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For a typical SDR video you record in OBS and upload to YouTube, set the OBS color space to Rec. 709 and the color range to Partial. YouTube recommends BT.709 for SDR uploads, and OBS defines Partial as its default range. Check the color settings of your capture source too: the right OBS output settings cannot correct a mismatch that starts at the camera, capture card, or console.
Recommended OBS settings for SDR YouTube uploads
Use Rec. 709 for Color Space and Partial for Color Range for a conventional SDR recording. OBS lists Rec. 709 as a supported color space and defines its default range as Partial. YouTube recommends BT.709 for SDR uploads and converts full-range uploads to limited range.
In OBS, open Settings and review the color settings used for your recording/output. Select Rec. 709 and Partial where those controls are available. OBS labels and control placement can vary by version and by whether you are adjusting the overall output or a particular capture device; check the relevant source properties as well.
What Color Space and Color Range mean
Color Space: Rec. 709
Color Space identifies the video color standard. For SDR uploads, YouTube’s recommended standard is BT.709; OBS calls the corresponding supported space Rec. 709. YouTube’s recommended upload settings specify BT.709 transfer characteristics, primaries, and matrix coefficients.
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Color Range: Partial or Full
Color Range describes how video signal levels are represented. OBS offers Partial and Full, and its Default setting is equivalent to Partial. Partial is the conventional choice for this SDR YouTube workflow, not a lower-quality mode. YouTube states that it converts full-range uploads to limited range, so choosing Full does not mean the video remains full range after YouTube processing.
Full is appropriate only when the source and subsequent processing path actually produce and preserve full-range levels. Setting OBS to Full just because an image looks washed out may make a source/output mismatch worse.
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Check the entire recording path
For a webcam, capture card, console, or other external input, verify the source’s own color-space and range properties if the device exposes them. Capture-device controls are hardware-dependent: there is no single source-range value that applies to every device. If OBS lets you specify a source range manually, match it to the signal the source supplies.
- Check the source. Review the camera, console, or capture device’s output configuration and any color-range option.
- Check the OBS source properties. If the selected source has its own color-space or range controls, confirm they match the incoming signal rather than assuming the global output setting governs it.
- Check the recording output. Confirm the OBS recording is configured for Rec. 709 and Partial for the typical SDR workflow.
- Check the resulting upload and playback. Color metadata, platform processing, and the playback device can all affect how levels appear. A correct OBS label by itself does not prove every stage interpreted the video consistently.
Troubleshoot a dark or washed-out YouTube video
Do not switch the OBS output to Full as a first fix. A dark or washed-out result can come from a mismatch among the source output, OBS capture properties, recording settings, encoded metadata, YouTube processing, or playback.
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- Compare the source and OBS capture settings: make sure a manually selected source range matches what the device actually sends.
- Confirm the SDR output baseline: use Rec. 709 and Partial unless the signal path gives you a specific reason to use something else.
- Review metadata and playback: YouTube documents assumptions when transfer characteristics, color matrices, or primaries are unspecified, and it standardizes recognized color spaces. A mismatch can therefore persist even if the OBS setting appears correct.
- Change one point in the path at a time: make a short test recording and upload it before changing multiple source, capture, and output controls. This helps identify which stage is causing the visible change.
HDR recordings need a separate workflow
Do not apply the SDR recommendation blindly to HDR footage. YouTube’s surfaced HDR instructions specify Rec. 2100 PQ or HLG for a dedicated HDR live-streaming workflow; that guidance does not establish one setting for every prerecorded HDR export. Confirm the requirements for the specific HDR recording and upload workflow you are using.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Container choice is a separate setting
OBS notes that fragmented MP4 or MOV may suit users who intend to upload to services such as YouTube or edit in common software. Container selection does not change the SDR color-space recommendation: use Rec. 709 and Partial for the typical SDR YouTube recording.
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Or let it run in the cloud
If your goal is a 24/7 YouTube channel playing prerecorded videos, StreamNeo is a separate option from recording and uploading with OBS: upload a video or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. Nothing has to stay on at home; each slot streams uploads as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one price per slot, and it automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card, and the monthly option is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo or start the free day.
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