Adding a PNGTuber to OBS is a two-part setup: first run the reactive avatar in Veadotube Mini, then capture that window or its transparent video output as a source in OBS. The best capture method depends on your operating system.
If you do not have the four character states yet, start with the free PNGTuber avatar maker. It creates the idle, speaking and blinking images and packages them into a Veadotube Mini project.
Quick answer: the best capture method for each platform
| Platform | Best transparent option | Built-in fallback |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Spout2 Capture | Game Capture with Allow Transparency |
| Linux | PipeWire Video on a supported system | Window Capture with a colour key |
| macOS | Syphon Client | macOS Screen Capture with a colour key |
These recommendations follow the official Veadotube OBS guide. Use the current official documentation when installing optional capture plugins because compatibility can change with OBS and operating-system updates.
1. Prepare the PNGTuber in Veadotube Mini
Open your character project and verify that the avatar reacts before opening OBS. Speak at normal volume, pause, and blink a few times. If the mouth never opens or stays open continuously, fix the microphone threshold first. Capturing an avatar in OBS will not correct incorrect voice detection.
A generated .veadomini project can save the image-assignment step. Open the project, choose the correct microphone and adjust the response threshold. Our complete Veadotube Mini setup guide explains that part in detail.
2. Add Veadotube Mini to OBS on Windows
Option A: Spout2 Capture
Spout2 is the strongest Windows option when you want transparency and do not want the Veadotube interface in the captured source. It requires the Spout2 plugin for OBS and the Spout server option enabled in Veadotube Mini.
- Close OBS before installing the current Spout2 plugin from its official source.
- Open Veadotube Mini and enable its Spout server.
- Open OBS and select Sources → + → Spout2 Capture.
- Select the Veadotube Mini sender.
- Leave the composite mode on its default setting unless the official guide recommends otherwise for your version.
If the sender is missing, confirm that the server is enabled. On computers with more than one GPU, OBS and Veadotube may also need to use the same high-performance graphics setting.
Option B: Game Capture
Game Capture is built into OBS on Windows and can preserve transparency.
- In OBS, select Sources → + → Game Capture.
- Set the mode to Capture specific window.
- Select the Veadotube Mini window.
- Enable Allow Transparency.
- Hide the Veadotube interface from its display options so only the avatar appears.
If the source stays blank on a laptop or a newer OBS build, the official troubleshooting guide suggests testing the slower SLI/Crossfire capture mode and confirming that both applications use compatible GPU settings.
Option C: Window Capture
Window Capture is the broad fallback, but it does not preserve transparent output in this workflow. Select the Veadotube window, disable cursor capture and use a solid background that does not appear in the character. You can remove that background with a colour-key filter in OBS.
3. Capture the avatar on Linux
On supported modern PipeWire systems, the official recommendation is PipeWire Video. It can provide transparent video while keeping the app interface out of the source. It requires the compatible OBS PipeWire video plugin and the server enabled in Veadotube Mini.
Game Capture on Linux requires an additional plugin and a special launch method. For a simpler fallback, use the Window Capture source available for your X11 or Wayland session, set a distinct solid background in Veadotube Mini and remove it with a colour key.
PipeWire support depends on the distribution and installed version. If the server control is missing in Veadotube Mini, use the official documentation rather than forcing a command intended for a different distribution.
4. Capture the avatar on macOS
Syphon Client is the preferred macOS method for transparent capture and is supported directly by OBS.
- Enable the Syphon server in Veadotube Mini.
- In OBS, select Sources → + → Syphon Client.
- Select the Veadotube sender.
- Enable Allow Transparency.
If Syphon is not available for the setup, use macOS Screen Capture, choose Window Capture as the method and select Veadotube Mini. This fallback does not provide transparent output, so use a colour key when necessary.
5. Position and resize the PNGTuber
Drag the source into a corner of the OBS canvas and resize it from a corner handle to preserve its proportions. Avoid covering subtitles, game HUD elements or chat overlays. Check the avatar at the actual stream output size, not only in a large editor preview.
If the avatar looks blurry, make the Veadotube Mini window larger before capturing it. Scaling a very small source upward in OBS cannot recreate lost detail.
6. Remove backgrounds and unwanted borders
If the PNGTuber background is black or not transparent, use a colour key
Right-click the source in OBS, open Filters, add a Colour Key and select the solid background used in Veadotube Mini. Choose a background colour that is not present in the character’s hair, clothing, eyes or accessories.
