How to Use OBS Profiles for Vertical Social Videos

Learn how to use OBS profiles for vertical 1080 × 1920 videos, duplicate your scenes and create social content without rebuilding your HD setup.

You don’t need to rebuild OBS every time you want a vertical video. Create a mobile profile and scene setup, then switch between HD and social content in seconds.

If you've followed this entire OBS series, your normal setup is probably looking pretty good by now.

You've got your camera.

Audio.

Graphics.

Video.

Screen sharing.

Recording.

Streaming.

Most of that work has been built around a normal landscape canvas:

1920 × 1080

That's ideal for a lot of teaching, YouTube-style video, workshops and presentations.

But then you want to record something for social media.

Suddenly you need:

1080 × 1920

The opposite orientation.

You could start moving everything around every time.

I wouldn't.

This is where OBS profiles and duplicated scene setups become useful.

Quick answer: How to Use OBS Profiles for Vertical Social Videos explains how to use OBS profiles for vertical 1080 × 1920 videos, duplicate your scenes and create social content without rebuilding your HD setup.

Why Use OBS Profiles for Social Video?

The basic idea is simple.

You keep your normal landscape setup.

Then create a separate setup for vertical content.

So instead of repeatedly doing this:

Change canvas → move camera → move graphics → record social → change canvas back → rebuild everything

you can create a reusable mobile workflow.

In the workshop, I pair the mobile scene setup with a mobile profile so I know which configuration I'm working with.

Then I can move between the normal HD version and the mobile version rather than destroying one setup to create the other.

That's the real benefit.

What Is an OBS Profile?

We touched on profiles earlier in OBS Scenes and Sources: A Beginner's Guide.

In the workshop workflow, profiles let me maintain different overall configurations.

For example, my standard HD setup is working at:

1920 × 1080

with the normal landscape canvas.

For mobile social content, I create another profile where the canvas is:

1080 × 1920

That's vertical.

The important thing for this workflow is that I keep the scene setup I'm using clearly associated in my own naming with the profile it belongs to.

That way I don't accidentally start moving elements around in my normal presentation setup.

Don't Change Your Working HD Scene

This is where mistakes happen.

You've spent all this time building a good Main Camera scene.

Your camera is positioned properly.

Your graphics are where you want them.

Maybe you've got a green screen background.

Everything works.

Then you decide to create a Reel.

You change the canvas and begin dragging everything into vertical positions.

Great.

Until tomorrow when you need your normal workshop again.

Now your landscape setup is a mess.

Think again.

Keep the working version.

Duplicate it.

Name Your HD Setup Clearly

In the workshop, I start by making it obvious which setup is the landscape version.

For example, I rename the scene so it includes HD.

You could use something such as:

Training HD

The standard profile can also have a descriptive name connected with that landscape workflow.

The exact wording doesn't matter.

The clarity does.

If you have:

Training HD

and:

Training Mobile

you immediately know which one you're supposed to be editing.

That's much better than:

Scene

and:

Scene 2

Duplicate Your Existing OBS Scene

Now duplicate your working scene.

Right-click the scene and choose the duplicate option.

Give the copy a clear mobile name.

For example:

Training Mobile

or:

Training Mob

as I use during the workshop.

This gives you an identical copy of what you've already built.

Same camera.

Same graphics.

Same media.

Same sources.

But now you can move things around in this version without wrecking the HD version.

That saves a lot of time.

Move Important Sources Toward the Middle First

Before flipping the entire canvas to vertical, I like to move the key elements roughly toward the middle.

Why?

Because we're about to change from a wide canvas to a tall, narrow one.

Anything sitting a long way out on the left or right could end up well outside the useful mobile frame.

So in the duplicated mobile scene, start bringing important items inward.

That might include:

• your camera
• logo
• graphics
• microphone graphic
• overlays

You don't need perfect positioning yet.

We're just preparing the scene for the new aspect ratio.

It makes the next stage easier.

Create a New OBS Profile for Mobile

Now create the separate profile.

Go to the Profile menu and create a new profile.

Give it a clear name such as:

Mobile

This is the configuration we'll use for vertical content.

During the workshop, creating the new profile runs through the configuration process again.

And this creates something important you need to watch for.

Some settings need checking again.

Don't assume the new profile inherited every part of your previous setup exactly as you want it.

Check Your Audio When You Create a New Profile

When I create the mobile profile in the workshop, I hear an echo.

That's the clue.

Something isn't right.

Remember the audio setup we built earlier in How to Connect OBS Audio to Zoom With a Virtual Cable?

The monitoring setup needs to be checked in the new profile.

I go back into:

Settings → Audio

and set the monitoring device to the cable again.

