How to crop a camera in OBS?

To precisely crop your camera feed in OBS Studio, you can utilize either the intuitive interactive method by holding the Alt key or the more precise numerical input within the source properties. Cropping allows you to remove unwanted edges or focus on a specific part of your camera's view.

Method 1: Interactive Cropping with the Alt Key

This is the quickest and most visual way to crop your camera in OBS Studio.

1. Add Your Webcam Source:
   • In the "Sources" dock, click the + icon.
   • Select Video Capture Device.
   • Choose Create New and give it a name (e.g., "Webcam").
   • Click OK.
   • From the drop-down menu, select your webcam. (You may need to allow OBS to access the camera.)
   • After you click OK, your webcam will appear in the preview window.
2. Select the Camera Source:
   • Click on the image of your webcam in the OBS preview window. This will highlight it with red transform handles.
3. Crop the Feed:
   • Hold down the Alt key (or Option key on Mac) on your keyboard.
   • While holding Alt, click and drag any of the red transform handles inwards. You'll notice the color of the handles change (often to green) as you drag, indicating you are cropping instead of scaling.
   • Release the mouse button and then the Alt key when you are satisfied with the crop.

Method 2: Numerical Cropping via Properties

For exact pixel-perfect cropping, or to apply the same crop dimensions consistently, use the source properties window.

1. Access Source Properties:
   • In the "Sources" dock, right-click on your webcam source (e.g., "Webcam").
   • Select Filters from the context menu.
   • Alternatively, you can select the source and click the Filters button at the bottom of the Sources dock.
2. Add a Crop/Pad Filter:
   • In the "Effect Filters" section of the Filters window, click the + icon.
   • Select Crop/Pad from the list.
   • You can name the filter (e.g., "Webcam Crop").
   • Click OK.
3. Define Crop Values:
   • In the Crop/Pad filter settings, you'll see fields for Left, Top, Right, and Bottom.
   • Enter the desired number of pixels you wish to crop from each side. As you adjust these values, you'll see the camera feed update in real-time in the OBS preview.
   • For example, entering "100" in the "Left" field will crop 100 pixels from the left edge of your camera's output.
4. Close the Window:
   • Once you've entered your desired crop values, click Close at the bottom right of the Filters window.

By utilizing these methods, you can effectively tailor your camera feed to fit your specific streaming or recording needs in OBS.