How to Add Video to OBS Studio and Control Playback

Learn how to add video to OBS Studio, loop clips, pause and resume playback, route video audio and talk over media during a presentation.

Adding video directly to OBS gives you far more control during workshops and presentations. You can play clips, pause them, add audio and switch scenes without screen sharing.

If you've followed this series so far, you've already learned how to add images and overlays to OBS.

Video works on much the same principle.

It's another source.

The difference is that a video has a timeline, it can loop, it may contain audio, and you need to decide what happens when you leave the scene and come back to it.

That's what we're going to sort out here.

And once you've done this, your OBS setup starts feeling much more like a prepared presentation rather than a webcam with a logo stuck in the corner.

Quick answer: How to Add Video to OBS Studio and Control Playback explains how to add video to OBS Studio, loop clips, pause and resume playback, route video audio and talk over media during a presentation.

Can You Play a Video Directly in OBS?

Yes.

You don't need to open a separate video player and screen share it.

You can add the video file directly into OBS as a Media Source.

That means the video becomes part of your OBS scene.

You can then switch to it in exactly the same way you've been switching between your Splash Screen and Main Camera scenes.

For a workshop, that's useful.

You can be talking to your audience one second and playing a prepared training clip the next.

No searching for windows.

No dragging a video player onto the correct monitor.

No trying to share the right application halfway through the presentation.

You've already prepared it.

How to Add a Video to OBS Studio

Start by choosing the scene where you want your video.

If you're using a short animation as part of your Main Camera scene, you can add it there.

For a full training video, I normally prefer creating a dedicated scene.

We'll look at both approaches.

To add the video, go to the Sources panel and click:

+ → Media Source

Then browse to the video file stored in your permanent OBS project folder.

Remember what we covered in How to Organise OBS Files and Assets.

Don't add a video from Downloads and then move it somewhere else next week.

Put it in its permanent home first.

Then add it to OBS.

How to Loop a Video in OBS

One of the first examples in the workshop is a looping video.

This might be an animated background or another piece of media that you want to continue playing rather than stopping at the end.

When you add the Media Source, turn on the Loop option.

The video will now repeat.

That's useful for things such as animated backgrounds because you don't necessarily want your background playing for 20 seconds and then suddenly freezing while you're still talking.

You can add the media, loop it and leave it running in the scene.

Later, when we move into using a green screen with OBS, you'll see how a looping video can sit behind your camera to create an animated virtual background.

For now, just understand that a video can be another layer in the scene.

Use Stack Order With Video Sources Too

The stacking order you learned in the previous article applies to video as well.

If your Media Source is above your camera, it can cover the camera.

Move it below the camera and the camera appears above it.

Without a green screen, your camera still includes your real background, so putting an animation underneath it doesn't magically make the animation visible behind you.

Once your background is removed, that changes.

Then you can have something like:

Logo or foreground graphic

Your camera

Animated video background

and OBS layers them together.

This is why understanding source order before getting into green screen work matters.

We're building one piece at a time.

Create a Separate Scene for a Pre-Recorded Video

Now let's look at the more useful presentation example.

Suppose you've pre-recorded a training demonstration.

Instead of adding that video into your Main Camera scene, create a new scene specifically for it.

In the workshop, I use example videos such as a ballet dancer and a kitten clip simply so we can clearly see what happens.

The principle is the useful part.

Create the scene.

Give it a clear name.

Then add the video as a Media Source inside that scene.

You can resize the video if it doesn't automatically fill the canvas.

Now your presentation might look something like:

Splash Screen → Main Camera → Video 1 → Main Camera → Video 2

That is much easier to control during a live workshop.

Put Your OBS Scenes in Presentation Order

I like arranging scenes in roughly the order I'm going to use them.

If a video comes first in the presentation, I might put a number in its scene name.

Something simple such as:

1 - Demonstration

2 - Example Video

means I know what comes next.

You don't have to copy my exact naming system.

