The least scary Obsidian guide you’ll ever see

Summary

In this tutorial, Matt from 'A Better Computer' introduces viewers to Obsidian, a versatile note-taking app, focusing on simplifying its use for beginners. He guides through setting up a new vault, customizing the interface with themes and fonts, organizing notes and attachments, and enabling spell check. Matt also touches on community plugins that enhance functionality, demonstrating a few to streamline linking and note management. The aim is to make Obsidian accessible and less intimidating for new users, highlighting its power without overwhelming complexity.

Takeaways

• 😀 Matt's channel focuses on simplifying complex productivity software, making it more accessible to a wider audience.
• 🤔 Matt criticizes productivity YouTube for overly complex demonstrations that may not be practical for most users.
• 💡 Matt aims to show how to set up Obsidian for a new user who just wants a simple note-taking app.
• 📚 Obsidian is a free application available for Mac OS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, and can be downloaded from obsidian.md.
• 📁 When starting with Obsidian, you need to create a new Vault, which is essentially a folder where your notes and files will be stored.
• 🌐 Obsidian Vaults can be synced using services like Dropbox or OneDrive, or stored locally without syncing.
• 🖌️ To improve the user interface, Matt suggests changing themes and accent colors, as well as adjusting font settings for better readability.
• 🔍 Matt demonstrates how to enable spell check and adjust tab indentation settings in Obsidian's editor settings.
• 📎 Obsidian allows you to include attachments like images in your notes, and Matt recommends setting up a dedicated 'assets' folder to keep them organized.
• 🔗 Matt introduces the 'paste URL into selection' community plugin, which simplifies the process of creating links in your notes.
• 🚀 Obsidian's power comes from its community plugins, which can be browsed and installed to extend functionality, such as the 'Hider' plugin for a cleaner interface.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Matt's channel, 'Better Computer'?

The main focus of Matt's channel is to make complex productivity software more approachable and accessible, simplifying it for beginners and emphasizing practical use rather than advanced features.

What does Matt criticize about productivity YouTubers when it comes to apps like Notion or Obsidian?

Matt criticizes productivity YouTubers for showcasing overly complex systems that may not be helpful or practical for most people, and he questions whether they actually use these systems as shown in their videos.

What is the purpose of the video on setting up Obsidian for new users?

The purpose of the video is to guide new users on how to set up Obsidian as a simple note-taking app without getting overwhelmed by its advanced features.

Where can Obsidian be downloaded from, and is it available on multiple platforms?

Obsidian can be downloaded for free from obsidian.md, and it is available for Mac OS, Windows, Linux on desktop, as well as iOS and Android.

What is a 'Vault' in the context of Obsidian, and how is it created?

In Obsidian, a 'Vault' is a folder containing files where your notes are stored. It is created by naming it and choosing a location for it, which can be synced with services like Dropbox or OneDrive, or saved locally.

How can the appearance of Obsidian be customized to make it more visually appealing?

The appearance of Obsidian can be customized by changing themes, accent colors, and fonts through the settings menu. Users can also switch between dark and light mode.

What is the 'minimal' theme in Obsidian, and why does Matt recommend it?

The 'minimal' theme is a popular theme in Obsidian that provides a cleaner and simpler interface. Matt recommends it because it enhances the default look and makes the app more visually appealing.

Why is enabling spell check in Obsidian's settings important for users who want to avoid typos in their notes?

Enabling spell check helps identify and correct typos as users type, ensuring that their notes are free from spelling errors and improving the overall quality of their writing.

How can users organize their notes and attachments in Obsidian to avoid cluttering their sidebar?

Users can create folders for different categories of notes and a separate folder for attachments, like 'assets'. They can then set the default location for new attachments to this folder to keep the sidebar organized.

What is a Community plugin in Obsidian, and how can it enhance the user experience?

Community plugins are additional features created by the Obsidian community that can be installed to extend the functionality of the app. They can enhance the user experience by adding useful features like pasting URLs into selections or hiding certain UI elements.

