Create a reusable countdown video for OBS Studio starting-soon scenes, breaks, webinars, church streams, and live events. This guide focuses on a repeatable workflow and the settings that matter most in real projects.
Why a pre-rendered timer works well in OBS
A pre-rendered timer is simple because OBS only needs to play a media file. There is no browser script to keep alive during a stream, no remote service to depend on, and no extra timer plugin to configure. This is especially useful for a five-minute starting-soon screen, a short break, or a fixed intermission where the duration is known before the broadcast.
Recommended settings for an OBS countdown
Set Mode to Count down, choose the exact duration, and use MM:SS for the clearest display. For a standard 1080p stream, export at 1920×1080 when the timer is a full-screen scene. If the timer will sit over a camera or graphics package, transparent background is usually more flexible. Match the frame rate to the project when possible, commonly 30 or 60 fps.
How to add the timer to OBS Studio
After recording the timer, add a Media Source in OBS and select the downloaded WebM file. Enable restart playback when the source becomes active if you want the countdown to begin from the start each time you switch to that scene. For a repeating waiting screen, use loop only when the visual is designed to repeat; a true countdown normally should not loop after zero.
Design choices that remain readable on stream
Streaming layouts are often busy. Use a timer color that contrasts with the scene and avoid excessive glow, because compression can make bright edges look soft. Keep the timer inside safe margins so it is not covered by platform controls or cropped in vertical repurposing. A restrained animation is usually easier to watch than a strong animation on every digit change.
Starting soon, breaks, and event workflows
A five- or ten-minute starting-soon clip gives viewers time to arrive without requiring the host to watch a clock. Shorter two- or three-minute files work well for breaks. For webinars or church services, the same exported timer can be reused every week if the duration and branding remain the same.
Build the timer in TimerCountUp
Open the TimerCountUp generator and configure the timer for the project before recording. The preview lets you verify the mode, duration, format, style, color, background, animation, resolution, and frame rate before creating the video. Because the recording is generated in the browser, the workflow is designed for quick one-off assets as well as reusable timer libraries.
What to check before publishing
Watch the finished timer at the actual size viewers will see. Confirm that the first and last seconds behave as expected, the digits remain readable over the real background, and the file starts exactly where the edit or scene needs it. If the timer will be reused, keep the original WebM and note the settings so the same visual can be regenerated at another duration.