How to Use an iPhone Camera Vertically in OBS

The short answer

Getting a vertical iPhone shot in OBS takes two separate changes. First, change the OBS canvas to a portrait shape, such as 1080 wide by 1920 tall, so the output is vertical. Second, make the iPhone video fill that canvas. Depending on how the feed arrives, you either rotate the source 90 degrees or crop a vertical slice out of a horizontal image. Changing only one of these usually leaves black bars, a sideways image, or a small picture floating in a large frame.

Holding the phone upright does not guarantee that OBS receives a portrait image. Many iPhone-to-computer connections deliver a landscape-shaped frame no matter how the phone is held, and the preview often shows the picture sideways. That is expected, and you fix it inside OBS.

Two meanings of "vertical" that change the steps

• Vertical output: you want the recording or stream to be portrait, for example for short-form video platforms. You need the portrait canvas and a rotated or cropped camera source.
• Vertical camera inside a normal widescreen layout: you want a tall camera window beside slides or gameplay in a 16:9 scene. Keep the canvas as it is, and only rotate or crop the camera source.

The rest of this guide covers fully vertical output. For the second case, skip the canvas step and use the source steps.

Before you start

• A way to get the iPhone into OBS as a video source. On a Mac, Apple's Continuity Camera can make a nearby iPhone appear as a camera. Check Apple's current macOS and iOS requirements, and make sure both devices use the same Apple Account. On Windows, or if you prefer a different route, use a third-party webcam app with a companion program or OBS plugin on the computer. Its documentation explains how the feed is delivered and whether it supports portrait mode.
• OBS Studio installed and up to date.
• Camera permission for OBS. On macOS, check System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Camera, and make sure OBS is switched on. On Windows, check Settings, then Privacy & security, then Camera, and allow desktop apps to use the camera.
• A stable mount that holds the phone upright and steady, plus a charging cable if you plan to record for long.

Step 1: Set a vertical canvas

• Open OBS, go to Settings, then Video.
• Set Base (Canvas) Resolution to a portrait size. 1080x1920 is a common 9:16 choice. You can type it in if it is not listed.
• Set Output (Scaled) Resolution to the same value, or to a smaller portrait size such as 720x1280 if you need lighter output.
• Click Apply, then OK.

How to know it worked: the OBS preview area turns into a tall rectangle. Existing sources may now look misplaced or cropped, which is normal.

Settings > Video
  Base (Canvas) Resolution:   1080x1920
  Output (Scaled) Resolution: 1080x1920   (or 720x1280)

If you switch between widescreen and vertical work often, consider a separate OBS Profile for vertical settings, so you don't have to edit resolutions each time. Profiles are under the Profile menu. Some people instead use third-party plugins that add a second, vertical canvas alongside a widescreen one. If you go that way, check that the plugin supports your OBS version.

Step 2: Add the iPhone as a source

• In the Sources panel, click the plus button.
• Choose Video Capture Device for Continuity Camera or most webcam-style apps. Some third-party apps use their own source type or a network source added by their plugin, so follow that app's instructions.
• Give the source a name and pick your iPhone from the Device list.
• Click OK.

Two checks matter here, and they tell you different things. If the iPhone appears in the device list, the computer has detected it and OBS has camera access. If you see a live, moving image, video capture is working. Neither one tells you yet whether the picture is sharp, well lit or smooth. Judge that after the orientation is fixed.

If the device is missing or the preview stays black, check the camera permission above. Also make sure the phone is unlocked and nearby, with the companion app running if you use one. Close other apps that might already be using the camera, then restart OBS.

Step 3: Make the feed fill the vertical frame

Look at the preview and match what you see to one of these cases.

What you see in the preview | What it means | What to do

The image is sideways and fills the frame when turned | The phone is upright, but the feed arrives as landscape | Rotate the source 90 degrees, then fit it to the screen

The image is upright but is a wide strip with bars above and below | The phone is horizontal, or the app sends a landscape view | Crop the sides, or turn the phone upright and rotate in OBS

The image is upright and already fills the tall frame | The app sends a true portrait feed | Fit it to the screen and stop here

The image is upside down after rotating | You rotated the wrong way | Rotate 180 degrees, or use the opposite 90-degree direction

Rotating the source

• Right-click the iPhone source in the preview or the Sources list.
• Choose Transform, then Rotate 90 degrees CW or Rotate 90 degrees CCW, whichever makes the image upright.
• Right-click again and choose Transform, then Fit to screen, or Stretch to screen if the shapes already match exactly.

Rotation is the better option when the phone is physically upright. You keep the whole camera frame, so the vertical picture uses all of the incoming resolution.

Cropping a horizontal feed

If the phone has to stay horizontal, you can cut a vertical slice from the middle of the wide image. Right-click the source and choose Transform, then Edit Transform, and enter crop values for the left and right edges. You can also hold Alt (Option on a Mac) and drag the source's side handles. Then scale the cropped source to fill the canvas. The catch is that a slice from a landscape frame contains fewer pixels than the canvas height, so OBS has to enlarge it. That can look softer than a rotated upright feed.

Step 4: Confirm the result with a short test

• In the preview, the camera image is upright and fills the tall frame edge to edge, with no black bars unless you added them on purpose.
• Record ten to twenty seconds while you move, talk and hold up something with text on it. Stop the recording and open the file in a normal video player.
• In playback, the video is portrait-shaped, the right way up, and any text reads correctly. If text appears reversed, look for a mirror or flip setting in your iPhone app, or use Transform, then Flip Horizontal, in OBS.
• Look for stutter, blur or drifting audio sync in the playback. These point to connection, lighting or performance issues, not orientation.

This test shows that OBS is capturing the iPhone in the orientation and shape you want, and that the recorded file keeps it. It does not show how a streaming platform will handle the video. Platforms apply their own processing and layouts, so do a private or unlisted test stream before going live. It also does not cover audio. If you use the iPhone's microphone or a separate one, check the audio meter in OBS and listen to the test recording, because a moving meter only shows that sound is coming in, not that it is clear.

Limitations to know about

• Using OBS Virtual Camera for video calls: you can send a vertical OBS canvas into a call app through Virtual Camera. Many call apps expect a landscape camera and may letterbox, crop or rotate the image in ways you can't control. Check how it looks from another participant's side before an important call.
• App-specific behavior: whether a phone app sends portrait frames, offers a rotation setting, or limits resolution varies by app and version. No product-specific specifications were available for this guide, so check the app's own documentation.
• Frame alignment: after any rotation or crop, recheck framing. A camera that looked centered in landscape can end up with too much headroom or a cut-off chin in portrait.
• Scene layout: overlays, text and other sources built for a 16:9 canvas will need to be repositioned or rebuilt for 9:16.

Gaps in this guide

This guide relies on general OBS and operating-system behavior. No tested measurements were supplied, so it does not recommend specific bitrates, frame rates or minimum quality settings for vertical iPhone video. It also does not confirm current version requirements or features for any particular iPhone webcam app. Check those details against the current documentation for OBS, your operating system and the app you choose.