Just make your own run order obvious.

If you're halfway through a live workshop, the last thing you want is to stare at twelve vaguely named scenes and wonder which one contains the video you're about to show.

Preparation removes that problem.

What Does “Restart Playback When Source Becomes Active” Do?

This setting is important.

When you add media to OBS, you'll see an option relating to restarting playback when the source becomes active.

The easiest way to understand it is to think about what should happen when you leave the video scene and come back.

There are two different behaviours you might want.

Sometimes you want the clip to restart from the beginning every time.

Other times you want to pause the video, talk about something, return to it and continue from the same place.

OBS can handle both.

How to Make an OBS Video Start From the Beginning

Let's say your clip is a short introduction.

Every time you switch to that scene, you want the audience to see it from the beginning.

In that case, keeping the restart behaviour enabled makes sense.

You switch to the scene.

The video begins.

You switch away.

Then when you return later, it starts again.

For short complete clips, this is often exactly what you want.

That's the way I tend to work when I'm playing a complete prepared piece of media.

How to Pause a Video and Continue Later in OBS

Now imagine you're teaching from a demonstration.

You show part of the video.

Then something important happens on screen.

You want to stop there, switch back to your camera and explain it.

After the explanation, you want to return to the video and continue from that same position.

This is where you change the Media Source behaviour.

Open the source properties and turn off Restart playback when source becomes active.

Now you can pause the media, switch back to your camera scene, talk about it and then return to the video.

The video can remain at the point where you left it.

That's very useful for teaching.

You don't have to keep finding the right timestamp again.

You simply continue.

When Should You Restart a Video and When Should You Continue?

It depends on how you're using the clip.

If you're playing a complete piece of prepared content, starting from the beginning each time normally makes sense.

If you're using video as a teaching demonstration and regularly stopping to explain what is happening, continuing from the previous position is far more useful.

Neither approach is the “correct” OBS setup.

Ask what you need the video to do.

Then set the source accordingly.

This is one of the things I like about OBS.

You're not forced into one presentation style.

How to Send Video Audio Through OBS

Now we get to the part people often discover the hard way.

You've added your video.

You switch to the scene.

The picture is perfect.

You can hear the video.

Your audience can't.

What's going on?

Remember our audio route from How to Connect OBS Audio to Zoom With a Virtual Cable.

The media audio also needs to be sent through the route your audience is listening to.

In the workshop setup, that means using OBS audio monitoring so the video sound can be sent through the virtual cable.

Open the relevant audio settings for the media and enable monitoring.

Once the media is being monitored through the cable, Zoom can receive that audio as well.

This is one of the big reasons we bothered setting up the virtual cable earlier.

Why Your OBS Video Audio May Not Be Heard in Zoom

Seeing a video in OBS doesn't automatically prove that its audio is being sent to Zoom.

The video and audio routes are different.

Your visual output goes through the OBS Virtual Camera.

Your audio is being routed through the virtual cable setup.

So when the video contains audio, check the media source in the Audio Mixer and make sure its monitoring is configured correctly.

Don't wait until the real workshop to test this.

Play the clip in a private test session.

Then check what actually arrives at the other end.

Control the Volume of Video Inside OBS

Once the video's audio is inside the OBS Audio Mixer, you also gain control over its level.

This matters.

A video might have been produced much louder than your microphone.

You switch to it and suddenly your audience gets blasted by the media.

Or you try talking over it and nobody can hear a word you're saying.

You can lower the media volume using its level control in OBS.

That lets you balance the video against your voice.

We'll go deeper into audio control later in How to Use OBS Audio Filters for Better Microphone Sound, but simple level adjustment already gives you a lot more control.

Can You Talk Over a Video in OBS?

Yes.

This is one of the more useful workshop setups.

If your video scene only contains the Media Source, the video can play, but your microphone isn't automatically part of that scene just because it exists somewhere else.

Add your microphone to the video scene.

