A lower third is a graphic placed near the bottom of a live video, usually to identify a speaker, explain a role, or label a segment. In OBS Studio, add it as an Image source for a static transparent graphic or a Browser source for web-based graphics, then place it above the camera or video source.
The reliable workflow is to prepare the graphic for your actual output dimensions, check its position and legibility in the preview, and rehearse how you will show and hide it. StreamYard and Vimeo use graphics controls in their browser studios; vMix uses title inputs and overlay channels, so their controls are not interchangeable with OBS sources.
What a lower third is for
A lower third supplies context without replacing the picture behind it. The visible part might show a speaker’s name and role, a programme title, or a short segment label; transparent areas let the camera or other video continue to show through. For a devotional channel, that might be a singer’s name during an introduction. A local news loop could identify a location or segment, while a study stream might use a brief topic label.
Treat it as information, not decoration. A viewer should be able to tell what the label refers to and read it without losing the important part of the picture. A large graphic can obscure a face, a subtitle, or a key detail in a shared screen. A small one can disappear on a phone. There is no position or size that is right for every video layout, so inspect your own output rather than assuming the bottom edge is always clear.
Decide when the graphic is needed before designing it. A speaker introduction may only need to appear briefly; a programme or station label may stay on screen longer. If names change often, a reusable text control is usually easier to maintain than exporting a separate image for every person. For an always-on prerecorded channel, consider whether a label adds useful context throughout playback or only during a particular segment. If you are building a continuous video rotation, the guide to streaming recorded videos live on YouTube covers the broader broadcast workflow; a lower third is an additional visual layer, not a substitute for a stable programme source.
Prepare a graphic for your output
For a static lower third, make a canvas that matches the resolution you are producing. Put the nameplate or title treatment where you want it and leave the rest transparent. Export as a PNG with transparency enabled, then check that transparency survived the export by opening the file in an editor or placing it over a contrasting background. If the canvas is opaque, the graphic may cover the video with a solid rectangle instead of sitting over it.
Do not copy a dimension from another service without checking your own output. StreamYard’s lower-third guidance uses 1280×720 as a baseline for its 720p workflow; that is not a universal requirement for OBS or other production tools. The StreamYard guide to adding overlays in streaming software describes the general source-and-layer approach, while its lower-third guide discusses its own graphics workflow. Use your broadcast canvas dimensions as the starting point, and consult current documentation when you use a platform-specific asset feature.
Keep the text concise. A name and role are often enough; putting a sentence into the nameplate makes it harder to read at a glance. Use strong contrast between the lettering and the background, and avoid relying on colour alone to distinguish roles or messages. If the background video changes, test the graphic against more than one scene: a pale nameplate that is legible over dark footage can vanish against a bright wall.
Place the important text away from the extreme edge, and leave enough room around it that cropping or a different display layout does not immediately cut it off. This is a practical check, not a guarantee that a design will fit every screen. Preview the output at its actual dimensions and check it on the sorts of screens your viewers use where practical. Avoid covering faces, captions, or meaningful screen content. Keep animation restrained if you use it; a lower third should not compete with the programme.
A browser-based graphic is different from a static image. It can be useful when names or labels need to change without making a new PNG, but it depends on the provider’s page, setup instructions, and any control interface it offers. Confirm the graphic’s documented dimensions and any requirements before adding it. Do not assume that a browser source behaves exactly like an image, or that a URL provided for one service will work in another.
Add an image or browser source in OBS
In OBS, first select or create the scene that contains the camera, video, or other picture you want to label. Sources belong to a scene, so check that you are editing the scene that will actually be used when the lower third is needed. If you have separate scenes for an opening, a speaker, and a shared screen, decide whether the graphic belongs in one scene or needs to be added and checked in several.
In the Sources panel, use the add control and choose Image for a static file. Give the source a recognisable name, such as “Speaker lower third”, so you can distinguish it from a logo or another graphic later. Select the transparent PNG you prepared. OBS should display it in the preview; if the whole canvas looks like a block, check the exported file’s transparency before trying to fix it with positioning controls.
For a web-based graphic, add a Browser source and enter the URL supplied by the graphics provider. Follow that provider’s directions for dimensions and any settings it requires. A browser source is not simply a live-editable image by default: the editing and on-air controls depend on the provider. Check whether changes appear automatically, whether there is a separate control page, and what happens if the page is unavailable. Rehearse those actions before relying on them during a programme.
After adding either type, inspect the Sources list and preview. Sources higher in the list generally render above sources below them, so a lower third placed underneath the camera may be present but hidden. Put the graphic above the video source it should cover, then adjust it in the preview. If the source is not visible, check that its visibility is enabled and that it belongs to the selected scene before rebuilding it.
