To make mixed-resolution videos appear consistently in an OBS playlist, size the playlist source—not just the clip currently playing—to the area you want on your canvas. OBS uses the VLC Video source for playlists. One community-reported workaround is to add a Scaling/Aspect Ratio Filter to that source and set a target resolution; test it with your installed OBS and VLC versions because the OBS documentation does not guarantee that the filter will normalize every playlist item.
Use a VLC Video source for the playlist
OBS’s built-in Media Source is for an individual media file. For playlist playback, use VLC Video, which requires VLC to be installed. Its controls include looping, shuffling, visibility behavior, network caching, audio track, and subtitles. See the OBS Media Sources guide.
If your scene instead contains several separate Media Sources, each source has its own sizing and placement. Confirm the source type before troubleshooting inconsistent playlist items.
Set one display area for the playlist source
- Select the VLC Video source in the Sources list. In the preview, position and resize it to define the area it should occupy. OBS also provides transform controls from the source’s context menu; see the OBS Studio Overview Guide.
- For inconsistent sizes between playlist items, test a Scaling/Aspect Ratio Filter on the VLC Video source. A community post reports that setting this filter to a target resolution fixed a playlist whose 1080p and 720p items appeared at different sizes. Its 1920×1080 setting was that user’s example, not a universal target or an official guarantee. See the community report.
- Advance through the playlist and inspect every item. Check whether the displayed size holds when the next video starts, and whether the result is soft, cropped, distorted, or surrounded by bars. Filter behavior may vary with OBS, VLC, and source/filter versions.
Choose how different aspect ratios should fit
Resolution and aspect ratio are related but not interchangeable. Two videos can have different pixel dimensions and the same proportions; videos with different proportions cannot both fill a fixed-shaped area without either empty space, cropped edges, or distortion. Choose the tradeoff that suits the content:
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- Fit the entire frame: preserve all image content, accepting bars where the video’s proportions do not match the display area.
- Fill by cropping or enlarging: use more of the canvas, but expect some image edges to be cut off.
- Stretch: fill the area while changing proportions. OBS warns that stretching can distort the image, so use it only when that is acceptable. The OBS source-stretching guide explains the available aspect-ratio behavior.
OBS identifies 16:9 as a common display aspect ratio and gives 1920×1080, 1280×720, and 3840×2160 as examples. These are examples, not requirements for every playlist. Choose the target shape and resolution for your intended composition.
Keep canvas size separate from stream or recording size
In OBS, open Settings → Video. Base (Canvas) Resolution is the workspace where you arrange sources. Output (Scaled) Resolution is the resolution used for the stream or recording. OBS says the output resolution should match the stream output resolution; changing it does not reposition sources in the canvas. Changing the canvas can require sources to be realigned or resized. The OBS Studio Overview Guide covers both settings.
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| Setting or choice | What it affects | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Base (Canvas) Resolution | The scene workspace and source layout. | You are choosing the composition area. Avoid changing it just to fix one playlist source. |
| Output (Scaled) Resolution | The stream or recording resolution; OBS can downscale from the canvas. | You need the stream or recording to use a particular resolution. |
| Fit | Keeps the full image visible, potentially with bars. | No image content should be cut off. |
| Crop or scale larger | Fills more of the area, potentially losing image edges. | Filling the frame matters more than preserving every edge. |
| Stretch | Fills the area by changing image proportions. | Only when distortion is acceptable. |
Troubleshoot when the size still changes
- The next playlist item returns to a different size: fitting the currently playing item may affect only that item. Try the scaling filter on the VLC Video playlist source and verify the result as the playlist advances; the fix is supported by a user report, not a documented guarantee.
- The video has bars: the source is likely being fit without cropping. If you need to fill the area, crop or enlarge it, understanding that edges may be lost.
- The picture looks warped: avoid stretch and use fit or crop instead.
- The image is unexpectedly soft: check whether the source is being scaled down or up and test the original item in the playlist. OBS recommends using lower-resolution media when higher source resolution is unnecessary for its displayed size or output.
- The stream or recording resolution is wrong: check Output (Scaled) Resolution in Settings → Video; do not confuse it with Base (Canvas) Resolution.
- Performance is the concern: reducing output resolution can reduce encoder load. Lowering Base (Canvas) Resolution is not a simple fix for one source; it can require repositioning and resizing scene elements. OBS’s performance guidance discusses these tradeoffs. The reviewed OBS guidance does not establish a universal performance penalty for scaling a mixed-resolution playlist.
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