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OBS Resolution for TikTok Live: 1080x1920 vs 720x1280 (The 2026 Guide)

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    Robin
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TL;DR

Use 1080x1920 if you have a stable 10 Mbps+ upload speed and stream low-motion content (Just Chatting, slow games). Use 720x1280 if you play fast-paced games (FPS, Racing) or have an unstable connection. TikTok's bitrate caps often make 720p look cleaner than pixelated 1080p.

The Resolution Dilemma

A common question on r/OBS is:

"My internet is good, so I set OBS to 1080x1920. But my stream still looks blocky during gameplay. Should I downgrade to 720p?"

The intuitive answer ("Higher resolution = Better quality") is wrong on TikTok Live.

Why? Because of Bitrate Density.

Imagine painting a wall.

  • 1080p is a huge wall.
  • 720p is a small wall.
  • Bitrate is the amount of paint you have.

If TikTok only gives you one bucket of paint (limited bitrate), the small wall (720p) will look solid and rich. The big wall (1080p) will look patchy and thin.

1080x1920 (Vertical Full HD)

The Specs:

  • Resolution: 1080 width x 1920 height
  • Required Bitrate: 6000–8000 Kbps (Ideal) / 4000 Kbps (Minimum)
  • Sharpness: High. Text looks crisp.

Pros:

  • Look professional on large phones (iPhone Pro Max, S24 Ultra).
  • Text overlays and chat are razor-sharp.
  • "Just Chatting" or IRL streams look incredible.

Cons:

  • Artifacting: Fast motion (turning quickly in COD) creates "squares" because the bitrate can't keep up with the pixel count.
  • Phone Heat: Viewers with older phones may experience lag or overheating watching 1080p60 streams.
  • Instability: Requires a flawless internet upload speed.

Verdict: Use 1080p ONLY if you are streaming slow-paced content (Hearthstone, Minecraft, Just Chatting) AND have excellent internet.

720x1280 (Vertical HD)

The Specs:

  • Resolution: 720 width x 1280 height
  • Required Bitrate: 3000–5000 Kbps
  • Sharpness: Medium. Soft edges on small text.

Pros:

  • Smooth Motion: Fast games look fluid because the encoder has fewer pixels to process.
  • Stability: Much less likely to drop frames or buffer for viewers on 4G/5G.
  • Consistency: 4000 Kbps at 720p looks better than 4000 Kbps at 1080p.

Cons:

  • Small text might be slightly harder to read.
  • Looks slightly "soft" on very large screens.

Verdict: The Gold Standard for fast-paced gaming (Apex, Fortnite, Valorant) or streamers with average internet.

How to Set Custom Resolutions in OBS

OBS doesn't always show vertical resolutions in the dropdown menu. You have to force it.

  1. Go to Settings > Video.
  2. Base (Canvas) Resolution: Type 1080x1920 (manually type the 'x').
  3. Output (Scaled) Resolution:
    • For 1080p: Type 1080x1920
    • For 720p: Type 720x1280
  4. Downscale Filter:
    • If resolutions match (1080->1080), this is greyed out (Best performance).
    • If downscaling (1080->720), use Lanczos (Sharpened scaling, 36 samples).

The "Safe Zone" Factor

Regardless of which resolution you pick, TikTok places UI elements (comment box, gift icons, profile pic) over your video.

Crucial Tip:

  • The bottom 30% of your screen is covered by chat.
  • The top 15% is covered by the "Follow" banner.
  • The right 10% is covered by likes/gift icons.

Keep your gameplay focus (crosshair, character) in the middle 50% of the screen.

Decision Flowchart

graph TD
  A[Start: Choose Resolution] --> B{What is your Content?}
  B -- "Fast Motion (FPS/Racing)" --> C{Upload Speed > 10Mbps?}
  B -- "Slow Motion (Chat/Card Games)" --> D[Use 1080x1920]
  C -- "Yes" --> E[Try 1080p @ 6000Kbps]
  C -- "No" --> F[Use 720x1280 @ 4000Kbps]
  E --> G{Is it Pixelated?}
  G -- "Yes" --> F
  G -- "No" --> H[Keep 1080p]
  
  style F fill:#ccffcc,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
  style H fill:#ccffcc,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Conclusion

Don't let vanity numbers ruin your stream quality. A clean, smooth 720p stream will always retain more viewers than a buffering, blocky 1080p stream.

Start with 720x1280 at 4000 Kbps. Only upgrade to 1080p if you are sure your internet—and your game genre—can handle it.

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