If you've already created the microphone source in your Main Camera scene, you can reuse that existing source rather than setting up the microphone again.

In the workshop, I show two approaches.

You can add the existing Audio Input Capture through the Sources menu.

Or, if you're comfortable with the shortcut, you can copy the microphone source and paste it into the video scene.

Now you can talk while the video plays.

Reuse Existing OBS Sources Instead of Rebuilding Them

This is worth getting into the habit of doing.

You've already set up your microphone.

You know it's connected correctly.

You know the virtual cable works.

You don't need to invent a new microphone setup for every video scene.

Add the existing source.

That means your Main Camera scene and your video scene can both use the microphone you've already configured.

The same thinking will come up again when we build the OBS screen-sharing setup.

We're creating reusable pieces.

Not rebuilding the entire studio for every scene.

Be Careful When Muting a Shared Microphone Source

There is one catch.

If you're using the same microphone source across multiple scenes, be careful when you mute it.

In the workshop, I show how easy it is to turn the microphone off while working in one scene and then return to your Main Camera without realising the microphone is still off.

I've done it.

You're talking happily.

Then people start saying:

"I can't hear you."

And you've been giving a brilliant explanation to yourself.

Keep an eye on the Audio Mixer when switching scenes.

If your microphone should be active, make sure it is.

A Simple OBS Video Presentation Workflow

Once the scenes are prepared, running a video-heavy workshop becomes much easier.

You could begin on your Splash Screen.

Move to Main Camera and introduce the session.

Switch to a prepared video.

Return to the Main Camera to explain what the audience has just watched.

Then switch into a second video.

Everything is already loaded in OBS.

If you want to talk over a clip, your microphone can already be present in that scene.

If you want to stop and discuss part of a demonstration, configure the video so it continues from the same position when you return.

This is where the preparation pays off.

Use Video as an Animated Background

Media Sources aren't only for full-screen training clips.

The workshop also shows how a looping video can become part of the design of a camera scene.

Once your green screen is working, an animated background can sit below your keyed camera source.

You can add other graphics above it.

You might have your camera in front of an animation while your logo remains over the top.

That's the same OBS knowledge you've already learned:

Media Source.

Stacking order.

Looping.

The green screen just gives you more flexibility with the layers.

We'll build that properly in How to Use a Green Screen in OBS.

You Can Animate a Logo With a Video Source Too

The workshop goes a step further and uses a video containing an animated logo on a green background.

That video is added as a Media Source.

Then the green can be removed with a chroma key.

The result is an animated logo rather than a static PNG.

You don't have to do this to use OBS well.

But it demonstrates something useful.

Video sources can behave like visual design elements, not just films you stop and watch.

Once you start combining media, transparency and stacking order, you can build much richer scenes.

Again, don't try to do all of it today.

Get normal video playback working first.

What About Green Screen Video?

The workshop briefly demonstrates virtual background removal while introducing video, but the cleaner green screen method comes next.

And there's a reason for that.

Using software background removal can create the same popping around fingers, hair and moving edges that we've already discussed.

A proper green screen setup gives you far more precise control.

So if you're looking at the animated-background example and wondering how to put yourself cleanly in front of it, continue to the next tutorial.

That's exactly what we'll do.

Common Problems When Adding Video to OBS

The video doesn't fill the screen.
Select the Media Source and resize it to fit your canvas.

The video keeps starting from the beginning.
Check the setting that restarts playback when the source becomes active. Turn it off if you want to return to the same playback position.

The video continues when I wanted it to restart.
Use the restart-on-activation behaviour when you want the clip to begin from the start each time you enter the scene.

I can hear the video but people in Zoom can't.
Check the Media Source audio monitoring and make sure the audio is being routed through the virtual cable.

The video is much louder than my microphone.
Reduce the media level in the OBS Audio Mixer and test the balance.

I can't talk over my video.
Add your existing microphone source to the video scene.

My microphone stopped working in another scene.
Check whether you've muted a shared microphone source while working elsewhere.

