To switch between looping videos in OBS, add each clip as a Media Source, enable Loop, then choose a scene transition—such as Cut or Fade—and set its duration. Decide separately whether each clip should restart when its source becomes visible in the active scene. These settings control playback and the visual change between scenes; OBS documentation does not promise a frame-matched handoff between independently looping clips.
Set up a looped video in each scene
- Add a Media Source: In the scene, add a Media Source and select the video file. OBS documentation lists common supported formats including MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Enable Loop: In the source properties, turn on Loop if the file should play again after it finishes. The OBS Media Sources guide lists Loop as off by default.
- Choose restart behavior: Restart playback when source becomes active is on by default in that guide. When enabled, the file restarts when its source is in the current scene and visible. Turn it off if you want the source not to restart when shown again; this setting does not guarantee synchronization with another clip.
- Repeat for other clips: Add the other video files as Media Sources in the scenes where you want them to appear. Configure Loop and restart behavior for each source; changing a scene transition does not change those playback options.
Choose a scene transition and duration
In OBS’s Scene Transitions area, select the active transition from the drop-down and set its duration. Cut switches directly. Fade blends between scenes. OBS says Cut and Fade are available from first launch; other documented choices include Swipe, Slide, Fade to color, and Luma Wipe.
The duration controls how long the transition effect takes, not how long either video plays. If you use Studio Mode, a Quick Transition can have its own duration, configured separately in the Quick Transitions menu. That lets a Quick Transition use a different timing from the active transition.
Choose the right playback and transition behavior
| What you want | Setting or choice | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat one file | Media Source: Loop | Plays the file again after it completes; documented default is off. |
| Start a clip from the beginning when it becomes visible | Restart playback when source becomes active enabled | Restarts the file when the source is in the current visible scene; documented default is on. |
| Switch immediately | Cut | Changes directly to the next scene. |
| Blend between scenes | Fade and a chosen duration | Fades between outgoing and incoming scenes over the configured duration. |
| Use a video effect at the handoff | Stinger | Plays a video overlay around the cut; it is a different transition approach from choosing a standard transition. |
Use a playlist instead of separate scenes
If you need one source to cycle through a playlist, OBS’s VLC Video source offers Loop Playlist, which controls whether the source starts again after the media files run out. VLC must be installed for this source type to appear. The OBS guide specifies that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC.
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For a single clip that repeats, use Media Source Loop. For a list of files that should play as one source, use VLC Video and its playlist-loop option. These are different controls: Loop repeats a Media Source file, while Loop Playlist repeats after the VLC source runs through its media files.
When a stinger makes sense
A stinger is a video overlay used around a cut from the outgoing scene to the incoming scene. OBS documents cut points set by milliseconds or frame number. Track Matte mode, introduced in OBS Studio 27.0, uses a mask video to determine which scene is shown: black indicates the current scene, white indicates the next scene, and intermediate gray values allow blending.
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For a track-matte stinger, OBS recommends one combined video file, arranged side-by-side or stacked. Its guide warns that separate files are not guaranteed to decode in lock-step. A stinger can create a designed transition effect, but it should not be treated as proof that two independently looping clips will hand off on matching frames.
What OBS does—and does not—guarantee about continuity
The reviewed OBS guides explain looping, source activation, scene transitions, and stingers. They do not establish a guarantee of seamless, frame-matched continuity between separate looped files. A Fade or Stinger changes how the scene switch looks; neither documented option promises that the underlying clips will be synchronized at the handoff. If exact continuity matters, validate the particular files and scene arrangement in the OBS version you plan to use rather than assuming the transition setting will align them.
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Troubleshooting looped-video scene switches
- The clip plays once and stops: Open the Media Source properties and enable Loop. For a VLC playlist, check Loop Playlist instead.
- The clip starts over every time you return to its scene: Check Restart playback when source becomes active. Disable it if restarting on visibility is not wanted. OBS does not document this setting as a way to synchronize separate clips.
- The transition is too abrupt or too slow: Check the selected transition and its duration in Scene Transitions. If you are triggering a Studio Mode Quick Transition, check its separately assigned duration too.
- VLC Video is missing: Install VLC. Match its architecture to OBS; the documented requirement for 64-bit OBS is 64-bit VLC.
- A track-matte stinger does not reveal scenes as expected: Check the mask: black maps to the current scene, white to the next, and gray permits blending. For a track-matte transition, use a combined video file because OBS does not guarantee lock-step decoding of separate files.
- Two looping clips do not line up at the switch: Do not assume a Cut, Fade, or stinger will synchronize their playback. The reviewed guides do not promise frame-matched continuity between independent looped clips.
Documentation scope
This guidance reflects OBS Project documentation as accessed October 3, 2026. The Media Sources guide is dated January 11, 2022, and the stinger guide identifies Track Matte mode as beginning with OBS Studio 27.0 in 2021. Documentation describes intended controls and defaults, not hands-on testing; labels or defaults may change in later releases.
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