How do I use OBS filters for color correction and noise suppression?
Apply OBS filters to your webcam and sources — fix white balance, boost saturation, and clean up background noise with RNNoise.
What Are OBS Filters?
Filters are per-source effects applied inside OBS — color correction, blur, chroma key, noise suppression, and more. They improve your webcam image and clean up audio without external software. Right-click any source or audio channel and choose Filters to get started.
Step 1 — Open Filters on Your Webcam
Right-click your Video Capture Device source and select Filters. The Filters window shows two tabs: Audio/Video Filters for visual effects and Effect Filters for more advanced options. Click the + button to add a filter.
Step 2 — Color Correction Filter
Add Color Correction and adjust:
- Gamma — brightens midtones without blowing out highlights
- Contrast — adds punch; increase slightly for a crisp look
- Brightness — fix underexposed webcams
- Saturation — boost colors that look washed out
- Hue Shift — rarely needed; use for creative effects
Make small adjustments — over-corrected video looks unnatural on stream.
Step 3 — Add Noise Suppression to Your Mic
Click the gear icon on your mic in the audio mixer → Filters → add Noise Suppression. Choose RNNoise method for the best results in 2026 — it removes keyboard clicks, fan hum, and room noise while preserving voice clarity. Avoid cranking suppression to maximum.
Step 4 — Combine with Noise Gate
Add a Noise Gate filter after noise suppression. Set Open Threshold so the gate opens when you speak but stays closed during silence — this cuts remaining background noise between sentences. Set Close Threshold slightly lower than open threshold to prevent choppy cutoffs.
Step 5 — Optional Sharpening and LUTs
Add a subtle Sharpen filter if your webcam looks soft — keep amount under 0.15. For advanced color grading, apply a Apply LUT filter with a .cube file from free LUT packs online. LUTs give a cinematic look with one click.
Filter Order Matters
- Apply noise suppression before noise gate on audio
- Color Correction before Sharpen on video
- Keep adjustments subtle — viewers notice over-processing
- RNNoise is the best noise suppression method in 2026
- Preview changes live in the Filters window before closing
Filters are free quality upgrades — ten minutes of tuning your webcam and mic filters noticeably improves how professional your stream looks and sounds.