OBS composits a scene from stackable sources such as display, window, and webcam capture

OBS Studio uses a two-level structure: a Scene is a composition, and Sources are the elements added into it. You start with a blank scene and add Sources of different kinds — Display or Window Capture (your desktop or a single window), Game Capture, Video Capture (webcam or capture card), plus images, text, and browser sources. Several sources coexist in one scene, so the output is a composite rather than a single raw capture. This is what lets a live-coder show their coding window and a webcam feed together in one frame instead of just a bare screen recording.

Examples

A performance scene with a Display Capture of the coding editor plus a Video Capture of the webcam placed in a corner, composited into one output frame the audience sees.

Assessment

What is the difference between a Scene and a Source in OBS? Name two Source types you would combine to show both your code and your face in one output.