How to Add Overlays in OBS Studio

Edited 5 months ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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OBS Studio is a free and open-source software used by a wide range of creators, including gamers, streamers, and even teachers. It helps capture, mix, and stream video and audio in real-time. One of its most notable features is the ability to add overlays. Overlays help enhance a presentation by providing additional information or graphics, quickly improving the audience's experience.

Adding overlays in OBS Studio is a skill that can significantly improve your streaming or recording sessions. Overlays can range from simple images and text to more complex animations and widgets. Learning how to incorporate these overlays not only enhances your visual aesthetics but also keeps your audience engaged by providing additional context such as social media handles, game stats, current events, or sponsorships.

Understanding the basics of OBS Studio

Before delving deeper into overlays, it is essential to understand the primary aspects of OBS Studio. OBS Studio uses something called “scenes” and “sources”. Scenes are canvases where you can place whatever you want to display, and sources are the elements you place in these scenes.

• Scenes: Think of scenes as different TV channels or tabs in a browser where you present different information. A scene can be your game window, a webcam feed, or a combination of both.
• Sources: These are the individual elements that make up your scene, such as a video feed, image, browser window, or text. An overlay is essentially a source in OBS Studio.

Step-by-step guide to adding overlays

Step 1: Preparing your overlay resource

Before you start adding overlays in OBS Studio, make sure you have your overlay resources ready. These can be images, video files or animated elements, often in file formats such as PNG, GIF or MP4. For simple overlays, a static PNG image is usually used. However, for dynamic content, GIFs or videos are ideal.

Step 2: Adding the overlay to your scene

Once your overlay files are ready, open OBS Studio and follow these instructions to add your overlay to a scene:

• Open OBS Studio on your computer.
• In the bottom left corner, you will see a panel called &ldquoViews&rdquo. Either select an existing view or create a new view by clicking the &ldquo+&rdquo button.
• After selecting or creating a scene, go to the &ldquoSources&rdquo panel next to the &ldquoScenes&rdquo panel. This is where you will add your overlay.
• Click the &ldquo+&rdquo button in the &ldquoSources&rdquo panel to add a new source.
• Select &ldquoImage&rdquo from the list to add a still image overlay. If your overlay is animated or a video, select &ldquoMedia Source&rdquo instead.
• Give your new source a name and click &ldquoOK&rdquo.
• Browse your computer files to locate and select your overlay file (image, GIF, or video).
• Click &ldquoOK&rdquo to add the overlay to your sources list.

You'll see your overlay appear in the preview window. Adjust the position and size by clicking and dragging directly in the preview window.

Step 3: Adjusting the overlay properties

Now that your overlay is in place, you'll want to fine-tune its look. Right-click the overlay source in the &ldquoSources&rdquo panel to open the properties and customize the settings.

• Transform: This allows you to adjust the scale, rotation, and alignment of your overlay. Right-click on the overlay in the preview, hover over the &ldquoTransform&rdquo option, and choose what you need.
• Filters: By adding filters, you can apply color correction, chroma key, or even blur effects to your overlay. Right-click the overlay source, select &ldquoFilter&rdquo, and add the effect you want.
• Opacity: Sometimes you want the overlay to be less dominant. Adjust the opacity to make it semi-transparent using a color correction filter.

Step 4: Layering the overlays

In OBS Studio, sources are displayed in the order they are listed, from top to bottom. This essentially means that a source placed above another source in the list will appear above that source in your scene. This is important for correctly layering overlays with other sources such as live video or backgrounds.

• To change the order of your sources, click and drag them up or down in the &ldquoSources&rdquo list until they are in the desired position.
• Consider the visual hierarchy you want to maintain. For example, text overlays should typically be placed above video sources so they remain legible at all times.

Step 5: Saving scenes and transitioning between them

Once your overlay is set to your liking, you can switch between different views to test the transitions and make sure everything looks the way you want it to during the broadcast. It's good practice to save your settings frequently to prevent loss of any adjustments.

• Click &ldquoFile&rdquo in the top menu and select &ldquoSave.&rdquo This ensures that your current project and all overlays are stored.
• Use the &ldquoScene Transitions&rdquo panel to adjust the style and duration of transitions between scenes, which can be especially useful if different scenes have different overlays.

Advanced tips for using overlays

Aside from the basic approach to adding overlays in OBS Studio, there are several advanced techniques that can further enhance your setup:

Tip 1: Best practices for overlay design

Overlays should complement your main content rather than overpower it. Here are some tips for effective overlay design:

• Keep it simple: Overly complex overlays can distract viewers from your main content. Use minimal design elements to enhance, not distract.
• Be consistent: Maintain a consistent style and color scheme across all overlays to create a more professional and consistent appearance.
• Use readable fonts: Choose fonts that are easy to read from a distance. Consider size, color contrast, and font weight.

Tip 2: Using browser sources for dynamic overlays

To further improve interactivity, consider using browser sources as overlays. This could include things like a chat box, follower notifications, or live game statistics. OBS Studio allows you to add a URL as a source, presenting it just like a web browser.

• When adding a new source select the &ldquoBrowser&rdquo source.
• Enter the URL of the overlay service you are using (for example, Streamlabs or StreamElements).
• Adjust the width and height to suit your stream layout.

Tip 3: Scripting and automation

OBS Studio supports scripting, which can be used to automate overlays. This feature can be especially useful for managing multiple overlays or triggering events based on certain actions.

• Scripting can be done through OBS Studio's scripting interface using Python or Lua.
• Write scripts to automatically adjust overlays based on audience interaction, timer-based events, or data from online sources.

Conclusion

Adding overlays in OBS Studio is a straightforward but powerful way to improve your live stream or video production. By using overlays effectively, you can deliver more engaging content and provide a better experience for your viewers. The ability to customize, update, and automate these overlays gives you complete control over the visual presentation of your stream. Whether you're a beginner looking to add simple text overlays or an experienced streamer looking to incorporate advanced widgets, OBS Studio provides a versatile platform to enhance your broadcasting capabilities.

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