Once that's corrected, the unwanted echo stops.

This is a useful lesson.

A new profile is a new configuration.

Check the settings you rely on.

Don't Assume a New OBS Profile Is Ready Immediately

This is the part that can catch you.

You create the profile.

The canvas looks okay.

You start recording.

Then you discover:

The audio monitoring is wrong.

Or the recording location isn't where you expect.

Or another output setting isn't the same as your normal profile.

So when you create the new mobile profile, go through the settings you actually use.

You don't have to inspect every obscure OBS option.

But check the important ones.

For this workflow:

• audio monitoring
• canvas resolution
• output resolution
• recording settings
• recording location

Those are worth confirming.

Change the OBS Canvas to 1080 × 1920

Now we make the important change.

Go to:

Settings → Video

Your normal landscape Base Canvas Resolution is:

1920 × 1080

For mobile, flip it to:

1080 × 1920

Then change the Output Resolution to the same vertical dimensions:

1080 × 1920

Apply the settings.

Watch what happens.

Your wide canvas becomes tall and narrow.

You're now working in the orientation used for vertical social video. The workshop demonstrates exactly this switch before repositioning the existing sources for the mobile composition.

Why 1080 × 1920?

It's the vertical version of the Full HD dimensions we've been using throughout the workshop.

Landscape:

1920 × 1080

Vertical:

1080 × 1920

You haven't invented a completely different resolution.

You've flipped the orientation.

That gives you a tall canvas suited to mobile-first content.

Reposition Yourself for the Vertical Canvas

Now look at your camera.

The position that worked beautifully in a 16:9 landscape frame probably doesn't work in a tall mobile frame.

Move it.

Resize it.

Decide where your face should sit.

Then work through the other visual sources.

Perhaps your logo now belongs above you.

Maybe a graphic needs to sit below.

Maybe one element doesn't fit at all and should simply be turned off.

That's fine.

You're not trying to force the landscape design into a vertical box.

You're adapting the layout for a different format.

Don't Squeeze Everything Into the Mobile Version

This is an easy mistake.

Your landscape scene contains five lovely graphics.

So you think the vertical version must contain all five too.

No.

The mobile frame is narrower.

You have less horizontal room.

If a graphic isn't helping, hide it using the eye icon.

A cleaner vertical composition is usually better than trying to preserve every single element from the landscape version.

Remember what we've done throughout this workshop.

Use what helps.

Leave out what doesn't.

Your Circular Camera Can Be Adapted Too

If you've built the circular camera treatment from How to Screen Share and Use Masks in OBS, that can also be adapted for the mobile layout.

You might make it larger.

Move it higher.

Use it as part of a different arrangement.

Or you might decide your normal camera works better.

The point isn't that one particular design must be used.

The point is that your existing sources are already available.

You're repositioning rather than rebuilding.

Create a Proper Vertical Splash Screen

Your existing 1920 × 1080 splash screen is landscape.

You can try to squeeze it into a 1080 × 1920 canvas.

I wouldn't.

The workshop recommends creating a proper mobile splash screen instead.

Design the image at:

1080 × 1920

Then it fills the vertical frame properly.

That gives you room to design for mobile rather than forcing a landscape image into the wrong shape.

The same applies to other graphics.

If an important asset has been designed specifically for 16:9, create a vertical version when needed.

Reposition Video for Mobile Too

Remember the example videos we added in How to Add Video to OBS and Control Playback?

Those scenes may also need changing for the vertical layout.

A landscape video inside a tall frame doesn't automatically become vertical footage.

You need to decide how it should appear.

Perhaps:

• fit the full width
• crop it
• reposition it
• build other elements above and below it

The workshop shows the existing media can be repositioned for the mobile version.

Again, you're reusing the system.

You're not starting again.

Check Your Recording Settings in the Mobile Profile

This is another important step.

Once the mobile profile is created, look at your recording configuration.

In the workshop, I revisit the Output settings because they are part of the new profile setup.

The recording location also needs checking.

Don't record several pieces of content and then discover they're being sent somewhere you weren't expecting.

Go to:

Settings → Output

Check your recording configuration.

Check the path.

Make sure it's where you want your social videos to appear.

Record a Test Vertical Video

Now you're ready to record.

The workshop demonstrates a quick social promo.

Something along the lines of:

"Join my OBS workshop..."

Short.

Direct.

Recorded straight into the vertical frame.

Start recording.

Deliver the message.

Stop.

Then open the video.

You should have a finished mobile-size file at:

1080 × 1920

That's the moment when this setup really makes sense.

You've produced a vertical video directly from OBS.

Check the File Before Producing a Batch

Don't immediately record 40 videos.

Do one.

Open it.

