Add the logo as an Image source in the OBS scene that sends your video to YouTube. Position and resize it in the preview, then move it above the video source in the Sources list so it renders in front.
Check the finished scene in OBS and in a test YouTube broadcast before relying on it overnight. The overlay changes the scene composition only; it does not make your computer, network, encoder, or YouTube broadcast more reliable.
Prepare a logo image that will behave well
Start with the file rather than the OBS controls. The machine running OBS needs access to the logo file whenever the scene loads, so keep it in a permanent folder rather than in Downloads or on a removable drive. A simple folder such as Videos\Channel Assets\Logo makes it easier to find again after an update or restart.
OBS lists BMP, TGA, PNG, JPEG or JPG, and GIF as formats for its Image source. The OBS Image Sources guide is the right reference if your file does not load as expected. For most channel logos, a PNG with transparency is the practical choice. It lets the artwork sit over the video without adding a solid white or black rectangle around it.
A transparent file is not automatically a good overlay. Open it before adding it and check that the lettering is legible at the size you expect to use. A logo that looks clear in an image editor at full size may become too small after it is placed in a corner of a wide scene. Conversely, a large opaque background can cover part of a devotional video, a news loop, or a study timer.
Use a version with enough contrast against the content below it. If the footage changes from a dark temple image to a pale sky, a single-colour logo may disappear in one part of the loop. You can solve that in the artwork with a modest outline, shadow, or background shape, but check that the result still looks intentional when reduced in OBS.
Before changing the scene, make a note of which OBS scene is actually live. A common mistake is to add the logo to a scene called “Main” while the broadcast is using a different scene containing the video playlist. If you are still building the programme, the guide to streaming a playlist of videos on YouTube with OBS can help you identify the scene and source structure you are working with.
Add an Image source to the OBS scene
Open OBS and select the scene used for the YouTube broadcast. The Scenes dock is normally separate from the Sources dock. Select the scene first, because sources belong to scenes. Adding an image while another scene is selected will not place it in the scene you intended to change.
In the Sources dock, select the + button and choose Image. OBS will ask you to create or select a source. Give it a clear name such as Channel logo, Watermark, or Logo - top right. A descriptive name matters later when several sources have similar thumbnails or when you need to troubleshoot a scene after a restart.
In the properties window, use Browse to choose the logo file. Confirm the file path and look at the preview in the properties window before selecting OK. If the image appears with an unwanted background, the issue is usually in the image file itself rather than in YouTube. Return to the artwork and export a transparent version if that is what the design requires.
The new Image source will appear in the Sources list and in the scene preview. At this stage it may be large, centred, or covering the whole video. That is normal. Do not judge the final result until you have positioned and resized the source.
If OBS offers to add an existing source rather than create a new one, consider whether you want one shared source or a separate source in this scene. Sharing can be useful when the same logo is used in several places, but a change to a shared source may affect every scene using it. For a simple 24/7 channel, a clearly named source in each relevant scene is often easier to understand.
If your broadcast switches between an opening scene, the main loop, and a holding scene, add or copy the logo into every scene where it should appear. A source belongs to a scene, so its visibility in one scene does not mean it will appear in another. This is especially important when the logo is visible during the main video but disappears during a “starting soon” or standby layout.
Position and size the logo
Select the logo source in the Sources list. A red bounding box should appear around it in the preview. Drag inside the box to move the logo and drag a handle to resize it. Place it where viewers can see it without covering the subject, subtitles, devotional text, headline ticker, or study timetable.
Corners are common positions, but the best corner depends on the source video. A lower corner may conflict with YouTube controls or captions. A top corner may cover a name or title in a local news loop. Watch a representative frame from the actual programme instead of choosing a position from a blank scene.
Resize gradually. The aim is for the logo to identify the channel without becoming the main object on screen. On a video with detailed artwork, a smaller mark may be clearer than a large translucent one. On a plain lofi background, the same logo might need a little more size or contrast to remain recognisable.
For exact placement, use Edit menu → Transform → Edit Transform. The OBS Sources Guide documents the transform controls and the relationship between a source and the scene. This is useful when you want the same position across several scenes, or when dragging by eye leaves the logo slightly different in each layout.
