to use. OBS describes this property as setting the source’s new resolution or aspect ratio. See the Scaling/Aspect Ratio filter documentation.
- Choose a target that matches your layout. For a 16:9 composition, examples include 1920×1080 or 1280×720. Pick the size appropriate for your scene and planned output; scaling a lower-resolution original does not add detail to it.
- Check representative clips. Preview a large and a small playlist item, plus any item with a different aspect ratio. The filter’s documented capability is clear, but OBS does not guarantee identical results for every file, codec, or version.
A community user reported that this filter resolved the same symptom of later playlist items appearing smaller, but that is anecdotal rather than a guaranteed fix. If it has no effect, verify that the filter is attached to the source actually rendering the playlist and test the files individually.
Choose how each clip fits the frame
Matching source dimensions does not make different aspect ratios identical. A 4:3 or vertical video placed in a 16:9 frame still requires a framing choice:
- Preserve the full image: keep the original proportions. The entire clip remains visible, but unused space or bars may remain around it.
- Fill the frame by cropping: fill the 16:9 area while cutting off part of the image. Check that important text, faces, or action are not outside the crop.
- Stretch: force the image to fill the frame by changing its proportions. This distorts the picture; OBS’s aspect-ratio guide says stretching is generally the least preferable approach. See the OBS aspect-ratio guidance.
For YouTube, 16:9 is a common target. OBS lists 1920×1080, 1280×720, and 3840×2160 as examples of 16:9 resolutions. Use the one your production and output settings can support.
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Source scaling is not the same as canvas or output resolution
The filter changes how the playlist source is sized; the global video settings have different jobs. Base (Canvas) Resolution defines the space where you arrange sources. Output (Scaled) Resolution sets the dimensions used for the stream or recording. If the playlist source itself renders at inconsistent sizes, changing global output resolution alone does not replace per-source scaling. Changing the base canvas can also require repositioning or resizing scene elements. See the OBS overview.
If your actual problem is choppy playback or encoder overload—not a clip appearing small in the scene—treat that as a separate performance issue. OBS recommends lowering output resolution or frame rate to reduce resource use; lowering the base canvas can make scene management more complicated. Those changes are not the main fix for mixed-size playlist items.
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Troubleshoot if the playlist still looks inconsistent
- The filter is missing: confirm you opened Filters for the VLC Video playlist source, not another source or the scene.
- Only some playlist items change: test representative files and confirm the filter is attached to the source that renders every item. Official documentation does not promise uniform behavior across all files and versions.
- Bars remain: the clip’s aspect ratio differs from the frame and you are preserving the complete image. Crop only if losing part of the picture is acceptable.
- The clip looks unnaturally wide or tall: undo stretching and preserve the original aspect ratio, or use a deliberate crop.
- Playback stutters or OBS struggles: investigate performance separately by reducing output resolution or frame rate, rather than treating source scaling as an encoder fix.
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