How to Fix Poor Video Quality YouTube Upload When Recording with OBS

If you are recording content in OBS and are uploading it to YouTube, but have noticed the quality is unexpectedly poor, with pixelation and blocky artifacts. Even when recording at high settings (1440p downscaled to 1080p at 60fps via OBS), and rendering properly in your video editing tool. It's probably an issue with your original recording and the process you are using to get the files into your video editor. So, follow along as we show you a working solution

How to Fix Poor Video Quality After YouTube Upload When Recording with OBS

A lot of people who have this issue try exporting their project in various bitrates (8000, 15000, 25000 kbps) without any noticeable improvement. Other YouTube videos appear fine, so the issue likely lies in your video processing and file formats.

This problem is typically caused by how YouTube compresses video files, especially those uploaded at 1080p, which often receive a more aggressive compression codec (AVC1). Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to significantly improve the quality of your uploaded videos.

If you're recording in MKV format (recommended for crash recovery), make sure to remux your recordings to MP4 before editing or uploading:

• In OBS, go to File > Remux Recordings

This process simply changes the container format and does not affect video quality. After you have done this, you can use the files in your editing software.

Upload in Higher Resolution When Possible

YouTube assigns better compression codecs (VP9) to videos uploaded in 1440p or 4K. Even if your target resolution is 1080p, uploading a 1440p version will often look noticeably better for viewers at all resolutions. You can upscale in some software as well, which can help. But not always so, experiment with your project.

Benefits of uploading at 1440p or higher:

Cleaner visuals
Reduced compression artifacts
Improved playback quality across devices

Set Optimal Render Settings in DaVinci Resolve

Make sure your export settings are aligned with YouTube's recommendations for high-quality uploads:

Use Constant Bitrate (CBR) between 30,000 to 50,000 kbps for 1080p60 or 1440p60
Alternatively, use high-quality Variable Bitrate (VBR) if you need to reduce file size
Export settings:

Format: MP4
Codec: H.264
Frame rate: 60fps
Profile: High

Use the x264 Software Encoder Instead of AMD Hardware Encoding

While AMD hardware encoders are efficient and fast, the x264 software encoder generally produces higher visual quality at the same bitrate:

In OBS, switch to the x264 encoder under Output settings if your system can handle it
This is especially useful for recordings you plan to edit and upload, as it reduces compression artifacts

If you have a low end computer you can check out our full guide on settings for OBS below.

The best OBS settings for recording on low-end devices.