Be careful with commands that fit a source to the scene. A fit-to-screen transform is intended to make the selected source fill the scene. That is appropriate for a background image, not for a corner logo. If you apply it to the logo, it may cover the video and make it appear that the Image source has replaced the entire scene.
If the logo looks stretched, return to the transform controls and check its proportions. The artwork should normally retain its original shape. A distorted circle, symbol, or wordmark will look careless even if the layer order is correct.
Use the eye icon beside the source to hide and show it while checking the underlying video. This is a visual comparison, not a reliability setting. If the logo is hidden, it will not be sent in the scene. If you want it in the broadcast, leave the source visible in every scene where it is required.
OBS's Image source documentation also explains that unloading an image while it is hidden can free memory, but the image may take a short time to reappear after a scene change. For a logo that should always be present, avoid building a workflow around repeatedly unloading and loading it. Keep the source simple and visible unless you deliberately need a different layout.
Put the logo above the video source
The most important layer-order rule is simple: sources higher in the Sources list render in front of sources lower in the list. Select the logo and drag it above the video, playlist, or background source. If the video source is called Media, VLC Video, Playlist, or Browser, the logo must be higher than that source.
For example, a useful list might look like this:
| Sources list position | Source | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Channel logo | Sits in front of the other sources |
| Below | Text or now-playing label | Adds information over the video |
| Below | Video or playlist | Provides the moving picture |
| Bottom | Background colour or image | Fills any unused space |
The top of the list is the front of the scene, not the back. If the logo is below an opaque video source, OBS is still loading the image, but the video is covering it. Moving the logo upward usually fixes this without changing the file.
Other sources may intentionally sit above the logo. For example, a temporary emergency notice, a full-screen holding graphic, or a caption layer may need to cover the channel mark. Put those sources above the logo only when that is the layout you want. Otherwise, leave the logo above the video and below any element that should deliberately take priority.
Also check the eye icon. A source can be in the correct order and still be invisible because it is hidden. If the logo is visible in the preview but absent after a scene change, select the other scene and inspect its own Sources list. The order and visibility are controlled per scene.
The OBS Project describes the principle directly in its stream layout tutorial: the order of sources determines which ones appear in front of or behind the others. Once you understand that rule, most missing-overlay problems become a short check of the source name, eye icon, and list position.
Check the scene preview before going live
Do not treat a visible logo in the preview as the end of the check. Let the actual video play for long enough to see different colours, brightness levels, and important parts of the layout. A logo that works over a dark opening may be hard to read when the loop reaches a bright daylight scene.
Check the following in the OBS preview:
- The logo is in the intended scene, not only in a different scene.
- The eye icon is enabled.
- The logo is above the video source.
- The artwork is not stretched or cropped.
- The logo does not cover a face, subtitle, headline, timer, or key devotional text.
- The logo remains inside the scene frame rather than partly outside it.
- Any text in the logo can be read at the expected viewing size.
- The logo remains visible when other scene sources change.
If the channel uses more than one scene, select each one and check it separately. A logo added to the main loop will not automatically appear in a separate standby scene. You may also have a scene transition that briefly shows another layout, so include that transition in your check.
If your source video has its own watermark, compare the two marks before deciding where to put yours. Two logos in the same corner can look like one crowded block. Moving your mark to another corner may be better than reducing both until neither is readable.
This is also the point to check audio and video independently. Adding an Image source should not change the audio source, but scene changes can expose a different audio arrangement. Watch the preview and confirm that the composition you intend to send is the one shown by OBS.
For a channel built from devotional recordings, a useful next step is the broader workflow in How to Stream Devotional Music Radio 24/7 on YouTube in India. The logo is only one layer of that arrangement; the playlist, rights, audio, scene changes, and operating plan still need their own checks.
Test the encoder stream on YouTube
OBS can display a correct scene while the YouTube broadcast is using a different scene, a different profile, or no active output. Test the encoder connection separately from the design work.
In YouTube Studio's Live Control Room, obtain the stream URL and stream key for the intended broadcast. Enter those details in OBS's stream settings, taking care not to publish the key or include it in screenshots. YouTube's guide to creating a live stream with an encoder explains the connection process and the preview available in Live Control Room.