What is the 'paste URL into selection' plugin, and how does it simplify the process of creating links in Obsidian?

The 'paste URL into selection' plugin allows users to paste a URL while having text selected, automatically converting the selected text into a clickable markdown link, simplifying the process of adding hyperlinks to notes.

What is the 'Hider' plugin, and how can it help users declutter the Obsidian interface?

The 'Hider' plugin enables users to hide various UI elements in the Obsidian app, such as scroll bars, the Vault name, status bar, and the app ribbon, helping to declutter the interface and create a cleaner workspace.

What is the 'shortcut launcher' plugin, and how can it facilitate the creation of blog posts from Obsidian notes?

The 'shortcut launcher' plugin allows users to create custom shortcuts that can trigger specific actions, such as opening a new post in Ulysses with metadata and highlights from an Obsidian note, streamlining the process of creating blog posts.

Outlines

00:00

🖥️ Introduction to Simplifying Productivity Software

Matt, the host of BetterComputer, introduces his channel's focus on making complex productivity software more accessible. He critiques the tendency of productivity YouTubers to showcase overly complex systems that may not be practical for most users. His goal is to simplify the process of getting started with such software, specifically noting apps like Notion, Obsidian, and Roam Research. He emphasizes the importance of making software useful for everyday tasks without overwhelming users with unnecessary complexity.

05:02

📚 Setting Up Obsidian for Basic Note-Taking

Matt demonstrates how to set up Obsidian for a new user who wants a simple note-taking app. He guides viewers through downloading Obsidian from obsidian.md, creating a new vault, and choosing a location for it. He suggests using iCloud for syncing across devices. Matt then shows how to customize the app's appearance by changing the theme to 'Minimal' and adjusting the accent color. He also discusses changing the font for both the text and interface, and how to enable spell check in the editor. Additionally, he explains how to manage attachments by creating a dedicated 'assets' folder and setting it as the default location for new attachments.

10:03

🔌 Exploring Community Plugins in Obsidian

Matt introduces the concept of community plugins in Obsidian, which add significant functionality to the app. He shows how to enable and browse community plugins, highlighting three specific plugins: 'Paste URL into Selection', 'Hider', and 'Shortcut Launcher'. The 'Paste URL into Selection' plugin simplifies the process of creating markdown links. 'Hider' allows users to customize the app by hiding various interface elements. 'Shortcut Launcher' is showcased as a way to create shortcuts for actions within Obsidian, such as launching Ulysses with specific metadata for blog post creation. Matt encourages viewers to explore the community plugins page to find useful tools tailored to their needs.

15:03

👋 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In the final paragraph, Matt wraps up the video by summarizing the key points covered. He reiterates the importance of not being intimidated by the complexity of productivity software like Obsidian and encourages viewers to explore its settings and features further. He thanks the audience for watching and looks forward to their next interaction, ending the video on a friendly note.

Keywords

💡Productivity Software

Productivity software refers to applications designed to help users perform tasks more efficiently and manage their time better. In the context of the video, the host is focusing on simplifying complex productivity tools like note-taking apps. The video aims to make these tools more accessible and user-friendly, emphasizing their potential to improve daily life without becoming overwhelming.

💡Obsidian

Obsidian is a note-taking and knowledge management app that allows users to create, organize, and link notes in various formats. The video script discusses setting up Obsidian for new users, highlighting its capabilities as a simple note-taking app while also mentioning its potential for more complex uses. The host demonstrates how to customize Obsidian to make it more user-friendly.

💡Vault

In the context of Obsidian, a vault is a folder that contains all the notes and files associated with a particular project or set of notes. The script mentions creating a new vault as the first step in setting up Obsidian, emphasizing the importance of naming and choosing a location for the vault, which can be synced across devices using services like iCloud, Dropbox, or OneDrive.

