How to Clip on OBS: Built-in Way, Its Limits, and Making Better Clips
OBS does not have a built-in clip button, but you can record your stream or gameplay and then create clips from the recording. Here’s how to do it and how to make vertical, captioned clips for social media.
Does OBS Have a Built-in Clip Button?
OBS Studio does not include a dedicated 'clip' button like Twitch or YouTube. You cannot instantly create short clips during a live stream directly within OBS. Instead, OBS is designed to record or stream your entire session at full quality.
How to Capture Clips from OBS Recordings
- Record your session: In OBS, click 'Start Recording' before your stream, gameplay, or tutorial. This saves the full session locally, usually as an MKV file.
- Remux to MP4: If your recording is in MKV, use OBS’s 'Remux Recordings' feature (File > Remux Recordings) to convert it to MP4 for better compatibility with most editing tools.
- Manual clipping: To create a traditional clip, open the recorded file in a video editor (like DaVinci Resolve, Shotcut, or similar), trim the desired moment, and export it.
Limits of OBS’s Recording and Clipping Workflow
- There is no instant clip feature or hotkey for quick highlights.
- You must manually find and trim moments after recording, which can be time-consuming.
- Clips are not automatically formatted for social media (vertical aspect ratio, captions, etc.).
How to Make Better Clips for Social Media Using Vidulk
If you want to create short, vertical, captioned clips for TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or Reels, use your OBS recording as the source:
- After remuxing to MP4, upload your video to the Vidulk app (iOS or Android).
- Vidulk’s AI Clipper finds highlight moments automatically.
- Export vertical, captioned clips sized perfectly for social media platforms.
This saves time and ensures your content is optimized for reach and engagement.
Vidulk's AI clipper (free to start, iOS + Android) finds the best moments in a long video and exports captioned vertical clips sized for the destination.
Try VidulkFAQ
Does OBS have a built-in clip feature?
No, OBS does not have a built-in clip button or instant highlight feature. You must record your session and then manually create clips from the recording.
How do I make a clip from an OBS recording?
Record your session in OBS, remux the file to MP4 if needed, and use a video editor or Vidulk's AI Clipper to extract and format your desired clip.
What are the limits of clipping in OBS?
OBS does not support instant clips or automatic highlight detection. All clipping is manual and post-recording, with no built-in social media formatting.
How can I make vertical, captioned clips from OBS recordings?
Upload your OBS MP4 recording to Vidulk. The app uses AI to find highlights and outputs vertical, captioned clips ready for TikTok, Shorts, and Reels.
Do I need to convert MKV to MP4 before editing or uploading to Vidulk?
Yes. Use OBS’s Remux feature to convert MKV files to MP4 for better compatibility with editing tools and the Vidulk app.