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How to Make Every Video in an OBS Playlist the Same Size on Screen

Set one OBS canvas and fit the VLC playlist source to it. Learn when to use Fit, Stretch, or Center—and why these transforms do not change source files.
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To make videos in an OBS playlist display consistently, add them as a VLC Video Source, set your scene’s canvas size in Settings → Video, then apply Transform → Fit to Screen to the source. This fits each item inside the canvas while preserving its proportions. It does not change the resolution of the original video files.

What “the same resolution” means in OBS

An OBS scene has one canvas size, and its stream or recording has an output size. The videos in a playlist can still have different pixel dimensions and aspect ratios. A source transform controls how the playlist appears on the canvas; it does not rewrite or re-encode the files.

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  • Base (Canvas) Resolution: the workspace used to arrange sources in the scene.
  • Output (Scaled) Resolution: the dimensions OBS uses for the stream or recording. OBS can, for example, scale a 1080p source to a 720p output. Changing this setting does not apply a separate fit to each playlist item. OBS Studio Overview Guide
  • Source transform: controls the selected source’s placement and scale on the canvas.

Make the playlist fit the OBS canvas

  1. Add the playlist source. In the Sources dock, click + and choose VLC Video Source. Add your video files to its playlist. OBS’s VLC source supports multiple media files; VLC must be installed for the source to appear. OBS Media Sources
  2. Set the scene’s canvas. Open Settings → Video and choose the intended Base (Canvas) Resolution. This is the space available for arranging the source. OBS Studio Overview Guide
  3. Choose the stream or recording size. In the same Video settings, set Output (Scaled) Resolution to the dimensions you want OBS to output. This setting affects the output, not the playlist source’s fit on the canvas. OBS Studio Overview Guide
  4. Fit the VLC source. Select the VLC Video Source, then right-click it in the Sources dock or preview and choose Transform → Fit to Screen. The shortcut is Ctrl+F on Windows or Cmd+F on macOS. OBS Studio Overview Guide
  5. Check different-shaped clips. Preview landscape, portrait, square, and 4:3 items in a 16:9 scene. Fit to Screen keeps the full image visible, so some clips may leave bars or unused canvas space.

Choose the right transform

Transform What it does Use it when
Fit to Screen Fits the source inside the canvas and preserves proportions. Different aspect ratios can leave bars or unused space. You want the entire image visible without distortion.
Stretch to Screen Fills the canvas, which can change the image’s proportions. Edge-to-edge coverage matters more than accurate geometry.
Center to Screen Centers the source but does not make every item fill the canvas. You want consistent centering and can accept varying apparent sizes.

OBS documents these transform commands; the visible result depends on the source’s dimensions and aspect ratio relative to the canvas. OBS Studio Overview Guide

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If the actual video files must have identical dimensions

OBS transforms affect how the source is rendered in the scene. They do not give every file identical encoded pixel dimensions. If another workflow requires uniform files, normalize them in a video editor or transcoder before importing them into the playlist. That is a separate step from sizing the source in OBS.

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Common problems and fixes

  • A clip has bars after fitting: its aspect ratio differs from the canvas. Fit preserves the image shape; use Stretch only if you accept distortion in order to fill the frame.
  • Clips appear centered but vary in size: Center to Screen positions sources without making them fill the canvas. Apply Fit to Screen to fit the source within the canvas.
  • The stream or recording has the wrong dimensions: check Settings → Video → Output (Scaled) Resolution. The canvas setting and source transform control different things.
  • VLC Video Source is missing: install VLC, which OBS requires for this source, then check the Sources dock again. OBS Media Sources

A user report on the OBS forum describes Fit to Screen or Center to Screen as a workable approach for a mixed-aspect-ratio VLC playlist, but that report is not a guarantee for every OBS build, VLC setup, or media file. OBS forum discussion

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