💡Themes

Themes in Obsidian refer to the visual styles that users can apply to their app interface. The video discusses changing the theme to improve the aesthetic appeal of Obsidian. The host installs and uses a popular theme called 'Minimal' and also demonstrates how to change the accent color, showing how themes can be customized to suit individual preferences.

💡Font

Fonts in the video script are discussed in relation to Obsidian's customization options. The host shows how to change the default font used in the app for both text and interface elements. This customization allows users to choose fonts that are more comfortable for reading and writing, enhancing the overall user experience.

💡Attachments

Attachments in Obsidian are files, such as images or documents, that can be added to notes. The script explains how to manage attachments by creating a dedicated folder, which helps keep the sidebar uncluttered. This organization method is useful for users who want to incorporate multimedia into their notes without disrupting the note-taking workflow.

💡Community Plugins

Community plugins are additional features developed by third-party developers that can be installed in Obsidian to extend its functionality. The video introduces several plugins, such as 'Paste URL into Selection' and 'Hider', demonstrating how they can enhance the app's usability and customization. These plugins are a key aspect of Obsidian's flexibility and power.

💡Spell Check

Spell check is a feature in Obsidian that helps users identify and correct spelling errors in their notes. The script mentions enabling spell check in the settings, which is an important tool for maintaining the accuracy and professionalism of written content. This feature is particularly useful for users who rely on Obsidian for writing and note-taking.

💡Tab Indent

Tab indent refers to the use of tabs to create indentation in text, which can help organize and structure content in a document. In the video, the host discusses adjusting the tab indent size in Obsidian's settings, showing how users can customize the indentation to their preference. This customization is relevant for users who need to format their notes in a specific way.

💡Kanban Board

A Kanban board is a project management tool that helps visualize work, limit work-in-progress, and maximize efficiency. The video script briefly mentions the ability to create a Kanban board in Obsidian using community plugins. This feature is an example of how Obsidian can be used for more than just note-taking, extending its utility to project management.

Highlights

The channel aims to simplify complex productivity software for better accessibility.

Productivity YouTube often overcomplicates app usage, making it less helpful for average users.

Obsidian can be a simple note-taking app without needing to utilize its full complexity.

Obsidian is available for download on multiple platforms including Mac OS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android.

Creating a new vault in Obsidian involves naming it and choosing a location for storage.

Obsidian vaults are essentially folders that can be synced across devices using services like Dropbox or iCloud.

The default appearance of Obsidian can be customized through settings, including theme and accent color changes.

The 'Minimal' theme is recommended for a cleaner look, and accent colors can be adjusted to preference.

Font preferences can be adjusted in Obsidian for both text and interface readability.

Obsidian allows users to change the frame style to match the native OS look or keep the custom Obsidian style.

Creating a new file in Obsidian is straightforward, and basic text editing features are available.

Spell check can be enabled in the editor settings to assist with text accuracy.

Tab indentation size can be customized in the editor settings to fit personal or coding preferences.

Attachments like images can be added directly into notes, but organizing them in a dedicated folder is recommended.

A dedicated 'assets' folder can be created to keep attachments organized and separate from main notes.

Community plugins in Obsidian can significantly enhance functionality and user experience.

The 'Paste URL into Selection' plugin simplifies the process of creating links in notes.

The 'Hider' plugin allows users to customize the Obsidian interface by hiding unnecessary elements.

The 'Shortcut Launcher' plugin enables users to create custom shortcuts for various actions within Obsidian.

Templates and Kanban boards can be created in Obsidian for structured note-taking and project management.

Obsidian's settings offer extensive customization options, from hotkeys to appearance tweaks.

