What frame rate should I record at for tutorials?

For software tutorials and screen walkthroughs, 30 fps is sufficient and keeps file sizes manageable. Motion-heavy content like gaming benefits from 60 fps, but for slide decks or text editing, even 24 fps is acceptable.

Should I record at my native monitor resolution?

Recording at native resolution (e.g. 2560x1440) gives you the most detail to work with, but you should export at a delivery resolution (e.g. 1920x1080 for YouTube) to control file size. Downscaling in post preserves quality better than upscaling later.

What is a good bitrate for 1080p30 screen recording?

For screen content (text, UI) 1080p30 needs roughly 4–6 Mbps with H.264 because large flat regions compress very efficiently. Gaming at 1080p60 benefits from 8–12 Mbps. YouTube re-encodes your upload, so 10–15 Mbps is a safe target for YouTube uploads.

H.264 vs HEVC — which should I use?

H.264 has near-universal playback support and is the safe default. HEVC (H.265) produces smaller files at the same quality but requires hardware support for real-time encoding. Use HEVC only if your CPU/GPU supports NVENC HEVC, QuickSync HEVC, or VideoToolbox HEVC.

Does higher bitrate always mean better quality?

For screen content, excessive bitrate yields diminishing returns. Screen recordings encode flat UI regions very efficiently; bumping from 8 Mbps to 20 Mbps on a tutorial will barely change perceptual quality while doubling file size. Bitrate matters more for gaming and fast motion.

What audio settings should I use?

AAC at 128 kbps is the standard for screen recordings. If you are capturing system audio and a microphone, record them as separate tracks in OBS so you can adjust levels in post. 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sample rates are both fine for voice.

Screen Recorder Helper

Name: Screen Recorder Helper
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Pick the right resolution, frame rate, and bitrate for your screen recording based on your use case.

Recording Setup

Use Case

Publish Destination

Your Monitor Resolution

Codec Preference

Select your setup and click Calculate Settings.

Copied!

Summary

Pick the right resolution, frame rate, and bitrate for your screen recording based on your use case.

How it works

Choose your recording use case (tutorial, gaming, presentation, or video call).
Select where the recording will be published (YouTube, local archive, video call, or web embed).
Pick your monitor resolution so the tool can suggest a matching or downscaled output.
Click "Calculate Settings" to get the recommended resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and encoder preset.
Copy the suggested settings into your screen recorder of choice.

Use cases

Set up OBS Studio for a high-quality software tutorial on YouTube.
Configure Camtasia or ScreenFlow for a corporate training recording.
Find the right bitrate for a gaming capture at 1080p60 or 1440p.
Choose the correct resolution before starting a Zoom or Teams presentation.
Archive a long meeting recording without wasting disk space.
Optimize settings for a short product demo embed on a landing page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-11 · Reviewed by Nham Vu