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How to Add Scene Transitions to OBS Streams

Add a transition between OBS scenes, adjust its duration, prepare changes in Studio Mode, and learn how stinger track mattes reveal the next scene.

By DocumentaryTube Team 3 min read
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To add a scene transition in OBS Studio, select a transition in the Scene Transitions panel and set its duration. Cut and Fade are available by default; use the panel’s plus button to add options such as Swipe, Slide, Fade to color, or Luma Wipe. For safer scene changes while live, enable Studio Mode, prepare the next scene in preview, and click Transition when it is ready.

Choose a transition and set its duration

  1. In the OBS main window, find the Scene Transitions panel. If you want a basic immediate switch, select Cut. For a gradual change, select Fade.

  2. To add another built-in option, click the + button in the Scene Transitions panel and choose a transition. The OBS Studio Overview Guide lists Swipe, Slide, Fade to color, and Luma Wipe among the additional choices.

  3. Select the transition you want to use from the panel’s transition drop-down. Adjust its duration in the duration control. The duration applies to the transition, not to how long a scene stays on screen.

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Use Cut for a direct change, Fade for a gradual one, or preview a more directional effect at the duration you intend to use. The OBS guide documenting these options is dated 2021-08-25, so labels and available choices may differ in later versions.

Prepare scene changes with Studio Mode

Studio Mode separates the scene currently on air from the scene you are preparing. Make changes or select the next scene in preview without immediately replacing the live scene. When it is ready, click Transition to take it live using the configured transition.

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You can also add a configured transition as a Quick Transition in Studio Mode and set its duration there. This is useful when you want a particular transition readily available for a scene change.

Make a custom stinger transition

A stinger is a video overlay that plays across a cut from one scene to another. OBS also supports Track Matte mode, which uses an animated mask to control how the next scene is revealed: black represents the current scene, white represents the next scene, and intermediate gray values can blend between them.

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Prepare the track matte file

The OBS Track Matte guide describes a single video file containing the overlay and matte, arranged side by side or stacked. If each part is 1920Ă—1080, the combined file would be 3840Ă—1080 in a side-by-side layout or 1920Ă—2160 in a stacked layout. OBS disables separate overlay and matte files because it cannot guarantee that they will play in sync.

Track Matte mode was introduced in OBS Studio 27.0, according to the OBS guide dated 2021-08-25. If you do not see the option, check which OBS version you are using.

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Test before taking a transition live

Preview the transition between the actual scenes you plan to use, including any video, images, or other sources that appear during the change. Confirm that the duration and reveal look right, then test the scene change before broadcasting. OBS recommends testing settings and scenes before a first live stream.

Or let it run in the cloud

OBS transitions are for switching between scenes in an OBS production. If your goal is instead to keep uploaded videos looping as a YouTube live stream, StreamNeo is a separate cloud option: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. Nothing has to stay on at home; it plays the uploaded video, not a camera feed. Any quality up to 4K 60fps streams as uploaded at one flat price per slot, and StreamNeo automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo or start the free first day.

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