TikTok LIVE Settings: Vertical Resolution and Bitrate
The right TikTok LIVE settings start with a vertical 9:16 canvas. Here are resolution, frame rate, bitrate, keyframe and audio values that work, how to set them in OBS, where TikTok's interface covers your picture, and when 720p beats 1080p.
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For TikTok LIVE, send a vertical 9:16 picture: 720×1280 or 1080×1920 at 30 fps, H.264 at a constant bitrate of roughly 3,000–4,000 kbps for 720p or 4,500–6,000 kbps for 1080p, a 2-second keyframe interval and AAC audio at 128–160 kbps. Then compare with TikTok's current recommendations.
Those numbers are the easy part. Most TikTok streams that look wrong have a horizontal layout squeezed into a vertical frame, or a title and webcam hidden behind comments. Below: OBS settings, choosing 720p or 1080p, and keeping content clear of TikTok's interface.
Key takeaways
- Use a 9:16 canvas at 1080×1920 or 720×1280, with 30 fps for most content.
- Keep bitrate constant and within what your upload can sustain, with 2-second keyframes.
- TikTok's LIVE Studio help has suggested 720p for most scenarios, since viewers watch on phones.
- Keep text and faces out of the top strip and bottom third, where TikTok's interface sits.
Recommended TikTok LIVE settings at a glance
- Resolution: 1080×1920 or 720×1280 (9:16 portrait).
- Frame rate: 30 fps for talk, tutorials and music; 60 fps only for fast gameplay if your upload allows.
- Video: H.264, constant bitrate (CBR).
- Video bitrate: roughly 3,000–4,000 kbps at 720p30 and 4,500–6,000 kbps at 1080p30, with more needed at 60 fps.
- Keyframe interval: 2 seconds.
- Audio: AAC at 128–160 kbps, 44.1 or 48 kHz, stereo.
For context, TikTok's LIVE Studio help center has recommended 720p for most scenarios because most viewers watch on mobile, 1080p for higher-performance setups, and 30 fps for most content. LIVE Studio adjusts bitrate automatically, so if you stream with OBS or a cloud service instead, start from the ranges above and check the TikTok LIVE help center for current guidance.
Setting up a vertical canvas in OBS for TikTok
- In Settings → Video, set Base (Canvas) Resolution to
1080x1920, Output (Scaled) Resolution to1080x1920or720x1280, and Common FPS Values to 30. - In Settings → Output, switch Output Mode to Advanced. On the Streaming tab, pick your encoder, set Rate Control to CBR, enter your bitrate and set Keyframe Interval to 2.
- On the Output Audio tab, set the track bitrate to 160, and in Settings → Audio choose 48 kHz.
- In Settings → Stream, choose a custom service and paste the TikTok Server URL and Stream Key for this session.
- Rebuild your scenes for the new canvas. A resized horizontal layout crops or shrinks everything, so place each source again.
If you also stream horizontally, keep a separate OBS profile and scene collection for TikTok so you can switch without re-entering anything.
Choosing 720p or 1080p for a TikTok LIVE
More pixels aren't automatically better on a phone. What viewers notice first is smoothness: a 720p stream that never stutters looks better than a 1080p stream dropping frames. Choose what you can sustain for the whole LIVE:
- Pick 720p if your upload is modest or shared, you're on mobile data, your computer struggles to encode while running a game, or your content is mostly a face and a voice.
- Pick 1080p if your upload comfortably exceeds your bitrate with headroom, and you show fine detail such as text, crafts, products or makeup.
A common rule of thumb is to keep video bitrate under about 70–80% of your measured upload speed, leaving room for audio and fluctuations. For how resolution and frame rate trade against each other, see the best streaming resolution and frame rate.
Safe zones: keeping content clear of TikTok's LIVE interface
Viewers never see a clean frame. TikTok draws its interface on top of your picture, and positions vary by app version and device. As a rule of thumb:
- Top strip: your profile name, viewer count and close button live here, so keep titles and logos lower.
- Bottom third: comments, gift animations and the comment box pile up. Keep captions, lower-thirds and product close-ups above it.
- Edges: banners and other on-screen elements can appear near the sides, so leave a margin.
- Center: the safest area for your face, a product or the key part of a game.
The only reliable check is to watch your own LIVE on a phone from a second account for a minute, post a few comments, and see what gets covered. Adjust the scene, then check again. Horizontal footage works best framed inside a vertical scene rather than sent as-is.
Sending a vertical TikTok feed through StreamHouse
StreamHouse keeps the output side consistent from the first minute to the last:
- Vertical presets. Choose a 9:16 output at 720p or 1080p, with 60 fps available depending on your plan.
- Recorded clips. Uploads are prepared ahead of time to one consistent encode profile, so bitrate and timestamps stay steady even if files came from different editors. Export them vertically first; reframing is an editing job.
- Live from OBS. Keep your OBS canvas vertical and send one feed to StreamHouse, which forwards it to TikTok and any other destinations you add, so your home upload stays at one stream's worth.
One limit to plan around: a stream has one output orientation, so a horizontal version for YouTube or Twitch is a second stream and a second stream slot. Before sending recorded files to TikTok at all, read what TikTok says about pre-recorded LIVE content.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best bitrate for TikTok LIVE?
For 720×1280 at 30 fps, roughly 3,000–4,000 kbps works well; for 1080×1920 at 30 fps, roughly 4,500–6,000 kbps. Use constant bitrate and stay well under your measured upload speed. LIVE Studio sets bitrate automatically, so check TikTok's help center for current guidance on other software.
Should I stream to TikTok LIVE at 60 fps?
Only for fast motion such as gameplay, and only if your upload and computer can handle the extra bitrate. TikTok's LIVE Studio help has recommended 30 fps for most content, and talk, tutorials and music look smooth at 30 fps while using bandwidth more efficiently.
Can I stream horizontal video to TikTok LIVE?
TikTok accepts landscape streams, but most viewers hold their phone upright, so a 16:9 picture usually appears small with empty space around it, or cropped, depending on display settings. A native 9:16 layout uses the whole screen, so frame horizontal footage inside a vertical scene.
What keyframe interval should I use for TikTok LIVE?
Two seconds is the safe standard for TikTok and most other platforms. In OBS, set Keyframe Interval to 2 on the Streaming output tab. Leaving it on auto can produce irregular keyframes, which may cause buffering or slow starts for viewers joining mid-stream.