Check:

• frame size
• camera position
• graphics
• audio
• background
• recording location

Is your head too close to the top?

Is the logo tiny?

Did one landscape graphic get cut in half?

Fix the scene now.

Then start producing.

One test can save you from repeating the same mistake across an entire batch.

Create Short Social Videos Without Heavy Editing

This is where the workshop's final section becomes particularly useful.

If you're working with short scripts and can deliver a clean take, you may be able to produce social videos directly from OBS without doing much editing afterwards.

Imagine you're recording 15- or 20-second tips.

You prepare the vertical scene.

Load your wording into a teleprompter if you're using one.

Record.

Stop.

Move to the next one.

You might need editing if you make a mistake.

Of course.

But if the take is clean, you already have a vertical video in the correct orientation.

That's fast.

The Speed Comes From the System

People sometimes look at somebody producing a lot of content and assume they're simply working ridiculously hard.

Sometimes they're not.

They've built a better process.

That's exactly the point made at the end of the workshop: the speed comes from having systems and shortcuts in place, not from magically becoming a machine.

You've already prepared:

• camera
• lighting
• audio
• filters
• background
• graphics
• recording
• vertical canvas

So every new short video doesn't require a new technical setup.

You press Record.

That's why this becomes useful at scale.

Switch Back to Your HD OBS Setup

When you're finished recording social content, you don't want to manually reverse every change.

That's why we kept the HD setup.

Switch back to your normal HD profile.

Then select your corresponding HD scene setup.

You're back to:

1920 × 1080

with your normal landscape positioning.

Your vertical version still exists.

Your landscape version still exists.

Next time you need social video, switch back to the mobile setup.

That is much better than rebuilding things every time.

Pair Clear Scene Names With Your Profiles

The workshop uses a simple naming approach because it's easy to understand.

For example:

Training HD

paired with your landscape profile.

And:

Training Mobile

for your mobile workflow.

You might use different names.

That's fine.

What matters is knowing which scene layout belongs with which type of output.

If you switch to the mobile profile but keep looking at a scene you've designed for landscape, things aren't going to line up properly.

Clear names reduce those mistakes.

A Practical Content-Creation Setup

Imagine you're a course creator.

Your normal OBS setup is used for:

• workshops
• course lessons
• YouTube videos
• screen demonstrations

That's your HD profile and scene setup.

Then you want a day of social content.

Switch to Mobile.

Your vertical camera position is already prepared.

Your audio is configured.

Your background is ready.

You record:

Tip 1

Stop.

Tip 2

Stop.

Tip 3

Stop.

You aren't resetting your camera between every clip.

You aren't rotating an editing project afterwards.

You're recording in the format you actually need.

Can You Create Reels and Shorts With OBS?

The workshop specifically demonstrates creating mobile-size social content in a vertical 1080 × 1920 setup.

That makes this workflow suited to short-form vertical video production.

What happens to the finished file afterwards depends on where you're publishing it.

The important OBS part is that you can record the vertical source file rather than recording landscape first and having to reframe everything later.

That's the time saver.

Should Every OBS Scene Have a Mobile Version?

No.

Only create what you'll genuinely use.

If your Main Camera scene is the only thing you need for short social videos, start there.

You don't automatically need mobile versions of:

• every workshop video
• every screen share
• every animation
• every splash screen

Build the parts that serve your content workflow.

Then expand if you need more.

Don't turn organisation into another form of procrastination.

Mobile Screen Sharing Needs Different Thinking

If you do decide to create vertical screen-sharing content, remember that a computer display is normally landscape.

Trying to squeeze an entire widescreen desktop into a narrow 9:16 frame can make everything tiny.

You may need to crop or reframe the content differently.

That's not explored in depth in this workshop section, so I wouldn't pretend there's one prescribed workflow here.

The source demonstrates repositioning existing sources and media for the mobile canvas, rather than providing a detailed vertical screen-share method.

Build according to what the content actually needs.

Remember That Profiles Can Have Their Own Settings

This is one of the most useful lessons from the mobile setup.

When you create the new profile, don't only think about canvas size.

Recheck your important configuration.

In this workshop that includes:

Audio monitoring — the cable needed resetting.

Video — base and output resolution needed changing.

Output — recording settings needed checking.

Recording path — the destination needed confirming.

Once it's correct, great.

Then you've got a reusable setup.

Common OBS Vertical Video Problems

My vertical canvas is still landscape

Go to Settings → Video in the mobile profile and check that the Base Canvas and Output Resolution are both set to 1080 × 1920.

My sources disappeared when I changed to vertical

They may simply be sitting outside the visible area because they were positioned for a much wider canvas. Reposition them inside the vertical frame.

