Today, all you need to build a global streaming business is a live streaming platform. But, to reach more viewers, it is important to be able to stand out from the crowd. How to Add Overlay Graphics in OBS Studio An overlay can be a very simple graphic, as uncomplicated as a border that goes around the frame of your video. Whether you want to start a streaming service or live stream an event, customization and branding will help you get noticed. One of the ways to achieve this is with a stream overlay because it makes it easier for viewers to identify your brand and stream at a glance. Stream overlays also enhance the broadcast by displaying notifications and donation messages which are all integrated into the video stream. You can easily add an overlay in OBS(Open Broadcaster Software) as we will show you in the below post. Much like OBS plugins, overlays are an extension of the default OBS functionality. Now you can assign a source to the new scene - in our case this source will be your new overlay. Click the plus icon under the Scenes window and create a new scene. After connecting your YouTube channel to OBS Studio, youll be back in the main screen of the OBS interface. A stream overlay is typically a graphic or piece of information that is visible to the viewer on top of the raw live video feed. For the setup, youll need the free streaming tool OBS-Studio. Overlays are typically things like images, text, webcams, custom QR codes or interactive elements that are used to add more information and styling to your broadcast.

On websites such as Twitch, overlays can be used to display viewer donations as well as recent followers or subscribers. There is a good amount of Twitch overlay templates to help you add an extra layer of interactivity to your stream.

You can keep adding more layers until you have something that looks completely different from your competitors, which really helps you stand out. Image via Twitch’s official channel Why Use A Stream Overlay? Below is an example of how Twitch’s own channel harnesses the power of interactive elements and custom OBS overlays to produce a very unique looking stream. We already covered some of the reasons to use live stream overlays.

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