An overlay is the frame and elements layered over your stream: camera frame, panels, corners, chat background. A good overlay instantly makes a stream look professional. And you can make it free. Let's see how.
An overlay is the visual design of a stream: a frame around the webcam, a nickname panel, a spot for the latest subscriber, decorations along the edges. Without an overlay a stream looks bare; with it, stylish and recognizable. Viewers subconsciously trust a designed channel more.
There are sites with free overlays for streamers. Search for free stream overlay. Download a template as PNG (images) or a ready OBS package. Pick one matching your theme and colors.
Open OBS. In Sources click plus, choose Image for a PNG overlay. Point to the overlay file. Stretch it to fill the screen (1920x1080). Important: the overlay must be ABOVE the game/camera source in the list to layer on top.
If the overlay has a webcam frame, add a camera source and move it exactly into that frame. Same for other zones: chat, recent events. Adjust sizes so everything fits neatly.
When everything's in place, the scene is ready. OBS remembers the layout. You can make several scenes: gameplay, pause screen, stream ending, and switch between them.
Free templates are used by thousands of streamers, so your channel will look like others. We'll make a unique overlay for your brand: colors, logo, animation. You'll stand out. Write to us for examples.