How to Record, Capture & Edit Game Footage on Linux
115In the video I cover how to record, capture and edit game footage on Linux using OBS Studio and Kdenlive.
OBS Studio
https://obsproject.com/
OBS Studio can be usually installed from your distribution's repository, but if you want a version that comes pre-complied with video encoder libraries such as NVENC and VA-API, then I recommend using the Snap version.
The interface of OBS Studio can seem overwhelming at first, but the main sections you will be concerned with are Sources, Audio Mixer, and Controls.
When it comes to recording game footage, I recommend using Window Capture option over Screen Capture as the latter will incur a performance hit, as you will be technically recording the entire screen as well as the active window.
If you want, you can use a Noise Gate with your microphone to cut down the key presses on your keyboard and button noise when you are using a controller.
Kdenlive
https://kdenlive.org/en/
You can usually install Kdenlive from your distribution’s repository using a package manager, or alternatively use a Flatpak, Snap or Appimage.
The interface of Kdenlive may seem intimidating at first, but it becomes quite logical once you get used to it.
The basic workflow goes like this; you create a new project, drop a video or video files into the project bin found at the top left, wait for them to process, and then drag them into the timeline at the bottom.
From there you can select parts of the track you wish to edit, adjust the volume using the mixer, or add effects found under Timeline / Effects, and once you are happy with the final project, you can begin rendering.
Kdenlive has a list of rendering profiles based on the file size, codec format, quality and resolution.
Just a couple of things to note about uploading videos to YouTube, unless you upload the video at a resolution of 1440p or higher your video will be encoded with a lower quality codec called AVC which is fine for tutorial content but for anything that has quick motion scenes such as video game will look terrible.
Instead, if you upload at 1440p or higher you will get the VP09 codec which does not suffer the same quality issues.
So, to upscale a video, click on the More options tab, tick the Rescale section, specify the resolution, specify the output location, a file name, and then click the Render to File button.
#obstudio #kdenlive #linux