My audio started echoing after creating the new profile

Check the Audio settings. In the workshop, the monitoring device needed to be set back to the virtual cable in the new profile.

My social recording saved in the wrong folder

Check the Output settings and recording path in the mobile profile.

My landscape splash screen looks terrible vertically

Create a dedicated 1080 × 1920 splash screen instead of trying to force the landscape design to fill the mobile canvas.

My camera looks too small on mobile

Resize and reposition the source specifically for the vertical scene. Don't assume the landscape sizing should stay the same.

Do I need to rebuild my camera source?

No. The workshop duplicates and adapts the existing scene rather than starting from nothing.

I changed everything for mobile and ruined my normal workshop setup

This is exactly why I recommend duplicating the scene and creating a separate mobile profile before changing things.

OBS Vertical Video Checklist

Before recording a batch of social content:

• Keep your working HD scene intact
• Give your HD setup a clear name
• Duplicate the scene for mobile
• Rename the duplicate clearly
• Create a separate Mobile profile
• Recheck the audio monitoring device
• Set Base Canvas Resolution to 1080 × 1920
• Set Output Resolution to 1080 × 1920
• Reposition your camera
• Reposition or hide graphics that don't fit
• Create dedicated vertical assets where needed
• Check your recording settings
• Confirm your recording location
• Record one short test video
• Watch it before creating a batch
• Switch back to the HD profile and scene when you're done

Once that's set, you have two reusable production workflows.

One for landscape.

One for vertical.

Learn OBS With Me in the Free Workshop

This profile setup is the last part of the full Learn OBS workshop because it builds on everything that came before it.

Camera.

Audio.

Scenes.

Graphics.

Video.

Green screen.

Screen sharing.

Recording.

Streaming.

And now different formats for different types of content.

Learn OBS Workshop | Present, Stream & Record Better

If you want to go back through the entire process, use the complete Learn OBS beginner's guide as the main hub for all 12 tutorials.

FAQ About OBS Profiles and Vertical Video

What are OBS profiles used for?

In this workshop workflow, profiles let you maintain different overall OBS configurations. We use a separate profile for the vertical 1080 × 1920 social-video setup rather than repeatedly changing the standard HD configuration.

How do I make OBS vertical?

Open Settings → Video and set the Base Canvas Resolution and Output Resolution to 1080 × 1920 in the mobile profile. The canvas changes from landscape to portrait orientation.

What size should OBS be for vertical social video?

The workshop uses 1080 × 1920, which is the vertical counterpart of the standard 1920 × 1080 HD setup used throughout the rest of the training.

Should I change my existing OBS scene to vertical?

I recommend duplicating the scene first. That lets you reposition the duplicate for mobile without damaging the landscape setup you've already built.

Why did my OBS audio change when I created a new profile?

Some configuration needs checking again when you create the new profile. In the workshop, the audio monitoring device had to be set back to the virtual cable after an echo appeared.

Can I switch between landscape and vertical OBS setups?

Yes. The workshop switches back to the HD profile and corresponding HD scene after creating the mobile recording, then returns to the mobile setup when needed.

Can I record Reels or Shorts in OBS?

You can use OBS to record vertical 1080 × 1920 social videos directly. This gives you a vertical source file without first recording a landscape video and reframing it afterwards.

Do I need a separate splash screen for vertical video?

For the cleanest result, yes. The workshop recommends using a properly designed 1080 × 1920 splash screen rather than forcing the 1920 × 1080 landscape image into the vertical frame.

Can OBS reduce editing for social videos?

Yes, particularly for short, clean takes. If your vertical scene is already designed and your delivery is correct, you can record the finished composition directly from OBS and may need little or no editing.

Do OBS profiles automatically position my sources for mobile?

The workshop does not show automatic repositioning. The mobile scene is duplicated and the sources are manually repositioned for the vertical canvas.

Where This Goes From Here

You've now completed the full OBS workshop series.

You started with an empty OBS installation.

Now you can build a camera scene, route audio, manage assets, create overlays, play video, use a green screen, screen share, record, improve microphone sound, stream live and switch into a dedicated vertical content setup.

That's quite a jump.

But remember why we built it one piece at a time.

You don't need to think about all of those things every time you record.

Once the system exists, you use it.

That's the point.

If you want to revisit any part of the setup, head back to the Learn OBS: Beginner's Guide to Stream, Record & Present and jump directly to the tutorial you need.

And if you'd rather follow the entire thing with me on screen:

Join the free Learn OBS Workshop | Present, Stream & Record Better.

FAQ

Who is How to Use OBS Profiles for Vertical Social Videos for?

How to Use OBS Profiles for Vertical Social Videos 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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