Elgato Studio — Recording Format

If you are choosing a recording format in Elgato Studio and are not sure which one to pick, here is what each option does, how they compare, and which one makes the most sense for your setup.

Elgato Studio offers up to three recording formats depending on your platform: H.264, H.265/HEVC, and AV1. Each one compresses your video differently, and the right choice depends on what matters most to you: compatibility, file size, or HDR support.

The format dropdown in Elgato Studio controls which video codec is used to compress your recording. A codec takes the raw video coming from your capture device and turns it into a file small enough to store, edit, and share.

The quality slider controls how much detail is preserved in your recording. Your format choice determines how efficiently that detail is compressed. At any quality level, more efficient formats produce smaller files without a visible difference in quality.

H.264 is the default format in Elgato Studio and the most widely supported video codec available. Recordings in H.264 work with virtually every editing application, media player, and upload platform without additional software or codecs installed.

If you plan to edit in software like DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, or CapCut, H.264 files will open and play back without issues. The same is true for uploading to YouTube, Twitch, or any other platform.

The trade-off is file size. H.264 produces larger files than HEVC or AV1 at the same quality level. For short recordings or when storage is not a concern, this is rarely a problem. For longer sessions or higher resolutions, the difference adds up.

H.264 is available on both Windows and macOS.

HEVC (also called H.265) is a more efficient codec that produces roughly 30% smaller files than H.264 at comparable quality. That means a 10-minute 1080p60 recording that takes about 2.6 GB in H.264 would take about 1.8 GB in HEVC, with no visible difference in quality.

That reduction applies at every quality level. Whether you are recording at Low, Standard, High, or Maximum quality, HEVC consistently produces smaller files for the same amount of detail.

HEVC is also required for HDR recording on Windows. When you enable HDR in Elgato Studio, the format automatically switches to HEVC if it is not already selected.

Most modern editing software supports HEVC, including DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere, and Final Cut Pro. Some older or free editing tools may require an HEVC codec to be installed separately. If you are unsure whether your editor supports it, H.264 is the safer choice.

HEVC is available on both Windows and macOS.

AV1 is the most modern codec available in Elgato Studio. It offers similar file size savings to HEVC (roughly 30% smaller than H.264) while using newer compression technology.

AV1 also supports HDR recording, giving you an alternative to HEVC when capturing in HDR.

AV1 is only available on Windows, and it requires a GPU with hardware AV1 encoding support. If your GPU does not support AV1, the option will not appear in the format dropdown. Recent GPUs from NVIDIA (RTX 40 series and newer), AMD (RX 7000 series and newer), and Intel (Arc series) include AV1 hardware encoding.

Because AV1 is a newer standard, some editing software may not support it yet. If you run into compatibility issues when importing AV1 recordings, switch to HEVC or H.264.

Start with H.264 if you want recordings that work everywhere without thinking about compatibility. It is the default for a reason, and for most recordings, the larger file size is not an issue.

Switch to HEVC if file size matters to you, whether because you record long sessions, capture at higher resolutions like 4K, or want to save storage space. HEVC is also the format to use if you want to record in HDR. It is well supported in most modern editing software.

Use AV1 if you are on Windows with a supported GPU and want the most modern compression available. It delivers similar file size savings to HEVC and also supports HDR. Keep in mind that editing software support for AV1 is still growing.

If you are not sure, H.264 is a safe starting point. You can always switch formats later as your workflow evolves.

• Windows: H.264, H.265/HEVC, AV1
• macOS: H.264, H.265/HEVC

AV1 requires a compatible GPU on Windows. If your GPU does not support AV1 encoding, only H.264 and HEVC will be shown.

Open Elgato Studio, choose the format that fits your workflow, and start recording.