How to add a stream overlay to OBS Studio

How to add a stream overlay in OBS Studio

Your stream overlay is going to be most likely an image or a video, and in some cases it could be a browser source.  I will show you how to all 3 to OBS studio so you can decorate your stream the way you want it.

Stream Overlay Image

In the 'Sources' section you will see a + button, click on it to add a source.  You will see all these options, click on 'Image'.  

How to add an image stream overlay in OBS Studio
You will get a pop up that allows you to choose a file.  Click on 'Browse' and find and choose your image file.  I'm using an overlay from our cute Axolotl Pack you can find on our Etsy shop.

How to add an image stream overlay in OBS Studio 2
Once chosen, click 'Ok' and you are good to go.  There are many different layouts of stream overlays so fit your content to whatever the scene style is. 

How to add an image stream overlay in OBS Studio 3

Stream Overlay Video

The idea is the same for an overlay video.  Click the + to add a new source and choose 'Media Source'.  Choose 'Browse' and navigate to your video file and select it.

How to add a video stream overlay in OBS Studio
There is one thing you need to do before you are good to go.  You need to check the 'Loop' box.  If you don't the video will play one time and stop.  This will make it loop.
How to add a video stream overlay in OBS Studio 2

 If you are making your own stream overlay loop:

It's better to make a short video that loops than a very long video.  I made this mistake when I first started.  I rendered a 20 min video as a loop.  Not exactly sure why but just render a video that is one loop, the shortest loop possible.  It's better for performance.

Stream Overlay Browser Source

First off, you may be saying why would you do this?  This is a bit of an aside but when we sell overlays most people want some kind of customization, change some text, change some color, etc...  If the overlay is a video I have to go into the software and re-render with their changes and it turns into a nightmare, I hate doing it.  

A browser source lets me bake in the customization, so people can change the text, change the colors as they want.  It's code and not a rendered video.  Anyway...

Click on the + in Sources and choose 'Browser Source' and in the browser source URL add the URL.  In this example I'm using our Halloween vertical overlays on StreamElements so to get the URL of a StreamElements overlay click on the little link icon here:

How to add a browser source stream overlay in OBS Studio

And set the height and the width, I always set to 1920x1080 and then just adjust anything I need in the canvas.  Then click 'OK'

How to add a browser source stream overlay in OBS Studio 2
And there you go, in the same way as the image or if it's animated it's more like a video, you have a browser source as a stream overlay.
This image below is two vertical overlays next to eachother, and it illustrates the power of a browser source overlay.  For the starting soon screen on the right, that spider will drop down and pick up a random character every 20 seconds.  And also the text can be changed to whatever the streamer wants.  That is something that would be impossible with rendered video.
How to add a browser source stream overlay in OBS Studio 3