How to Add an Overlay in OBS: Step-by-Step Guide

Adding an overlay in OBS takes a few clicks. Getting it to sit in the right place, at the right size, without a black box around it, takes a little more care. This guide walks you through image, video and browser source overlays, then shows you how to stack them and fix the problems that come up most often.

If you're not sure which overlay pieces you need yet, start with our breakdown of every element a stream overlay can include.

Before you start: canvas size and file types

Two settings decide whether your overlay lines up. Check them first.

1. Open Settings, then Video.
2. Look at Base (Canvas) Resolution. This is the size of your scene, often 1920x1080.
3. Make sure your overlay files were designed for that same size and aspect ratio.

Next, check the file type. Transparency is what lets your gameplay or webcam show through the overlay. Not every format keeps it.

Rule of thumb: if the file sits on top of something else, use PNG or WebM.

How to add an image overlay in OBS

An image source is the simplest overlay. Use it for a static webcam frame, a border or a logo.

1. Select your scene in the Scenes dock.
2. In the Sources dock, click the plus button and choose Image.
3. Pick Create new, give it a clear name like Webcam Frame, and click OK.
4. Click Browse, select your PNG file, and click OK.
5. Drag the image into place in the preview. Hold Alt while dragging an edge to crop instead of resize.

If the image should cover the whole screen, right-click it, open Transform and choose Fit to screen.

How to add a video or animated overlay

Animated frames, Starting soon screens and looping backgrounds use a Media Source.

1. In the Sources dock, click the plus button and choose Media Source.
2. Name it and click OK.
3. Keep Local File checked and browse to your video.
4. Check Loop if the animation should repeat.
5. Check Restart playback when source becomes active if you want it to start from the beginning each time you switch to the scene.
6. Click OK and position it in the preview.

For a full intro screen, our guide on making a Starting soon screen viewers will wait for covers what to put on it.

How to add a browser source overlay

Alerts, chat boxes and goal widgets usually come as a URL or an HTML file. You load them with a Browser source.

1. In the Sources dock, click the plus button and choose Browser.
2. Name it and click OK.
3. Paste the widget URL. For an HTML file on your computer, check Local file and browse to it instead.
4. Set Width and Height. Use your canvas size for full-screen widgets, or the size the widget was built for.
5. Leave the default Custom CSS in place. It sets the page background to transparent.
6. Click OK.

Two options are worth knowing. Shutdown source when not visible saves resources but can reset the widget. Refresh browser when scene becomes active reloads it each time you switch scenes.

Layering overlays in the right order

OBS draws sources from the bottom of the list up. Whatever sits at the top of the Sources dock appears in front of everything else.

A typical gameplay scene, from top to bottom:

• Alerts (browser source)
• Chat box (browser source)
• Webcam frame (image or media source)
• Webcam (video capture device)
• Game capture or display capture
• Background, if you use one

Move a source by dragging it in the list, or select it and use the up and down arrows at the bottom of the dock.

A few habits keep scenes tidy:

• Click the lock icon next to a source once it's placed. You won't drag it by accident.
• Build shared elements, like your alerts and chat, in one scene. Then add that scene as a source inside your other scenes. Edit it once, and every scene updates.
• Name sources clearly. You'll thank yourself mid-stream.

Fixing black backgrounds, wrong sizing and other problems

The overlay has a black background

• Video overlay: the file is probably MP4 with H.264, which has no transparency. Ask for or export a WebM with an alpha channel.
• Image overlay: the file is probably a JPG. Use a PNG with a transparent background.
• Browser source: check that Custom CSS still sets the background to transparent, and that the widget page itself doesn't set a solid color.
• Last resort: right-click the source, open Filters, and add a Color Key or Chroma Key filter. It works, but edges can look rough.

The overlay is the wrong size or stretched

• Right-click the source, open Transform, and choose Reset Transform. Then use Fit to screen.
• If it's stretched, the file's aspect ratio doesn't match your canvas. Fit to screen keeps proportions; Stretch to screen does not.
• For a browser source that looks cut off, the Width and Height in its properties are too small. Raise them rather than scaling the box in the preview.
• If it looks blurry, check that the file was made at your canvas resolution, not smaller.

The overlay doesn't show at all

• Check the eye icon next to the source.
• Check the order. A full-screen game capture above your overlay will hide it.
• For browser sources, open its properties and click Refresh cache of current page.
• If browser sources are slow, look in Settings, then Advanced, then Sources, for the browser source hardware acceleration option.

If you'd rather start from a ready-made pack

Glowframe makes animated overlays with AI, designed around your channel name. As an example, here's what each pack cost on the site the day this article was written:

You still place and layer the pieces yourself using the steps above. You can look at a sample first, see the details on the OBS stream package page, and compare both packs on the pricing page.