My animated background covers my camera.
Check the source stack order. The media may be sitting above the camera rather than below it.

OBS Video Setup Checklist

Before moving on, make sure you can add a Media Source, create a dedicated video scene, resize the clip, choose whether it loops, decide whether playback restarts or continues, enable media audio monitoring, control the media volume, add your existing microphone to the video scene and switch between the video and your Main Camera without losing your audio.

Run a private test.

Play the video.

Speak over it.

Switch away.

Come back.

Listen to the result.

If all of that works, you're ready for the next stage.

Learn OBS With Me in the Free Workshop

Video playback is one of those OBS features that's far easier to understand when you can actually watch the timeline behave as you switch between scenes.

That's what we're doing in the free Learn OBS Workshop.

You'll see how the camera, microphone, videos, graphics and scenes work together as one presentation system rather than a pile of separate tools.

Learn OBS Workshop | Present, Stream & Record Better

You can also return to the complete Learn OBS beginner's guide to see how all 12 tutorials fit together.

FAQ About Adding Video to OBS

How do I add a video to OBS?

Choose the scene where you want the video, click the + button under Sources and select Media Source. Browse to your video file, add it and resize it on the canvas if necessary.

Can I loop a video in OBS?

Yes. Turn on the Loop option in the Media Source settings if you want the video to repeat continuously. This is particularly useful for animated backgrounds.

How do I stop an OBS video restarting every time I switch scenes?

Open the Media Source settings and turn off the option that restarts playback when the source becomes active. You can then pause the clip, move to another scene and return to the same position.

Can I pause a video in OBS and continue it later?

Yes. Configure the source so it doesn't restart when activated, pause the media and switch away. When you return to that scene, you can continue from the paused position.

Why can't people hear my OBS video in Zoom?

The video audio needs to follow the audio route into Zoom. In this workshop setup, enable monitoring for the Media Source so its sound can be sent through the virtual audio cable.

Can I change the volume of a video in OBS?

Yes. Once the Media Source audio appears in the OBS Audio Mixer, you can reduce or increase its level. This is useful when balancing media against your microphone.

Can I talk while a video plays in OBS?

Yes. Add your existing microphone source to the video scene. Your microphone and video audio can then be active together.

Do I need to create a new microphone for every video scene?

No. You can reuse an existing audio source that you've already configured. Be careful when muting a shared source because the same microphone setup may be used elsewhere.

Can I use a video as an OBS background?

Yes. A looping Media Source can be positioned behind other visual sources. This becomes particularly useful once you've removed your real background using a green screen.

Can I use an animated logo in OBS?

The workshop demonstrates adding an animated logo as a video Media Source and removing its green background with a chroma key. This allows the animation to sit over other scene elements.

What To Do Next

You've now got much more than a static presentation.

You can open on a splash screen.

Talk to camera.

Switch straight into prepared video.

Pause a demonstration.

Come back and explain it.

Then continue where you left off.

And the audience can hear both you and the media.

Now we're ready for the part that changes what you can do with all those layers.

Continue with How to Use a Green Screen in OBS.

We'll remove the green background with a chroma key, improve the edges, control colour spill and start placing your camera over static and animated backgrounds properly.

Join the free Learn OBS Workshop and build the complete setup with me.

FAQ

Who is How to Add Video to OBS Studio and Control Playback for?

How to Add Video to OBS Studio and Control Playback is for course creators, coaches and educators who want a clearer OBS setup for recording lessons, streaming sessions or creating better video content for their online business.

How does this OBS workflow connect with New Zenler?

Creators can use OBS to improve video and live-session production, then use New Zenler to host courses, deliver memberships, run live sessions, build funnels and manage learners in one platform.

What should creators check before recording or streaming with OBS?

Check the scene layout, microphone input, audio filters, camera framing, recording settings, internet connection and where the finished lesson or live replay will be delivered in New Zenler.

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