Beginner’s Guide: Easiest Way to Fix OBS Jagged Issue

Have you ever used OBS and experienced glitchy and choppy effects while and after recording your screen? Don’t fret because you’re not alone. OBS jagged is a common issue that many users face. From pixelated visuals and distorted edges to laggy playback, these problems can ruin what should have been a smooth and professional-looking recording.

While it may be frustrating to encounter, the good news is that this issue can usually be resolved with a few simple methods. In this article, understand what causes jagged edges in OBS recording, and learn how to fix them easily. With the right tweaks, you’ll be capturing crisp, high-quality video in no time, so let’s get started!

Part 1. What Causes Jagged Edges and Low-Quality in OBS Recordings

OBS Jagged or the jagged edges and poor-quality visuals in OBS recordings are usually the result of misconfigured settings or hardware limitations. When the video output appears pixelated, blurry, or choppy, it can be frustrating, especially when you want to produce professional-looking content. Below are the most common causes behind these issues:

Unstable Internet Connection:

A stable internet connection is important, especially when running an online tool. If your connection drops or fluctuates, OBS may lower the stream quality automatically to maintain stability, resulting in OBS being jagged.

Incorrect Resolution Settings:

When the output resolution in OBS doesn't match the base resolution, the software has to scale the video. This scaling can blur fine details that will eventually result to jagged edges issues in OBS.

Hardware Limitations:

Low-end cameras or poor lighting conditions can create noise, graininess, or pixelation in recordings. Additionally, using mismatched refresh rates or resolutions across multiple monitors can confuse OBS and lead to visual inconsistencies.

Incorrect System Configuration:

OBS relies on specific settings, such as bitrate, encoder, frame rate, and downscale filter, to produce clear video. Misconfigured options can overload your system or compress the video too much, leading to low-quality, blurry, or stuttering results.

Not Enough Processing Power:

Video encoding is resource-intensive. If your CPU or GPU isn't powerful enough, or if you're using software encoding on a weak CPU, OBS may struggle to keep up. This results in OBS jagged through dropped frames, slow rendering, and overall poor recording quality.

Part 2. How to Fix OBS Jagged Issue in OBS [3 Ways]

Now that you know the possible causes for OBS jagged, let’s proceed with how you can fix them easily:

Method 1: Switch to a Stable Network

One of the main causes of jagged or choppy OBS recordings is an unstable internet connection. To fix this, try switching to a more stable and faster network. A consistent connection ensures smoother data transmission during streaming or uploading, which helps prevent video glitches, dropped frames, and quality loss. If possible, use a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi for better stability.

Method 2: Change OBS Settings

Another effective way to fix OBS jagged is by adjusting a few key settings within the software. Modifying your frame rate and resolution settings helps balance performance and visual quality, especially if your system struggles with high-demand encoding.

Changing the Framerate

Step 1. On your OBS, go to the Video Settings.

Step 2. Next, go to the common FPS Values and select your value. After that, hit Apply.

Changing the Resolution

Step 1. Go to the File tab and choose Settings.

Step 2. Now, in the Video Settings, select and alter both Base and Output Resolution. For best results, it’s best if you match the Base to your system resolution and downscale your output resolution.

Method 3: Restart OBS

Sometimes, the simplest fix for the OBS jagged issue is just restarting the software. This clears temporary glitches and applies any recent setting changes.

To do this:

Step 1. First, just close the OBS application.

Step 2. Next, right-click on your screen and click on Refresh.

Step 3. After that, just open the app again.

Part 3. Record High-Quality Video with the Best Alternative to OBS

If any of those methods didn’t solve the OBS jagged issue, the best thing that you can do after is to try another screen recorder tool. One of the best alternatives for OBS is the FVC Screen Recorder. This tool offers a user-friendly interface and delivers smooth, high-quality recordings without the complicated setup that OBS sometimes requires.

FVC Free Screen Recorder allows you to:

• Capture your screen, webcam, or both with just a few clicks.

• Record system and microphone audio simultaneously.

• Choose your preferred resolution and frame rate for a clearer output.

• Save videos in common formats like MP4, MOV, etc., making them easy to share or edit.

Here’s how to record high-quality video using the FVC Free Screen Recorder:

Step 1. Download and install the FVC Screen Recorder on your computer. It is available for Windows and macOS.

Step 2. After that, launch the tool and click the REC button to start recording your screen. You can choose the size or method of recording your screen. Once you’re done, just click the stop button.

Step 3. Now, you have options to edit the video. Once you’re satisfied, click the Import button to save your recorded video.

One thing that sets FVC Free Screen Recorder apart from OBS is its simple and intuitive interface. Any user, even beginners, can easily use the tool. Moreover, since it's a lightweight desktop app, FVC runs smoothly without putting too much strain on your system, helping you avoid issues like lag or jagged video output.

Part 4. FAQs about Jagged OBS

Conclusion

To conclude, we comprehensively analyzed the potential reasons that may cause your OBS jagged. And we also offered some feasible solutions to get your OBS running normally. However, some serious jagging situations can be fixed. Thus, we highly recommend FVC Screen Recorder as its best alternative for it’s more stable, advanced, and powerful.