An OBS ultrawide monitor setup must use a 16:9 canvas because streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube strongly recommend producing content at a 16:9 aspect ratio. Setting your OBS canvas to 1920x1080 ensures your stream displays without black bars or distortion for viewers, while you retain full control of your ultrawide screen space.
Why your OBS ultrawide monitor setup needs a 16:9 canvas
Most streaming platforms, including Twitch and YouTube, strongly recommend producing content at a 16:9 aspect ratio, such as 1920x1080 or 1280x720. If your content is not in a 16:9 resolution, it is recommended to fill any resulting "black space" on the stream with other content like images, overlays, or cameras. Stretching content to fit a different aspect ratio will warp and distort the image and is generally not recommended. By keeping your canvas at 1920x1080, your viewers always see clean, standard-format video, and you avoid the common mistake of broadcasting stretched or letterboxed footage.
Install OBS and set your video canvas
Download and install OBS Studio from the official OBS Studio website. Open OBS Studio. Click on "Settings" located in the bottom-right corner. Navigate to the "Video" tab. Set both "Base (Canvas) Resolution" and "Output (Scaled) Resolution" to 1920x1080. Click "OK" to save the changes. This step locks your broadcast to the 16:9 format that viewers expect, regardless of your ultrawide monitor's native resolution.
Add your ultrawide gameplay as a source
In OBS Studio, click on the "+" icon under the "Sources" panel. Select "Video Capture Device". Name your source and click "OK". In the "Device" dropdown menu, select "4K X". Under "Resolution/FPS Type", select "Custom". Select your ultrawide resolution and press "OK". Your ultrawide gameplay will now appear on the 16:9 canvas, with black bars on the sides because the capture is wider than the canvas. This is expected and intentional, you will fill that space in the next step.
Fill the black space with overlays and webcam
Since your ultrawide source does not fill the full 16:9 canvas, you can use the extra space to create a more engaging stream. Add sources such as a webcam, chat overlay, alerts, or a background image. Position and scale the ultrawide gameplay source so it sits centered or to one side, then arrange your overlays and webcam in the remaining black areas. This technique follows OBS best practices for turning empty space into valuable stream real estate. If you need to use an ultrawide monitor with a mac, the same canvas and source setup applies, just ensure your macOS display settings are configured correctly before adding the capture device. When working with a laptop, you can display on an ultrawide monitor using a laptop to apply this same canvas layout.
Dock OBS panels in your extra monitor space
Your ultrawide monitor's horizontal width gives you room to undock OBS panels and place them outside the 16:9 preview area. Drag these panels to the sides of your ultrawide monitor, keeping the 16:9 preview centered and clear of clutter. This layout lets you monitor your stream and adjust settings without obscuring the content you are broadcasting. To get your computer screen to fit on an ultrawide monitor, you may need to adjust your operating system's display scaling settings before docking these panels.
Test your stream and fix common issues
Before going live, verify that your stream output is 16:9 without unintended stretching. Use OBS's preview window to check that the ultrawide gameplay source appears correctly and that overlays fill any black space. If you are using a capture card like the Elgato Game Capture 4K X, ensure you have installed the latest firmware by downloading 4K Capture Utility 1.7.13 or newer, selecting the cog wheel, navigating to the "Device" tab, and updating to Firmware 24.05.20 or newer. The Elgato 4K Capture Utility does not support ultrawide formats, but OBS Studio can be used for this purpose. If your source appears stretched, double-check that you selected "Custom" under Resolution/FPS Type and chose your exact ultrawide resolution. If you see unexpected black bars on the stream itself, confirm that your Base and Output resolutions are both set to 1920x1080 and that no source is being stretched to fill the canvas.
