Stream Overlays

Stream overlays are meant to be personalized. Stop using the same tired OBS templates — and start customizing. Studio-grade design, powered by smart engineering.

Download stream overlays

Start by picking a base design theme. Choose from hundreds of art and animation styles.

Free – $10.00

The best YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch streaming overlays, period.

What are stream overlays?

Overlays are specialty graphics “added” to a livestream. Most commonly, they include images, animations, and widget tools. These are then superimposed—or layered over—your background video. That way, viewers see your overlays on “top” of your gameplay, camera or screen-share.

In the livestreaming world, the term “overlay” is used very broadly. Here are a few of the most common examples:

Webcam frames and greenscreen bars
Stream alerts and event lists
Screens and social CTAs
Goal widgets and chat boxes

Overlays are usually managed using streaming software, like OBS or Streamlabs. Most commonly, overlays take the form of transparent PNG or WEBM files.

isometric overlays layered over screen monitor

3d isometric webcam overlays over gameplay background

Types of Twitch overlays

Stream overlays come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some of the most common you’ll find:

Webcam overlays

These are special frames that border your camera. While commonly rectangles, you can change your camframe to different shapes—like circles or squares—using image masks.

Green screen bars

A must-have for green screen lovers. Unlike traditional webcam frames, these overlays only feature a bottom border. No more floating cameras or awkward profile cut-offs at the chest.

Stream alerts

Alerts are notifications that play whenever a viewer interacts with your channel. They are commonly triggered by events like donations or hosts — plus new followers and subscribers.

Event lists

Like alerts, these widgets display recent stream events. But while alerts disappear, event lists are permanent fixtures on your stream — as new events come in, it updates in real time.

Goal widgets

These widgets track your progress towards channel goals. You can custom-create milestones and viewer rewards — then watch them update in real time as new events come in.

Chat boxes

Get chat up on the big screen! These stream overlays display your chat on-screen, for everyone to see. A great way to boost viewer interaction. Customize its appearance and layout to fit your brand.

Social CTAs

Grow your social audience! Animated CTAs—or “calls to action”—display your social handles on-stream. The perfect tool for gaining new followers on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and more.

Stream screens

Screens are alternate visual layouts for your broadcast. Some are optimized for IRL chat, while others are better for gaming. The most common examples are Intermission, BRB, and Offline.

Why should I use stream overlays?

Overlays are like visual powerups for your stream. Almost every streamer uses them, although to varying degrees. When done right, overlays help separate professional creators from amateurs.

In general, Twitch overlays serve four purposes:

Aesthetics: Not only do they look great, overlays are the foundation of your visual brand.
Informational: Overlays often display important info about your channel, community or content.
Engagement: Some overlays can help revive a dead chat, while others may increase your concurrent viewers.
Monetization: A good overlay strategy can boost viewer donations and channel subscriptions — often dramatically.

Professional overlays help you stand out from the millions of small streamers out there. For that reason alone, they’re an essential tool for any Twitch creator.

isometric streamer obs layout on pedestal

Live streamer plays Call of Duty lightstream

What is a stream package?

Stream packages are all-in-one overlay bundles. They contain all the essential broadcast graphics in a single download.

Packs are the most popular way to get stream overlays, for four reasons:

Ease of use: You don’t have to download each individual overlay separately. Instead a single, neatly-organized pack has everything you need.
United theme: Each pack is built around a particular art style. Your overlays have a cohesive design theme, instead of looking mismatched.
Cheaper: Most stream packs cost around $30–40 USD. If you were to buy each element separately, the price could be double or triple that!
Integrated: Stream package overlays are designed to work together. For example, your alerts and event list may combine for awesome effect!

Alongside all the core overlays, stream packages often include bonus goodies—like stinger transitions, Twitch panels, social profile art, and custom sound effects.

Plasma Stream Package — Wondering how to get stream overlays? Start with a stream package.

What themes can I choose?

Stream overlays come in hundreds—if not thousands—of art styles. There is a pack for every personality, brand, or content type. Try a few of our favorites below.

Try it out

Animals

Archetype

Carbon

Community

Dot Wave

Endgame

Forsaken

Glass

Libra

Panorama

Pixels

Plasma

Primordial

Prismatic

Riptide

Spartan

System Override

Talon II

Turf

VHS

Can I customize my stream overlay templates?

Yes. We believe every stream overlay should be customizable. After all, what’s the point of using the same exact design as everyone else?

That’s why VBI graphics go beyond good looks alone—they’re built using smart engineering. Our technology allows you to personalize:

Colors: custom-select color hues that match your brand look and style
Text: craft your own alert messages, goal milestones, and screen titles
Layouts: our screens are built modular — drag and drop to move elements
Events: track the event types that are most important to your audience

Want to make advanced edits? Every stream package download includes original design files. That means you can jump into Photoshop to make all the tweaks and adjustments you want. Don’t have Photoshop? Try a free 7-day trial.