Transcripts

hey everybody welcome back to better

computer my name is Matt and my favorite

thing to do on this channel by far is to

take complex productivity software and

make it more approachable make it more

accessible to more people to really

simplify it down to what you can do to

get started with it how it can make your

life a little better and not get too

deep into the weeks honestly I think

that productivity YouTube has a bit of a

problem when it comes to apps like these

note takers especially like notion

obsidian Rome research people have a

tendency to go just incredibly hard on

their videos and to say like look at

this mind map I've created and look at

how my entire life is in here and

honestly I find a lot of that to be

unhelpful like it's aspirational I guess

and if you watch this as entertainment

then I guess maybe it's cool to see what

people are doing

but honestly I'm not convinced that a

lot of productivity YouTubers are

actually using their systems the way

they show them on video

and I don't know they're actually useful

to hold to most people I think most

people can do like one percent of that

and still get value and so then be going

through obsidian I'm going to show you

how I would set up obsidian for a new

user who just wants a nice app for

taking notes for recording things or

writing some basic stuff it just wants a

nice note Notes app and I think obsidian

can do that for you but you don't have

to go crazy on it so let's jump into the

screen share and I'll get you started

with obsidian okay so we're on the Mac

and you're going to want to download

obsidian which is completely free from

obsidian.md you can download for Mac OS

Windows Linux on desktop it's also

available available for IOS and Android

and the steps are going to be the same

no matter where you get it I'm doing it

on a Mac just because it's easiest for

me to show so

um the first time you launch the app

you're going to get a screen that looks

like this now you're not going to have

any vaults over here on the left you

need to create your own uh for the first

one so let's do create a new Vault you

need to name it uh it can be whatever

you want I was called ABC for a better

computer then you need to pick a

location for where this is going to live

so obsidian is just a folder with files

in it so you can sync it over something

like Dropbox or OneDrive on the Mac it's

going to default to putting it into your

obsidian iCloud folder so it'll sync

over iCloud this is what I'm going to do

in this case but you can use any syncing

service you want or you can just save it

locally to your device and have it never

go to the web

again I like having access to multiple

devices so it'll go into iCloud so there

we go it has a name it has a location

and let's create it so that's it now you

have a vault it's created and there's

really not a lot here so obsidian should

do more with onboarding I hope that's

something that they're working on for

the future but there's really no

guidance on what to do so that's what

this video is for so the first thing we

need to do is make this look a little

nicer so obsidian looks fine by default

but I think we can make it a little

nicer so go down to the settings option

down here you can also use the keyboard

shortcut of command comma on a Mac or

control comma on Windows and we're going

to do a couple things first

so first off it defaults to dark you can

adapt it to the system or light mode

whatever you want I'm going to use light

mode just because I think it looks

better and then there are themes in

obsidian so you can actually change the

accent color or you can install some

themes so here's what we're going to do

in themes instead of the default there's

this very popular one called minimal and

so you can just click on this there's a

description here with screenshots and a

whole bunch of info on it all you need

to do for our purposes here is install

and use there we go now it's installed

it's installed the theme it's using it

and the interface is slightly tweaked

now it defaults to this kind of grayish

blue accent color let's go ahead and do

something just a little

brighter little friendlier let's do that

so now we have a blue accent and now the

interface is going to look just a little

nicer so minimal is the theme that I'd

recommend you can change the accent

color there's more you can do here again

you can read the documentation on that

listing so if you go in here there's a

ton here that you can customize but

that's not what we're here to do we just

want it to look nice out of the box and

then you can go further on your own

although before we move on from the

theme there are two other things I want

to touch on real quick uh number one is

the font so you can change the fonts so

your theme will have a default font I

think uh minimal uses enter which is

totally nice and looks great but maybe

you want to have your interface do

something different or the text or the

mono space like you can change these so

for the text font let's go ahead and

change this you can do any font that's

on your system I actually have one

called Atkinson hyper legible which I

really like for writing and reading so

I'm just going to save that so you're

not going to see any changes here but

when I create my first node you're going

to see this font being used you can do

this for the interface right like we

