How to turn SLP files into video using OBS and Project Clippi
A beginner’s guide on automatically recording Super Smash Bros. Melee gameplay footage
You’ve managed to comb through your Slippi replays for highlights and now want to convert those SLP replays into video footage. Here’s a beginner’s guide on automatically recording your gameplay footage using OBS and Project Clippi. This guide assumes you already have the latest version of Project Clippi installed and are familiar with using it to find combos. If not, read this guide.
Please note: This feature has really only been tested on Windows. Linux and MacOS users are free to follow along with this guide but may encounter issues along the way. Tweet at @_vinceau or @ProjectClippi to report bugs or other issues.
1. Download and install required tools
Before we continue you will need to install the following:
- Slippi Desktop App v1.6.0 or later
- OBS 27.x (for screen recording)
- OBS Websocket 4.9.x (for controlling OBS)
Please note: If you’re using OBS 28+ you also need to install this OBS plugin for controlling OBS.
Please also note: Streamlabs OBS (SLOBS) is NOT supported! You must use standard OBS as linked above. You may also want to restart your computer after installing everything for optimal results.
2. Setup OBS
2.1 Enable OBS Websocket
After installing OBS Websocket, open up OBS, go to Tools > WebSocket Server Settings and make sure ‘Enable WebSockets server’ is checked. Setting a password is optional but generally recommended.
2.2 Enable Pausing of OBS Recordings
Go to File > Settings, then in the Output tab, set the Output Mode to ‘Advanced’.
First, keep a note of the Recording Path, as this is where your recorded video files will be saved. Then under Encoder, make sure it is set to anything that is NOT ‘(use stream encoder)’.
You can test that Pause is enabled by clicking ‘Start Recording’ and seeing if a pause button appears beside the ‘Stop Recording’ button.
2.3 Setup Game Capture
First, double-click any SLP file to start playing it back so we can have a game to capture. Once it starts playing, you can press the spacebar to pause the playback. Then click ‘+’ to add a new source, and select Game Capture. Give the source a unique name and click ‘OK’.
In the source properties, set Mode to Capture specific window, set Window to [Dolphin.exe]: Faster Melee, set Hook Rate to Fastest. Then click ‘OK’.
In Dolphin, hit spacebar once more to unpause the game and you should see your game in OBS. You can now close Dolphin.
3. Setup Project Clippi
3.1 Set the Playback ISO Path
If you haven’t already set the ISO path, open the Settings page in Project Clippi, go to Playback, and click Choose to select your Melee 1.02 ISO file.
3.2 Connect to OBS
Make sure your OBS is still running. Navigate to the OBS Configuration settings. Leave IP Address as ‘localhost’, but make sure your Port and Websocket Password match the OBS Websocket settings from Step 2.1.
You should get a Connected message.
From here on out, you should NOT have to interact with OBS anymore, besides ensuring the right OBS scene is selected etc. Do NOT manually start/stop recording from within OBS. Project Clippi will handle the recording for you.
4. Start Recording
You should already have clips that you want recorded. You can either drag and drop SLP files into the queue to record full games, or load your JSON files from the Replay Processor (refer to this guide for generating JSON files).
At the bottom of the Playback Queue, you should see some recording options.
You have two options when recording:
- Record together — outputs a single video file. You should use this for combo videos or combining multiple games into a single set.
- Record separately — outputs multiple video files. Each entry in the queue is recorded into its own video file. You should use this for turning individual SLP files into individual video files, or if you want each combo highlight to be separated for easier video editing.
When you’re ready to record, just click the record button in Project Clippi. It will automatically load up Dolphin and start recording. Once it’s all done, check your Videos folder (or wherever your Recording Path from Step 2.2 points to) and you should have your gameplay nicely recorded without any black frames in between.
If you run into any problems, feel free to tweet at me either at @_vinceau or @ProjectClippi. If you’re feeling generous, donations via Ko-fi or PayPal are greatly appreciated.
