How to Record Webcam and Screen Separately in OBS (3 Methods That Actually Work)

By default, OBS Studio composites your webcam and screen into a single output file. That works fine for streaming, but it becomes a problem the moment you want to edit. This guide covers three practical methods to record your webcam and screen as separate video files in OBS, using the Hollyland Lyra as the webcam throughout so every step is concrete and repeatable.

Why Record Webcam and Screen as Separate Files?

Recording separate files unlocks editing options that a single composited clip cannot provide. The extra setup takes a few minutes and pays off every time you open your editor.

• Reframe the facecam independently. Reposition, resize, or crop your webcam feed without touching the screen recording.
• Apply different color grades. Grade your camera feed for skin tones while keeping the screen capture neutral.
• Remove or swap the camera overlay. Delete the webcam from one section or replace it entirely without re-rendering the screen content.
• Build true multi-cam timelines. Editors like DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro treat separate clips as independent tracks, giving you full timeline control.

What You Need Before You Start

Before configuring any method, confirm you have the following in place.

1. OBS Studio version 29 or later. Plugin compatibility, especially for the Source Record plugin, is most reliable on recent builds. Download the latest version from obsproject.com.
2. A working scene with at least one source added. You do not need a finished layout, but OBS should open without errors.
3. The Hollyland Lyra webcam, physically set up and recognized by your system. Follow the steps below before opening OBS.

Hollyland Lyra physical setup:

1. Attach the Lyra to the top of your monitor using the integrated clip mount. Adjust the angle with the tilt hinge until the frame covers your head and shoulders.

2. Connect the Lyra to a USB 3.0 port using the included USB-C cable. No driver installation is required on Windows 10/11 or macOS – the Lyra is plug-and-play.

3. Confirm the Lyra’s LED turns solid blue, which indicates the device is recognized and active.
4. Open the HollyStudio companion app before launching OBS. Click the Resolution dropdown above the preview window. Set your resolution to 1920×1080 at 60 fps for a standard workflow, or 3840×2160 at 30 fps if you want a 4K webcam feed. 

5. Enable AI Tracking and Smart Auto Framing. To do that, click the frame icon at the top of the preview screen. 

Then, locate the gear icon below the preview screen to open Settings. 

Locate the Camera Settings tab and toggle on the Face Priority Focus option. 

Next, go to the FOV page, go to the Smart Framing section, deselect None, and select the auto framing tile. 

6. Adjust White Balance and Exposure from the Image Control page > Advanced section now so camera settings remain consistent throughout the recording session.

7. Now, click the HOLLYLAND Live Cam icon on the HollyStudio app and toggle it on.

8. Open OBS Studio. In the Sources panel, click the + button and select Video Capture Device. In the Device dropdown, select Hollyland Lyra. Click OK and confirm the live preview appears.

Your scene is now ready for any of the three methods below.

Method 1: Source Record Plugin (Recommended)

The Source Record plugin is the most reliable community solution for writing separate output files from a single OBS instance. It works as a filter applied directly to a source, so when you press Record, OBS writes the normal composited file to your main output folder and simultaneously writes an isolated file for any source that has the filter attached.

Step 1: Install the Source Record Plugin

1. First, visit the official OBS website to find the plugin resource. 
2. Open its GitHub releases page and download the correct package.

3. For Windows, download the installer or ZIP archive available. If you choose ZIP, extract the files and locate both folders. Copy the data and bin folders into your OBS plugins directory. Common locations include C:\ProgramData\obs-studio\plugins\ and C:\Program Files\obs-studio\.
4. On macOS, extract the downloaded folder and locate its plugin files. Move them to your user or system OBS plugin directory. A common system location is /Library/Application Support/obs-studio/plugins/.
5. Next, close OBS completely if it is currently running. Reopen OBS to load the newly installed plugin. 
6. To check the installation, find the Sources dock in OBS. Right-click a source, such as your webcam or game capture. Select Filters, then click the + icon under Effect Filters. If installation succeeded, Source Record will appear in the available filters. Remember, it will not appear in the top Tools menu.

Step 2: Add the Source Record Filter to the Webcam Source

1. In the OBS Sources panel, locate the source labeled Hollyland Lyra (or the name you gave it when adding the Video Capture Device).