could use this not good interface font

here and it's going to change the whole

interface to use that font and then you

just exit out to delete it but yeah you

can change the fonts so you can find

something that works nicely for you

additionally I know there will be people

who don't like the non-standard Mac

interface here it kind of does its own

custom

toolbar or title bar or whatever frame

style you can actually go down here and

change this to the native frame and then

relaunch the app and on relaunch you're

gonna have the standard Mac OS or

Windows or Linux or whatever frame up

here if that's your preference I

actually don't prefer that I like

obsidian's custom thing so I'm going to

go to the hidden default and that's what

we're going to use from now on so next

we're going to want to create a new file

to actually show something so testing is

what we'll call the file and let's just

put some Laura mips on there and we'll

say uh this is a test

there we go so we've got some text here

and obviously the lower mipsum is not

all real words and I have a couple typos

in this sentence so it's not showing

those it's not spell checking which is

kind of annoying so we can go ahead and

go into the settings and under editor

you want to scroll down a little bit and

under Behavior enable spell check

and if we get out of here you can see

hey look at all those all those are here

and you can just right click and fix

these cool perfect

um additionally uh you could like Tab

and say this is a

new line

this one is not cool and you can see

it's tabbed two spaces in again if I go

back into this settings go under editor

and scroll down a bit we have tab indent

size it actually defaults to four I have

it set down to two you can move it all

the way up to eight if you prefer so if

I move it to eight now you can see this

is way indented if I go back here and

set it back to the default of four it's

a little more reasonable but you can

change the indent size to whatever you'd

like now obsidian is not just for text

you can also bring in attachments other

files so I have an image file right here

and if I drag it into obsidian you can

see there it is and it's just nicely in

line in the file and I can this is more

text

right and so you can just bring the file

in line that's all great but over here

you can see oh the image is actually

loaded in the same level as my notes and

so like if I create a new note uh new

note

and then here's this my image is kind of

in the same list and I'd kind of like to

not have those be here right so what I

would recommend most people do is set up

an attachments folder so what you can do

is not just create new notes but you can

also create new folders so let's create

a new folder called assets

can we name whatever you want I'm going

to call it assets and generally it'll be

where my images go so let's go into our

settings now so the folder is called

assets let's remember and what I want to

do is go to files and links and there is

going to be an option here we go default

location for new attachments so it

defaults to Vault folder which is just

to the same folder that all your notes

go to but we can specify a folder we can

put in the same as the current file

whatever I want to put it in a specified

specified folder which is right here

it's going to show you a drop down of

all the folders in your Vault so right

now we only have one you can also search

for it if you have more of them later

I'm just going to call it assets there

we go

and now when I close out of here this

note or this file is still here so let's

go ahead and delete this

and that's going to make this no longer

work but if I go up here and drag in

this file again

you're going to see it's brought in and

is in line and everything but it's not

cluttering up my sidebar that's because

it's in the assets folder there we go

and again if you wanted to uh just so we

can be clear here you can reveal this

file in the finder and so you can see

iCloud Drive obsidian ABC and here's my

testing file which is just a markdown

file here's my new note one and under

assets there's the image so that's kind

of what's Happening behind the scenes

but yeah basically that makes it so now

that we've set up an assets folder and

we've told obsidian to save new

um images into that that's where they're

all going to go and they'll just be down

there you can again you can filter it

however you'd like but that's how I like

to do it so all of them are in just one

directory and then my notes kind of live

on their own and don't get cluttered

with images videos or whatever I'm

adding to my notes so at this point you

should be relatively good to go in terms

of just taking notes bringing files in

making sure they don't clutter your

sidebar you can create like a folder

called archive right and then like this

new note drag that into the archive and

now it's there you can only have the

files you're working on here you can

organize it however you want we're not

going to get into that because that's

going to be different for everyone but

that's how you create folders and how

you can create notes and all that good

stuff

the last thing I'm going to show you

today is how to use some Community

plugins which is really where obsidian

gets lots of lots of its power and we're

not going to go too deep but hopefully

you'll get some good ideas for what

could be useful

