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How to create interesting overlays for game streaming
Your overlay says a lot about you as a streamer. It’s the first impression you’ll make on a new viewer so it’s important to get right, though there are a few different ways you can go about making it. I’ve been streaming on Twitch for nearly a decade and have gone through countless rebrands in that time. Here’s what I’ve learned and some of my favorite tools to help your stream look its best.
Before we get into it, it's worth remembering that overlays are entirely a personal preference. Everyone’s different and there's no rule that says you even need an overlay at all if you don’t want one. Before you start worrying about exactly how to make it happen, work out the vibe you’re going for because that will influence which of these paths are best suited to you.
Alex has been creating let's play content and streaming games on Twitch for more than a decade. Playing games to what he'd describe as "a vaguely acceptable standard", he's usually stressing over traffic in Cities Skylines 2 or fishing a tractor out of a river in Farming Simulator (don't ask). You'll also find him chatting about Formula 1 on the Lap Down Podcast.
Designing an overlay from scratch
If you've got a creative streak and a little time on your hands, building your own overlay from the ground up will give you the most freedom and control. In OBS you can build overlays by layering up multiple image and media sources, or alternatively you can create a single image or video with everything contained in one file. I prefer the first option because it allows for tweaks on the fly. There’s nothing worse than having crucial game HUD elements covered by your overlay and not being able to do anything about it!
You’re best off sticking to PNGs for images and WebM for video as these both allow for alpha transparency. If you’re limited to formats that don’t natively allow for transparency (JPEG or MP4 for example) you can fake this with a Chroma Key filter by filling your to-be transparent areas with an unusual color like bright green or purple. It likely won’t be quite as neat and it can place a little extra strain on your hardware, but it gets the job done.
If you're comfortable with image editing software, Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator remain the gold standard for creating overlay elements with full creative control. They are pricey though. GIMP does much of the same work for free, as does the new version of Affinity, and Figma is a decent option if you’re after something simpler that works in a browser. For animated overlay elements or custom transitions you're in Adobe territory again with Premiere Pro or After Effects, but there are alternatives you can consider too.
The learning curve is steeper here, but the results can be seriously impressive and far more personal if you put the time in.
Using pre-made overlays
Not everyone has the skills to design from scratch, and that's completely fine, I was the same when I started out.
The good news is you can cheat a little because there's a massive market for pre-made overlays that include everything from simple webcam borders to full scene collections with matching panels, alerts, and offline screens.
Nerd or Die is probably the best-known website for these, with both free and premium overlay packs, though these days both Streamlabs and StreamElements have similar offerings too. OWN3D Pro offers a subscription model with a huge library of overlays if you’re a fan of mixing up your style, though it does also sell packs individually if you don’t want an ongoing expense. You’ll find plenty of independent designers selling packs through marketplace sites like Etsy and Envato if you want something with a bit more personality and customization potential.
Just don’t get sucked into common scams in Twitch chat or on Discord. If someone new joins your stream or slides into your DMs and instantly wants to talk about your overlay or panels, chances are it’s a scam. Don’t risk it: ban them and move on.
Upgrading to advanced overlays
Static images or looping video sources are just the beginning of what’s possible in the world of overlays. There are tools and plugins that open up a bunch of dynamic and interactive options if you’ve got the time and patience to fiddle with setting them up. This is where things start to get complicated, but mastery of this kind of software can take your streams to the next level.
My favorite option is Streamer.bot, a powerful free app that acts like a command centre for my stream. On top of handling my basic chatbot duties like commands and quotes, it adds custom functionality that I use to power my overlays and transitions with a few OBS plugins. Instead of a static scene for my gameplay and a second static scene for just chatting, I have one master scene that acts like a stage and Streamer.bot moves sources around it like a digital stagehand. It connects to OBS via websocket, and with it you can show, hide, and move sources, trigger media, and manipulate filters all through automated actions and triggered macros.
I find it seriously ramps up the production values while making my stream feel alive and interactive at the same time. I do most of the work controlling changes with Stream Deck buttons, but my viewers can also redeem channel points to skew my facecam into looking like Megamind or send it flinging across the screen. There’s a fair amount of trial and error involved in setting all of this up, and you’ll still need a few custom or premade graphic elements as well, but I believe the pay off is worth the investment.
It's worth mentioning VTuber models and assets here too, because they've boomed in popularity in recent years. Tools like VTube Studio and Animaze let you replace a traditional facecam with an animated avatar that tracks or reacts to your movements. ]
While technically a VTuber model is no different to a facecam, you'll want to think about how your overlay interacts with or supports your model. Many VTubers build their entire overlay around the avatar itself, rather than treating it like an element within the overlay.
Remember: the choice is yours!
Whichever route you take to creating your stream overlay, keep in mind you don’t need to do it all at once and it definitely doesn’t need to be the final finished product from stream number one. Whether you’re looking for a glow up or you’re new to streaming altogether, my advice is to start simple and don’t give in to perfection paralysis.
A clean facecam frame could be all you need to begin with, you can always add more elements and evolve what you have as time goes on. Overlay elements are easy to add and remove from your canvas, so there’s no harm in experimenting and trying something new or different. Just please don’t talk to those chat scammers…
➡️ Read our full guide to the best microphones for streaming
1. Best overall:
Blue Yeti
2. Best budget:
AKG Ara
3. Best premium:
SteelSeries Alias
4. Best RGB:
HyperX DuoCast
5. best mid-range:
Blue Snowball
6. Best compact:
Rode X XCM-50
7. Best Mobile:
JBL Quantum Stream Wireless
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