If live streaming is your thing then you’ll know how important
an overlay can be. Not only does it look more professional to include good
graphics, but it also lets you include important information that can help you
boost your follower numbers and earn more money.
Quickly Create an Overlay for Live Streaming Video With PlaceIt
There are a few ways you can go about creating an overlay
for your Twitch, YouTube, Facebook,or other livestream. You may want to use software you have and are familiar
with, like Adobe
Photoshop or After Effects.
If you prefer a quicker and easier method, though, with PlaceIt you can start with
a ready-made professional template and make changes right there on the site to produce an overlay that suits your brand and stream. Let’s look at how you can do
that.
There are many
options on PlaceIt (for a small fee, or as part of a subscription) when it comes to overlays, but here’s one good example
designed for people who want to stream games via Twitch using Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) Studio :
Twitch
OBS Live Stream Overlay Generator with Webcam Frame
This overlay
is obviously designed for a gamer who specialises in shooter video games like
Call of Duty. The template can be adjusted to keep the basic features but to
make it look completely different.
To demonstrate
how you can adjust the features of a template to make it your own, and as I don't have my own 'brand,' I’m going to
pay homage to the aesthetic of one of my favourite games, Red Dead Redemption
2.
1. Change the
Background Image to Create a Preview
Each template
will come with its own background stock image or animated footage. You can
select from the options on PlaceIt, which will be similarly themed with
whatever the subject of the chosen template is, for example the one we’re using
here has stock image options of soldiers. You can
upload your own image or get a stock image from elsewhere. As our RDR2 theme is
that of a western, here’s an image from Envato Elements that fits.
To change the image in the template, click on ‘Custom Image’ and
upload your picture. The maximum size accepted is 12MB so you may need to
resize your photo to fit. Once uploaded, you get the option to crop it to fit
the screen, so you don’t need to worry too much about the dimensions.
2. Adjust Main Theme Colours
The RDR2 colour palette is quite simple: red, orange, black,
and white. Keep in mind that your text should be easy to read, which usually
means picking text and background colours that have a lot of contrast.
You can ignore the Background colour option if you’re
using a stock image. If you prefer not to use an image then choose a background
colour that won’t be hard to look at for long periods of time.
To change the Frame colour, click to expand the colour box
and you’ll see a palette of colours, along with the option ‘more’ which will
bring up a more detailed box where you can also put in a # number. Colour
dropping the RDR2 artwork brings up the colour #bf0618 for the red, so that’s
what I’ll use as the frame colour.
Just under the colour options are different frame designs.
At the moment, ‘live cam geometric’ is pre-typed as a search parameter to make
sure the frame still fits with your live cam layout, so they don’t change the
entire frame, just the sides. If you remove the search parameter it brings up
more results, but these will potentially adjust the whole frame and might not
fit with your particular live stream anymore.
I’ve chosen a nice thin frame as there’s already enough
going on in the background and I don’t want it to be too distracting.
Webcam Frame Position
If you want to move the webcam frame (the square bottom-left), just click to grab it
and drag to whichever position works for you.
3. Icon Colour Change
There are social media icons at the bottom of the frame that
are separate to the text, so you can adjust those colours without changing any
of the text yet if you want to. Using the RDR2 colour palette, I’ve chosen #F48E29
– the orange colour.
Change the colour the same way you did with the frame, using
the ‘More’ option if you want to select your own specific colour.
4. Fonts
The last thing to look at is the text: font, colour and
content. If any particular text doesn’t apply to you, for example ‘Top Donators,’
you can simply click the blue tick icon to untick it and that text will be
removed from the template.
Each text option has a selection of fonts to choose from,
and if you click ‘More Fonts’ it will open up a list by their tags (their main ‘look’)
as well as the option to search. If I search for ‘Western’ it brings up several
options that fit with that.
One slightly frustrating thing is that you can’t select a
font size, so you’ll have to use the size boxes on each text to drag and resize.
You may want to use more than one font, particularly if the
one you’ve chosen is very decorative or a bit too bold to use for everything.
If you choose another, try to keep it in a similar style and if you’re unsure,
read our guide to choosing
the best fonts for your brand.
5. Export the Finished Overlay Image
Well done, you've changed a pre-made streaming overlay to something that's more... you! You can edit the same frames to look like different offshoots of your brand, or to nod to the games you're streaming—just by changing the colours and fonts.
Create the Overlay Image
Now, last step, head back to the image selection controls and select No Image. This removes the preview image so that you can use the empty frame as an overlay on your broadcast. Now click Download.
Once your file has downloaded, you can set up your streaming software to use the image. Here's how to do that in OBS:
If you fancy a change, there are lots of templates to choose from, and if you're feeling like you might want to look at creating other graphics for your livestream, then take a look at some of our articles below.
More Awesome Video Resources From Envato
Envato Video Marketing Guide
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our guide. You'll learn video marketing from start to
finish to improve your next production — and connect with customers.
Free Video Assets From Mixkit
Check out Mixkit for free stock videos, free stock music, and free templates for Adobe Premiere Pro.
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an online video maker with professionally-designed motion graphics
templates; you can make videos quickly, right in your browser.
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