We have great news for all live video aficionados out there! You can now use Shakr templates to make overlay videos for your live stream.

Facebook live videos are starting to become more and more popular lately. If you have watched one recently, you may have noticed that some have an overlay image or a video teaser before the live video starts. Throughout the live video, they also have different overlays at the bottom. Before the video ends, there’s another overlay thanking the viewers for tuning in.

Make your brand stand out even more and engage with your live audience with real-time comments and live reactions using Shakr’s Live Video Overlays!

Video Overlays provides an added production value that will enhance the viewing experience of your live streams. Shakr’s Live Video Overlays lets you add your brand’s logo or countdown to the corner of your live stream.

You can also put up the name of the live video speaker with Shakr’s lower third video design. It’s a great way to recognize brand sponsors, promote upcoming activities and sales, and feature any type of advertisements.

Let’s see which one of Shakr’s live video templates you can use:

Example: Lower Thirds

Lower thirds are a great way to introduce your speakers, hosts, or guests. It can be as simple as a name and title. But you can also add more complex visuals with promotions for your live stream.

Example: Logo Watermark

A simple logo placed in one of the corners of your live stream is a great way to subtly promote your brand.

Example: Full-Screen Video Overlay

You can overlay full-screen videos with Shakr’s live video templates. Before your stream begins, you can overlay a pre-roll video to give your viewers the impression that the stream will begin momentarily.

Take this time to ask your audience to share the live stream and expand your reach! If there are any intermissions or pauses during your live stream, you can use full-screen videos to fill in the break. Once your live stream is over, you can use a full-screen video to indicate the grand finale. You can also use it to push a great CTA for your brand!

Example: Announcements and Sponsorships

You can use multiple overlays during breaks of your broadcasts to recognize your sponsors and update viewers on sales events they don’t want to miss!

Let’s get started and find out how your brand can incorporate Shakr’s live video overlays on your live stream.

The first step is pretty easy. You can start by creating your video overlays using Shakr’s exclusive Live Stream collection.

Now how do you get it onto your live stream video?

Using Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)

Open Broadcast Software (OBS) is free software used by streamers to direct their videos and add overlays. Instead of running your live streams directly through Facebook, you can run them through OBS, which will then send the information on Facebook. This will allow you to edit real-time videos during the live feed.

Once you have the software installed, open up the application. It will look something like this:

 

The red boxed area at the bottom is called the “Dock” where you will find everything you need to set up and customize your live stream.

Step 1: Click (+) under “Sources” window in your “Dock”.

A popup menu will appear starting with Audio Input Capture. Click on “Video Capture Device”.

It is important to pick the ideal aspect ratio according to the placement of your live stream. Find out which social media sites you want your live video to be shown (Facebook, Youtube, etc.).

Aspect ratio is defined by your base resolution. The default setting is set by your webcam, but you can change this in your Video Settings. You can access this by clicking “Settings” under “Controls” in your dock.

 

In your “Settings” sidebar, click “Video.” Then, change the aspect ratio to your preferred size for both Base (Canvas) Resolution as well as Output (Scaled) Resolution.

The common FPS default value is set at 30. Your FPS setting depends on your streaming platform. For example, Facebook Streaming Guidelines states that the maximum FPS setting you can stream on the platform is 30.

 

To choose a video to overlay over your stream click the (+) under the “Sources” window again. This time, click “Media Source.”

 

Click “Browse” on the popup window and choose the video you want to overlay your live stream with.

Once you have chosen your media, you can choose to have the video “Loop,” “Restart playback when the source becomes active,” etc. For video ads, we recommend you only have your video on Loop. Afterward, click OK to continue.

 

 

After clicking OK, you might be puzzled to find that your video doesn’t fit perfectly on your desired aspect ratio.

But don’t worry!

You can transform the size of your video using the red nubs all around the border of your video.

And that’s it, you have successfully added a video overlay on your live stream!

 

Once your Webcam, Aspect Ratio, and Overlay video are all set, you are now ready to connect to your preferred video streaming platform. Start by clicking “Settings” in your dock, then “Stream” in your “Settings” toolbar.

Choose the Streaming Service you will use under the “Service” menu. The dropdown menu includes some of the most popular streaming services online.

If you don’t immediately see your preferred streaming service, click “Show All” at the bottom to view more options.

 

 

Each one of these services requires a “Stream Key” to connect with OBS. For most streaming services, OBS has a clickable “(Link)” next to “Stream Key” that directs you to where you can find your “Stream Key.”

OBS doesn’t include this link for Facebook Live, but this article from Facebook provides a detailed walkthrough on how to find your “Stream Key”.