Start OBS and inspect the YouTube preview before relying on the stream. Confirm that the logo is visible in the actual received picture, not only in the local OBS canvas. Check the scene that will be used at launch, then switch through every scene that the unattended broadcast may use.
Look at the stream health information in YouTube Studio while the test is running. The purpose is not to prove that the channel will remain online indefinitely. It is to catch configuration errors while you are present: a wrong key, an unintended scene, missing audio, a cropped logo, or a connection that is not behaving as expected.
YouTube also provides guidance on live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions. Use the current official guidance for the settings appropriate to your output rather than treating the logo workflow as an encoder configuration. The image source adds a graphic to the scene; it does not choose the resolution, bitrate, keyframe behaviour, or connection settings for you.
Test the actual operating sequence. If the channel will start with a title card, move to a playlist, and later return to a holding scene, reproduce those changes. If the logo should remain present throughout, verify it at each step. If it is meant to disappear for one scene, confirm that this is deliberate rather than the result of an accidental hidden source.
For a longer playlist, allow the test to reach a change of video or scene. A logo can appear correct at the beginning and then vanish when a source reloads or a different scene becomes active. That is a scene workflow issue, so fix it in OBS before leaving the channel unattended.
Do not infer that a successful short test proves that a single uninterrupted 24-hour broadcast will be archived as one complete video. YouTube's encoder guidance says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived, and its current guidance should be checked for longer broadcasts and archive plans.
Keep the overlay separate from stream reliability
A logo overlay is a visual layer. It tells OBS to draw an image over the other sources in a scene. It does not keep OBS running, repair an unstable internet connection, prevent dropped frames, restart a failed encoder, or maintain a YouTube broadcast after the computer or network stops working.
For an always-on channel, treat these as separate questions:
| Question | What the logo workflow answers | What still needs checking |
|---|---|---|
| Is the logo visible? | Whether the Image source is loaded, visible, positioned, and above the video | Each scene that should carry it |
| Is the scene correct? | Whether OBS is composing the chosen layers in the intended order | Scene switches, transitions, audio, and changing content |
| Is OBS producing output? | Nothing about the health of the encoder | OBS stability, settings, logs, and the host computer |
| Is YouTube receiving it? | Nothing about the network or broadcast connection | Stream key, Live Control Room preview, and stream health |
| Will it run unattended? | Nothing about continuous operation | Power, internet, restarts, monitoring, and recovery planning |
This distinction matters because a correct logo can make a failed stream look like a design problem. If the YouTube preview stops, first check whether OBS is still active, whether the encoder is producing frames, and whether the network is connected. Changing the Image source will not repair those conditions.
The same applies to upload capacity. If you are checking the connection for a music or ambience channel, use the relevant YouTube Live upload speed requirements by resolution as part of the wider setup review. The logo itself contributes to the picture composition, but it is not a substitute for a suitable upload connection or a tested encoder configuration.
You should also decide what happens after a power cut, operating system update, router restart, or OBS crash. A person may be able to reopen OBS and select the correct scene during a daytime test. An unattended channel needs a practical recovery plan for the hours when nobody is watching it. That plan is separate from where the logo sits in the Sources list.
If you do not want the stream to depend on a computer staying on, StreamNeo removes the specific burden of leaving that computer running for an uploaded video and YouTube broadcast. The logo still needs to be part of the file or scene you prepare, and the YouTube channel and content still need their own checks.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
How do I add a logo to my OBS stream?
Select the scene used for the broadcast, choose + in the Sources dock, select Image, and browse to the logo file. Resize and position it in the preview, then drag the Image source above the video source in the Sources list.
Why is my logo hidden behind the video in OBS?
OBS draws sources higher in the list in front of sources lower in the list. Select the logo and move it above the video, playlist, or background source, then check that its eye icon is enabled.
Will an OBS logo overlay keep my 24/7 stream online?
No. It changes the scene composition only. Continuous operation still depends on the computer or chosen operating setup, power, network connection, encoder, YouTube configuration, and a way to notice or recover from failures.
Do I need to add the logo to every OBS scene?
Add it to every scene where it should appear. Sources and their visibility belong to individual scenes, so a logo visible in the main video scene may not appear in a standby, opening, or alternate scene.