2. Right-click that source and select Filters.

3. In the Filters dialog, click the + button in the lower-left corner of the Effect Filters panel.

4. Select Source Record from the dropdown list.
5. In the filter settings panel that appears, configure the following:

• Output Path: Set a dedicated folder for the isolated webcam file, separate from your main OBS recording directory. For example, C:\Recordings\Webcam\ on Windows or ~/Recordings/Webcam/ on macOS.
• Recording Format: Select MKV. MKV is the safest container because it recovers cleanly if OBS or your system crashes mid-recording. You can remux to MP4 in OBS after recording finishes via File > Remux Recordings.
• Encoder: Choose your hardware encoder (NVENC for NVIDIA, AMF for AMD, or Apple VT for macOS) to minimize CPU overhead. If no hardware encoder is available, use the software x264 encoder.
• Resolution: Confirm the output resolution matches what you set in HollyStudio – for example, 1920×1080. A mismatch between the app setting and the filter setting can introduce scaling artifacts.

6. Make sure the filter’s enable checkbox is ticked, then close the Filters dialog.

Note: Lyra’s LED remains solid blue when the camera is ready to use. But the LED light turns solid green during recording regardless of Source Record filter activity. The plugin has no separate visual indicator. Always verify the separate file is being written by running a short test recording and checking the output folder.

Step 3: Configure the Main Screen Recording Source

1. Confirm your scene contains a Display Capture or Window Capture source in addition to the Lyra webcam source. If not, click + in the Sources panel and add one now.
2. Arrange the sources on the canvas however you prefer – the webcam can overlay the screen, sit beside it, or be positioned anywhere else. This layout only affects the composited main recording file.
3. Understand the output structure: when you press Record, OBS produces two files simultaneously. The main recording captures your entire scene canvas exactly as it looks in the preview window. The Source Record filter file captures only the raw Hollyland Lyra feed with no screen overlay, at the resolution and path you configured in Step 2.
4. In OBS Settings > Output, confirm your main recording path points to a different folder than the one you set in the Source Record filter. Keeping them separate prevents confusion when you bring both files into your editor.

Step 4: Test and Verify Both Files

1. Click Start Recording in OBS. Let it run for about 10 seconds, then click Stop Recording.

2. Open your main recording folder and confirm the composited file exists.
3. Open the webcam output folder you specified in the Source Record filter. Confirm a second file exists with a matching or close timestamp.
4. Play back the webcam file. It should show only the Hollyland Lyra feed with no screen content visible.
5. If AI Tracking was enabled in HollyStudio, the isolated webcam file will reflect the auto-framing crop behavior, including any digital zoom via the Focal Length slider (1–4x range) applied at the device level. Confirm this looks as expected.

Common failure points: 

• The webcam output folder does not exist yet. Create it manually before recording. 
• The Source Record filter checkbox is unchecked. Open Filters and verify the filter is enabled. 
• The wrong source has the filter applied. Double-check that the filter is on the Hollyland Lyra source, not the Display Capture source.

Method 2: Run Two OBS Instances Simultaneously

If you cannot install plugins – for example, on a managed work machine – running two separate OBS instances is a reliable alternative. Each instance records one source independently.

1. Locate your OBS Studio shortcut (desktop or Start menu on Windows; Applications folder on macOS).
2. Windows: Right-click the shortcut, select Properties, and add –multi to the end of the Target field, so it reads something like “C:\Program Files\obs-studio\bin\64bit\obs64.exe” –multi. Click OK, then open OBS using this shortcut. A second instance will launch independently.
3. macOS: Open Terminal and run /Applications/OBS.app/Contents/MacOS/OBS –multi to launch a second instance.
4. In the second OBS instance, create a new scene. Add a Video Capture Device source and select Hollyland Lyra from the device dropdown. Set the resolution and frame rate to match your HollyStudio configuration, such as 1080p60. Do not add any Display Capture source to this scene.
5. In the second instance, go to Settings > Output and set the recording path to a different folder than the first instance uses.
6. In the first OBS instance, keep your original scene with both the Display Capture and the Lyra webcam source. Remove the webcam overlay from this scene if you want a clean screen-only file, or leave it composited depending on your workflow preference.
7. Press Start Recording in both instances. Start the first instance first, then the second within a second or two.

Lyra operates as a standard UVC device, so both OBS instances can access its feed over the same USB connection without extra driver configuration. The LED remains solid white in both cases.

Note: Running two OBS instances takes more memory than using Source Record. Most modern computers with hardware encoding enabled should avoid dropped frames. Still, check the OBS Stats panel during your first test recording.