Alert Customization Panel with sliders and toggle settings

Installing your overlay stream setup

Want to add overlays to your broadcast? First you’ll need to download streaming software such as OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, or StreamElements. Then you’ll need to add each overlay as a new Source. Generally, stream overlays fall into three different source categories:

Image

Image sources are used for static (i.e. unanimated) stream overlays. Use this option if your webcam frame or screen is static. The most common image file types are PNG and JPG — however, PNGs are much more common since they support transparency.

Media

Media sources are used for animated Twitch overlays, or video files. If your webcam or screen features moving effects, you’ll want to select this option. The most common video file types for streaming are WEBM, MP4, and GIF. Note: audio files also qualify as media sources.

Browser

Browser sources are overlays that are web-based (as in, not stored on your local PC). Instead of uploading a file, you’ll simply paste a URL into OBS. Browser sources are super popular for alerts and stream widgets—like event lists, goal overlays, chat boxes, and social CTAs.

Streamlabs Desktop setup

Sometimes you’ll need to manually import overlays—like your webcam or screens—to Streamlabs Desktop. From the Sources dock, add a new source. For static overlays select Image Source; for animated choose Media Source. Select Add a new source instead, name it and locate your overlay files on your PC. Make any settings adjustments and click Done. Now you can reposition and scale your stream overlay however you’d like.

Newer stream packages include a Streamlabs .overlay file. This allows you to instant import entire scene collections—including all your essential overlays. Locate the .overlay file in your download and save it to your PC. Return to Streamlabs Desktop, open your settings and select the Scene Collections tab. Select Import Overlay File and your scenes should begin loading.

Adding alerts or widgets, like event lists or goal overlays? First, find and open the Streamlabs One-Click Setups file in your download folder. This will open a web browser to Streamlabs — select a widget theme then apply any changes to your design settings. Once ready, save and copy your widget URL. Return to Streamlabs Desktop, add a new browser source and paste in your widget URL.

StreamElements setup

Do you use StreamElements and OBS.Live to manage your stream? If so, you’re likely using OBS Studio as your primary broadcast software. In that case, skip to the next section on OBS Studio — you’ll learn how to manually add overlay sources. You’ll also see how to instantly import entire scene collections in a few clicks. This is a quicker, easier way to set up your stream overlays, but it’s only available on newer stream packages.

(If you’re using StreamElements in combination with Streamlabs Desktop, jump to the section above on Streamlabs. There you’ll see how to add overlays both manually and automatically—using the scene collection importer.)

To set up alerts and widgets using StreamElements, first find your download folder. Inside, locate the StreamElements One-Click Setup URL file. This will open up StreamElements in your browser—and automatically import designs to your account. Click the Edit button, then personalize your alert settings. Once you’re ready, Save your changes then click the link icon to copy your Overlay URL. Return to OBS Studio, add a new browser source and paste in your unique URL.

OBS Studio setup

To manually add stream overlays for OBS, locate the Sources dock, then click the “+” button to create a new source. Choose Image Source for static graphics; choose Media Source for animated. Name it, then locate the overlay file on your PC. Make any settings changes, then click OK. Resize and reposition to your liking.

There’s an easier way to import overlays to OBS Studio. Once you’ve downloaded your files, locate the zip installer, called Drag Visuals_by_Impulse folder to C Drive. Right click and Extract Files to the C:\ folder on your hard drive. Now return to OBS Studio, click Scene Collection from the top menu, then select Import. In the next window, click Add, go to your C Drive and open the new Visuals_by_Impulse folder. Find the JSON file inside — once opened, your graphics should automatically import to OBS. (Note: This feature is only available on the latest VBI stream packages.)

To set up OBS alerts, we recommend first importing your files to either Streamlabs or StreamElements. This allows you to customize animations and fine-tune your alert settings. Jump to the sections above to see how! Once you’re done, return to OBS Studio. Add a new Browser Source containing your unique alerts URL.

Get stream overlays free

On a tight budget? Try out some of our free animated stream overlays. Unlike others, we don’t sacrifice quality in our free designs.

Some of our most popular free downloads include:

Valor Package: A sharp, FPS design inspired by Valorant
Luxury Package: An elegant, metallic look in black and gold
Scrapbook Package: Arts-and-crafts meets stop-motion

As a bonus, free stream overlays are an excellent way to test your PC specs. Unsure if your hardware can broadcast and run OBS animations? Try out a free animated package first — that way you can test performance before you buy.

See free designs