Mismatched RGB color range settings cause two common problems in streams and recordings. The gameplay can look washed out, or it can look too dark and high in contrast. The cause lies in the RGB color range settings in OBS or in a capture card, which can conflict with the video source or be set incorrectly. Streamers in OBS Studio, Streamlabs OBS, and other OBS-based programs need to choose between partial (limited, or legal) and full RGB ranges, both in OBS and in their capture card settings.

Limited (Partial) Range and Full Range

A video signal's RGB color range is either limited, also called partial or legal range, or full range. Limited range was called legal range in older video broadcasting because of how broadcast signals handled color compression. Many TVs and game consoles connected to TVs still operate in limited range.

For an 8-bit video signal, the possible values run from 0 to 255, which gives 256 color values.

Limited range is the standard for most TV signals, most TVs, most game consoles, and most recommended settings. Values below 16 and above 235 carry no additional picture information under limited range. Full range uses all 256 values, but it is rarely the correct choice for streaming or recording.

Recommended Settings: Limited Throughout the Chain

Every step in the capture chain must use the same range. A mismatch between the console, the capture card, and OBS causes washed-out or overly dark footage.

Step 1: Game console

• Xbox: Set the RGB range under the video settings.
• PlayStation 4: Set the RGB range under the TV and display settings.
• Setting value: Select limited or standard range, depending on the console. Do not use PC RGB for streaming. PC RGB is suitable only when playing on a PC monitor.

Step 2: Video capture device properties in OBS Studio

• Set the color range to partial.
• Automatic detection works in most cases because it reads the incoming signal. If the setting was changed at any point, set it to at least automatic, or preferably partial.

Step 3: OBS advanced settings

• Set the color range to partial. This setting applies regardless of the source.
• Recording or streaming in full range is rarely appropriate.

Step 4: Color space

• Use Rec. 709 for HD content. The difference is small, but the setting is still recommended.

Web browsers in most cases interpret only partial ranges. Streaming in full range therefore produces incorrect colors in browsers. Many video editors also decode full-range video incorrectly. The author found that a full-range screen capture profile made dark interface backgrounds, such as those of Twitter and YouTube dark mode, appear darker in Adobe Premiere and DaVinci Resolve than they appeared in limited range. H.264, the codec used for most captures and live streams, is designed mainly for limited range.

PC Gameplay Capture

PC monitors can be set to full RGB in the monitor settings or in the Nvidia control panel. This setting is acceptable. OBS down-samples full-range output to partial when the capture device or window capture source is set to partial. This applies to display capture, screen capture, and window capture sources. The displayed image and the captured image then match.

Exceptions

Two situations require the capture device, not OBS, to be set to full range. OBS itself must remain on partial in both cases, because the final signal must still be converted to partial for the stream, recording, or other output.

Exception 1: Capture Cards with 4:4:4 RGB Chroma Subsampling

Few capture cards support 4:4:4 RGB chroma subsampling. The author plans to publish a documentation page on the author's website, evosfox.com, that lists supported cards.

Identifying supported cards has become more difficult. Previously, the available video modes shown in OBS indicated support. Elgato has since added driver updates that display modes the cards do not actually run in. These modes are emulated, for example by converting from V12 to XRGB. The displayed mode can look incorrect as a result.

To verify support, the author recommends the AmarecTV recording app. When the capture card is selected, AmarecTV lists the available color mode feeds. An emulated mode should not appear in this list.

The following cards support 4:4:4 RGB:

• Magewell capture cards
• AverMedia Live Gamer 4K
• AverMedia Live Gamer Ultra

The author recommended XRGB with 4:4:4 chroma subsampling for pixel art and retro game captures. Users who scaled the output with the open-source scan converter to 4K reported very dark video. The 4:4:4 RGB color space uses full RGB range. In the capture device properties in OBS Studio or Streamlabs OBS, keep XRGB and change the range from auto or partial to full. OBS itself stays on partial.

Exception 2: MJPEG Encoding

Some capture cards and webcams use MJPEG encoding, which can output full range. In these cases, set the capture device to full in OBS Studio. Automatic detection may still work. With some low-cost capture cards, however, automatic detection is inconsistent, so the range must be set manually. OBS advanced settings remain on partial.

Magewell's driver software allows the signal to be expanded to full or reduced to partial. This setting makes the card handle most signals correctly. Magewell cards are expensive.

Camera Exception: Panasonic G7

The Panasonic G7 is an inexpensive camera, typically under $500, that is used for streaming and recording. It records 4K at 30 frames per second and 1080p at 60 frames per second.

Caleb Pike of DSLR Video Shooters recommends setting the camera to limited range for general recording. The camera's limited-range setting reads as 16 to 255, although the limited range standard ends at 235. The author's experience and the guide's recommendation agree that the camera's full-range output was too dark and high in contrast in Premiere and DaVinci Resolve. The author also found that footage from Blackmagic capture cards in full range imported poorly into DaVinci Resolve, even when the capture card supported full range.

Testing Settings with Reference Footage

When the correct setting is unclear, the author recommends the following procedure:

1. Display reference gameplay from the console or from another HDMI source whose colors, contrast, and levels are known.
2. Route the signal through the capture card.
3. Switch the capture device between partial and full.
4. Compare the results and select the setting that matches the reference most closely.

The author tested a low-cost USB capture card that cost about $15. Its color translation was not linear. Partial range produced the best result, but the image was still not accurate.

Summary

• OBS advanced settings should always be set to partial.
• Full range in the capture device properties applies only to specific cases: 4:4:4 RGB capture cards, certain MJPEG devices, and the Panasonic G7 camera's full-range output.
• Every device in the chain must use the same range to avoid washed-out or overly dark footage.
• Footage that appears washed out, or that needs extra contrast and saturation, often results from RGB range mismatches. Such footage is also harder to encode correctly.