Method 3: OBS for Screen + Standalone Webcam Recorder

This approach removes the webcam from OBS entirely and uses a separate lightweight application to capture the Lyra feed to its own file.

How it works: 

• In OBS, build a scene with only a Display Capture or Window Capture source. Remove any Video Capture Device sources so the screen recording is clean. 
• Simultaneously, open a standalone recording app – the Windows Camera app, or any UVC-compatible recorder – and start recording from the Hollyland Lyra. 
• Because the Lyra is a standard UVC device over USB-C, it appears in the Windows Camera app and most third-party capture tools alongside OBS without conflict.

Before starting both applications, adjust all Lyra settings in HollyStudio: resolution, frame rate, white balance, and exposure. This ensures both recording applications receive a consistent signal. If camera settings shift mid-session in one application but not the other, file quality will diverge.

How to Sync Separate Webcam and Screen Files in Editing

When Method 1 (Source Record plugin) is used, both files begin at the same moment OBS starts recording, so they share a common start timestamp. Drift over a typical 30–60 minute recording is minimal. For Methods 2 and 3, sync requires a deliberate step.

1. Audio waveform sync (most automatic). In DaVinci Resolve, select both clips in the Media Pool. Right-click and choose Auto Sync Audio > Based on Waveform. You can also place both clips on the Timeline first. Right-click them and select Auto Align Clips > Based on Waveform. Premiere Pro offers similar options through Merge Clips or multicamera sequences. These methods work best when both recordings capture the same audio source.
2. Visual clap sync point. Before starting your content, clap your hands once on camera while speaking a clear syllable. The sharp audio spike and visible hand clap create an unambiguous alignment frame across both files. This is the manual equivalent of a clapperboard.
3. File timestamp sync (Source Record plugin only). If your editor does not support waveform auto-alignment, use the file creation timestamps as a rough starting point, then nudge one clip by eye using the visual clap marker to fine-tune.
4. Naming convention. Name your files consistently from the start: for example, 2026-01-15_screen.mkv and 2026-01-15_webcam.mkv. This prevents confusion when a session produces multiple takes or the folder contains recordings from multiple days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I record webcam and screen separately in OBS without any plugins?

Yes. Method 2 (dual OBS instances with the –multi flag) requires no plugins and produces two independent files. Method 3 uses OBS only for the screen recording while a standalone app handles the webcam. Both methods require different setup steps and more sync management than the Source Record plugin.

Will recording two files at once slow down OBS or cause dropped frames?

With hardware encoding enabled (NVENC, AMF, or Apple VT), the performance impact is minimal for most systems. The Source Record plugin adds a second encode stream, but offloading that to the GPU keeps CPU load low. Dual OBS instances are more resource-intensive. Monitor the OBS Stats panel during your first test run and reduce webcam resolution if needed.

Can I record the webcam in 4K and the screen in 1080p simultaneously?

Yes. Set the Hollyland Lyra to 3840×2160 at 30 fps in HollyStudio, then configure the Source Record filter output to match. Set your main OBS canvas and output to 1920×1080 for the screen recording. Both files will be written at their respective resolutions. Keep in mind that 4K encoding adds GPU load, so use a hardware encoder for the webcam output.

Why does OBS not show my webcam as a separate source?

The most common cause is that the device is not recognized before OBS opens. Confirm the Lyra’s LED is solid blue to make sure it is ready to use before launching OBS. In the Video Capture Device Properties, click the Device dropdown and check whether Hollyland Lyra appears. If it does not, try a different USB port (preferably USB 3.0), restart OBS, or unplug and reconnect the camera. Avoid USB hubs when possible.

What is the best file format for separate OBS recordings?

Choose Hybrid MP4 or MKV as your recording format in OBS. Both formats help protect recordings if OBS or your computer crashes. Your file should remain playable up to the interruption point. If you choose MKV, open Settings > Advanced and enable “Automatically remux to mp4.” OBS will convert each MKV recording into an editor-friendly MP4. This conversion happens when you stop recording, without reducing video quality.

Conclusion

For most setups, the Source Record plugin offers the simplest solution. Open one OBS instance, press Record once, and save two separate files. If you cannot install the plugin, try running two OBS instances with the –multi flag. This method requires more system resources during recording. A separate recording app is another option if neither method works. Still, you will need extra attention when syncing both recordings. Once both files are in your editor, adjust each recording independently. This gives you more control over every part of your video.