Anti Tear
Download

Elgato 4K Pro, tear-free at 240 Hz

It captures up to 1080p240, 1440p144 and 2160p60. For a 60 fps stream, Anti Tear runs it at 240 Hz in 1080p, 120 Hz in 1440p and 60 Hz in 2160p, and changes the picture only between its refreshes, so OBS never captures a tear.

Download for WindowsHow it works

What the Elgato 4K Pro captures

Capture cards take faster signals than they can capture, and OBS never sees the extra frames. These are the fastest modes this card really captures, and the refresh Anti Tear runs it at.

Size
Fastest capture
For a 60 fps stream
1080p240 Hz240 Hz
1440p144 Hz120 Hz
2160p60 Hz60 Hz

Why these rates

Anti Tear runs the card at the fastest refresh it captures that’s a whole multiple of your stream’s frame rate, so every stream frame lasts the same number of refreshes. That’s why it doesn’t use 144 Hz in 1440p: it doesn’t divide evenly into 60, and motion would judder.

The Elgato 4K Pro takes HDMI 2.1 signals.

Beta firmware 250416 adds 1440p240 and 4K120 capture; Anti Tear plans for the release firmware. Check that the card links at PCIe Gen 2 x4.

Setting up the Elgato 4K Pro

Anti Tear’s setup does most of it on the gaming PC in about 30 seconds. Here’s what it can’t do for you.

Unlock its fast modes

Windows offers only the modes the card says it accepts, in its EDID. In Elgato Studio or 4K Capture Utility, set the card’s EDID Mode to Internal (Elgato recommends it for dual-PC setups), then reconnect the HDMI cable.

Then run an HDMI cable from a free output on your graphics card to its HDMI IN, and Anti Tear’s setup takes it from there: one click switches Windows from Duplicate to Extend, it tries 240 Hz in 1080p, which goes back by itself after 15 seconds unless you keep it, and it checks the colour your graphics card sends.

How setup works

In OBS on the streaming PC

  1. OBS frame rate: 240Video Capture Device › Properties › FPS. The same rate the capture card runs at.
  2. Buffering: EnableVideo Capture Device › Properties. “Auto” leaves it off for cards that send raw video, and above 60 fps it needs Enable.
  3. Canvas: 1920×1080 at 60 fpsSettings › Video. 60, not 59.94, or the stream hitches every 16.7 s.
  4. Video format: NV12Video Capture Device › Properties. Avoid MJPEG modes.
  5. Color range: FullVideo Capture Device › Properties. Must match the GPU output.
  6. Audio: 48 kHzSettings › Audio. Matches the card.

For a 2560×1440 canvas, set the frame rate to 120.

Questions about the Elgato 4K Pro

Up to 1080p240, 1440p144 and 2160p60. It takes HDMI 2.1 signals. Beta firmware 250416 adds 1440p240 and 4K120 capture; Anti Tear plans for the release firmware. Check that the card links at PCIe Gen 2 x4.

240 Hz in 1080p, 120 Hz in 1440p and 60 Hz in 2160p: the fastest whole multiple of 60 it captures, so every stream frame lasts the same number of refreshes. Not 144 Hz in 1440p: that doesn’t divide evenly into 60, so stream frames land at uneven steps and motion judders. Anti Tear sets it for you.

In Elgato Studio or 4K Capture Utility, set the card’s EDID Mode to Internal (Elgato recommends it for dual-PC setups), then reconnect the HDMI cable.

Because of how the gaming PC sends the picture, not because of the card. In Duplicate mode, Windows times each frame to your monitor and swaps the card’s copy partway through a refresh. With passthrough, the card records your monitor’s own tearing.

Anti Tear shows your game on the Elgato 4K Pro as a display of its own, and changes frames only in the pause between two of its refreshes, so the capture can’t tear. How it works

Yes. Anti Tear knows what the Elgato 4K Pro captures and runs it at the fastest refresh that suits your stream. If it names your card wrong, choose the right model on its Output page. It runs on the gaming PC only: OBS on the streaming PC captures the card as before.

Other capture cards

Every card Anti Tear knows

Try it with your Elgato 4K Pro

Free for 3 days, no card needed. Then $5 a month.

Download for WindowsPricing