Settings for recording gameplay to create YouTube videos.
Settings for recording gameplay to create YouTube videos.
It has been an idea swirling in my mind for some time now, especially with the holidays near. I might finally take action. Essentially, I'm considering recording gameplay and turning it into content similar to episodic TV shows. Right now, I'm focusing on resolution and frame rate. Usually I play at 1440p, but I could increase it to 4k. I was thinking of creating a second account to use as my "camera" so it can run on a different system. I aim to master the output in 1080p, which would improve quality, especially if I need to crop the frames later. Regarding frame rate, this isn't going to be fast-paced action, so I'm weighing whether 60fps is enough or if 30fps will do. It could help individual frames look better at a certain bitrate and also cut processing time in half. Any advice?
I've worked on some filming and game capture tasks, and I've gotten pretty good at optimizing the settings.
My Setup: Core i7 8700K, 16Gb DDR4 RAM, GTX 1080ti
For native resolution, I stick to 1080p, but I suggest pushing the sampling rate as high as possible. Anti Aliasing should be adjusted to the maximum your system supports. Texture quality, shadows, and other details should also be set to their highest levels you can manage.
Regarding FPS, aim for at least 60 frames per second; otherwise, the video will appear sluggish on most screens. This really depends on the type of filming you're doing—if it's focused on terrain, 30-45fps might suffice—but if you're capturing lots of movement, higher is better.
For filming methods, I recommend two approaches. First, an external capture card can help maintain performance during recording, avoiding issues like lag spikes. The more affordable choice here is Nvidia GeForce Experience, which offers minimal impact on speed.
Any questions?
-Flinty
I'm still deciding on the best system for capture, but I'm leaning towards the one I also use for video editing:
i7-7800X, 16GB ram, GPU TBD (should upgrade the 2070 into it, or else it might lag with the 980ti)
I didn't mention it, but yes, I aim for maximum settings at the resolution I'm using. Then the focus shifts to sufficient fps. Getting 60fps at 4k is tough, but 30fps is manageable. I'd stick to a fixed 30fps if I were doing that. My realistic options are shooting in 4k at 30fps or 1440p at 60fps.
I'm thinking this way because I'm not targeting high-action content. Regular TV and film work at lower rates, and I think I would too. I really like the idea of "terrain appreciation." It's not exactly what I'm doing, but it's close.
This is what I'm planning to use. I could add that I've used it before and am fine with the output. So far, I've run at unlimited fps and set capture to 30fps, which seems acceptable. But if I need more serious work, I was planning to fix it to 30/60fps to reduce temporal variation in frame spacing.
You mention TV and similar topics, and I agree that dropping frames is less noticeable on bigger screens due to the larger image size. However, in a YouTube production, especially game-oriented videos, it's more common to watch on smaller screens, so I suggest maintaining a higher FPS than you would for TV.
For rendering footage in-game, I recommend using the 2070 and capturing with the 980ti. If possible, overclocking can help avoid bottlenecks, and you should be fine.
Your GeForce settings can differ, but I personally cap it at 60fps—it's usually sufficient for most tasks.
The general guideline is to stick to the maximum settings that still keep frames stable.