Crop a captured window
If a window frame remains visible, add the OBS Crop/Pad effect filter and adjust each edge until only the avatar area remains.
Fix a transparency halo
A thin border can appear around transparent art after scaling. The official guide recommends testing Bilinear scale filtering. For deliberate pixel art, Point filtering usually preserves hard pixels better.
Once the avatar edge is clean, place the capture above an Image source in the OBS Sources list. The VTuber and PNGTuber background guide explains room composition, negative space, contrast and source order for a readable scene.
7. Configure microphone audio separately
Veadotube Mini listens to a microphone to animate the mouth, but the visual capture source is not a replacement for the microphone source in OBS. Add or verify the microphone under OBS audio settings and watch its mixer meter while speaking.
When the avatar moves but viewers cannot hear you, troubleshoot the OBS audio device. When viewers hear you but the mouth does not move, troubleshoot the microphone selection and threshold in Veadotube Mini.
Common PNGTuber and OBS problems
OBS shows a blank Veadotube source
Switch capture methods, confirm the exact window or sender, and place both applications on compatible GPU settings. On Windows, test Spout2 or the slower Game Capture compatibility option. On other systems, verify that the required PipeWire or Syphon server is enabled.
The Veadotube interface appears on stream
Use the app’s hide-interface option before going live. Spout2, PipeWire Video and Syphon are useful because they can expose the intended video output rather than the complete application window.
The background will not disappear
Confirm that the selected method supports transparency. Window Capture generally requires a solid background and a colour-key filter. For Game Capture or Syphon, verify that Allow Transparency is enabled.
The wrong avatar window is captured
Select the window again in source properties. If running multiple Veadotube Mini instances, give each window a distinguishable title and save projects manually because multiple instances can compete over app settings.
Record a PNGTuber video for YouTube or Shorts
The same OBS scene can be used for a live stream or a recorded video. Once the avatar, microphone and background are working, click Start Recording instead of starting a stream. Record a short test first so you can check the mouth movement, audio sync, crop and source order.
Use a landscape scene for regular YouTube videos
YouTube uses 16:9 as its standard desktop aspect ratio. A 1920×1080 OBS canvas is a common choice for a regular video, although a lower resolution may be easier on older hardware. Keep the PNGTuber large enough to stay clearly visible after YouTube scales the video down, and leave room for captions or the subject being discussed.
If your live layout contains chat, alerts or private on-screen information, duplicate the scene and remove those sources before recording. This is safer than trying to hide several elements every time.
Build a separate vertical scene for Shorts
Do not stretch a finished 16:9 scene into a phone-shaped frame. Create a separate vertical OBS scene and reposition each source. A 1080×1920 canvas is a common 9:16 setup. Keep the face and mouth easy to see, then check that captions do not cover the avatar.
Under YouTube’s current rules for standard channels, square or vertical videos uploaded now can be classified as Shorts when they are no longer than three minutes. Official Artist Channels have separate date-based rules, so check the official YouTube Shorts length and eligibility page before planning a longer Short.
Record safely, then remux for editing
Choose the save folder under Settings → Output → Recording. The OBS Standard Recording Output Guide recommends MKV because an interrupted recording is less likely to corrupt the whole file. OBS can turn that recording into an MP4 through File → Remux Recordings. A separate recording encoder or higher quality settings can use more system resources, so test them before recording a long session.
Check the upload file
For a conventional upload, YouTube’s recommended upload settings include MP4, H.264 video and AAC-LC or Opus audio. Upload at the same frame rate used for recording. YouTube adapts its player to landscape, vertical and square video, so do not add black bars just to force a different shape.
- Record a 10–15 second test, then review it before recording the full video.
- Listen for clipping, delay and unwanted desktop audio.
- Check all four PNGTuber states at the final viewing size.
- Confirm that no Veadotube controls or private windows appear in frame.
Final checklist before streaming
- The mouth responds to your normal speaking voice.
- Idle and blinking states do not shift position.
- The Veadotube interface is hidden.
- The background is transparent or cleanly keyed.
- The avatar remains sharp at stream output size.
- The OBS microphone meter moves independently.
- The source stays below alerts, subtitles and important game UI.
- A short local recording has been reviewed before going live.
Need the character states first? Create a four-state PNGTuber and Veadotube Mini pack, then return to this guide to place it in OBS. For voice-call guests rather than a local microphone, see the separate Discord Reactive Images guide.