um so here's one example right here so

I've got my note here and I say download

obsidian here and I've got the URL

copied to my clipboard and in most apps

what you can do is paste onto that and

it will automatically create it as a

link but it actually just replaces it

with the link here so let me undo that

and our first Community plugin is going

to help us with this so I'm going to go

into the settings go to community

plugins

and we're going to turn them on they

give you some warning here

um but we're just going to turn it on

and you can go ahead and browse the

directory there is 904 plugins shown

here there's a bunch of different ways

to get these but this is the easiest so

the first one we're going to do is

called uh what's it called paste URL

into selection this one is great so this

does exactly what we're talking about

and just like the themes you've got kind

of the readme down here from GitHub that

shows you how it works this one has a

nice GIF that shows you how it works but

we kind of know what it's expected to do

so let's just install this it's

installed and then you have to enable it

so now it's enabled you can do some

stuff with it but we're just going to

use it straight out of the box so again

I'm going to select this text I'm going

to paste and hey download obsidian here

there's the URL it's a nice markdown

link when I select where I move the

cursor out of it it's just nicely

formatted so

that's an essential one I think if you

do anything with putting links into your

text you're really going to appreciate

this one again this one is called paste

URL into selection another really cool

one is actually going to help reduce

some of these stress you might get from

all the things that are in obsidian uh

this one's called Hider and so what

Hider does is basically lets you go

through a bunch of different things in

the app and you guessed it hide them so

let's go ahead and enable that and we're

just going to go to the options right

here and so this is a list of all the

things you can hide in the app right so

maybe you don't want to see scroll bars

maybe you think those are cluttering it

up you can get rid of those hide the

Vault name sure I don't even know where

that is going to show up but you can do

that hide the status bar hide the app

ribbon right so there you go

um that's uh this guy over here you can

hide that hide the tab bar get rid of

that like you can hide these elements

and just simplify the app a little bit

this is a really nice one if obsidian is

just a little too much for you out of

the box this next one I made a whole

other video about so I'll link to that

kind of up here and in the description

um but it's called Uh shortcut launcher

and it's from uh Mac Stories the guys

over at Mac stories and basically it's a

way to use your obsidian know it says

inputs for shortcuts and so again this

is really complicated I could get into

it uh pretty deep but I'm going to

actually just uh get out of here and

open up My Vault that I use for uh for

real day to day and that's this guy

right here and it's basically syncing in

my read wise highlights into here so I

can create blog posts uh link posts

based on them very easily so I've got

kind of some metadata about this article

I've got the Highlight that I

highlighted and if I wanted to create a

blog post and Ulysses for this all I hit

is command P to start this going I have

it called shortcut launcher Ulysses post

hit enter and now

Ulysses opens and here's the name of the

article here's the author and the title

here's the link to the page and here's

the Highlight that I had highlighted and

so now I can just say like this sucks

all right

um and it's a post and I can publish it

uh to my blog from Ulysses

that's really awesome again watch the

whole other video to see how it's set up

but if I go in to my settings and here

go to community plugins and go into

shortcut launcher options you can see I

have one called Ulysses post and it's

basically you give it a name you tell

the name of your shortcut which is what

you have in the shortcuts app and then

what are you feed into the shortcut

really complicated holder video about it

I'll link in the description so yeah I

would recommend if you're looking at

this and you're browsing around go to

the community plugins page and this is

sorted by popularity so you can see what

things people are using with obsidian

you can do some tables here data view

template or templator is really nice if

you want to have like a notes template

so like when a new meeting starts if you

want to create a template for like

listing who's here what's talked about

all that good stuff you can use Templar

to create that you can create a kanban

board like there's a lot of stuff here

that we're just not going to get into

but yeah hopefully this video was

helpful at getting you at least a little

more comfortable in the obsidian

interface again if you go into settings

we only looked at some of the stuff in

the editor appearance and plugins but

there's more you can do here there's a

lot of canvas stuff that's pretty

Advanced you can set hotkeys for

basically every single action in the app

you can customize it to whatever works

for you so

tons of power here but hopefully this

makes it a little less intimidating and

you know what to do from here on out so

thank you so much for watching I'll see

you here next time bye

[Music]