If your show uses several scenes, do not assume a graphic added to one will appear in all of them. Check each scene where it is needed, or use an OBS arrangement that deliberately shares the relevant source. The details depend on how your scenes are organised. For a longer-running broadcast, graphics are only one part of the production setup: the guide to 24/7 OBS settings for YouTube streaming can help you consider the rest of the output configuration.
Position and layer the graphic
Use the OBS preview to place the graphic where it belongs in the composition. Drag it to the lower area of the picture, then resize it if necessary. Avoid changing dimensions simply to make the text fit if that distorts the design; return to the original graphic and adjust its layout when needed. Check its edges against the output canvas, not just against a window that may be scaled to fit your monitor.
Layer order determines what viewers can see. If the lower third sits above the camera or video source, its opaque shapes and text appear over the picture and transparent areas reveal it. If it sits below that video source, the video can cover the entire graphic. If it sits above captions or another title, it may obscure them. Arrange sources with the intended visual order in mind, and inspect the result with all relevant layers enabled.
A useful check is to view the scene with its real content running, not only a blank preview or still frame. A speaker may move into the lower corner; a screen share may put a menu or key text there. Try a bright and a dark portion of the video if the background changes. A lower third that looks balanced on one frame may be difficult to read on the next.
Do not assume that the graphic fits just because its canvas matches the stream resolution. The graphic’s visible area, the safe space around its text, any other overlays, and the video composition all matter. Check the final preview at the output size and confirm it does not cover faces, subtitles, or controls viewers need to see. If a YouTube stream includes a persistent label or music information, coordinate the elements rather than stacking them without checking; the article on showing the current song title on a 24/7 YouTube music stream addresses that separate overlay use case.
Show and hide it during a stream
For a static image in OBS, use the source’s visibility control to show or hide it. Learn which eye or visibility control belongs to the lower third, and test it while watching the program preview. If you have more than one graphic, name sources clearly and avoid relying on memory about their order in the list. A quick cue sheet can help an operator know which scene and source to use at each point.
For a browser source, the show/hide action may be separate from OBS source visibility. Some providers offer a control page or interface that changes what the browser source displays; others may require a different workflow. Confirm the distinction before going live. If the browser source remains visible in OBS but its content is controlled elsewhere, turning off the OBS source and hiding the graphic in the provider interface are different actions.
Rehearse the entire cue, not just the button press. Start from the scene you will use, show the nameplate, leave it on for the intended interval, then hide it and verify the clean picture returns. Test a change of scene if the graphic should persist or disappear during a transition. If more than one person operates the stream, agree on the cue and who is responsible for it. A physical control such as a Stream Deck is optional in some workflows; it is not needed for the basic OBS method and does not create the graphic by itself.
For a 24/7 channel, decide whether the lower third should be part of a particular scene or permanently visible. A name label left on screen after a speaker has changed can mislead viewers; a graphic that should identify a station may need different treatment. If the broadcast source is a repeating video, check what happens when it loops and whether the label still matches the content. The relevant question is not only whether the graphic can appear, but whether its message remains accurate for the duration it is visible.
How other studio workflows differ
The same visual result can be produced through different controls. In OBS, you add sources to scenes and manage their layer order. In browser studios, graphics may be uploaded and cued from a dedicated panel. In vMix, a title is an input and the operator uses overlay-channel controls. Choose by the production environment you already use and by how often the text changes, not by assuming one set of instructions applies everywhere.
| Workflow | How the graphic is added | How it is typically changed or cued | Check before relying on it |
|---|---|---|---|
| OBS static image | Add a transparent PNG as an Image source in a scene | Toggle source visibility; edit or replace the asset when text changes | Scene, output dimensions, transparency, layer order and cue practice |
| OBS browser graphic | Add a Browser source using the provider’s URL | Use OBS visibility and, where provided, the graphic service’s controls | Provider-specific dimensions, control steps and behaviour if the page does not load |
| StreamYard studio | Upload an asset through the studio’s overlays controls; its guides also describe live banners | Toggle overlays, or use text/banner features where appropriate | Current official documentation for supported formats, dimensions and account limits |
| Vimeo browser production | Use the in-browser production tool and add graphics to scenes | Edit speaker fields and use the stage’s Show or Hide controls | Current mode and account access requirements on Vimeo’s official page |
| vMix | Add a title template through Add Input → Title | Use overlay-channel buttons for transition-in and transition-out | Current template workflow and edition-specific features in the vMix guide |
StreamYard’s approach can suit a browser-studio production where you want to upload an overlay and toggle it in the studio. Its lower-third guidance distinguishes reusable branding overlays from live banners for text that changes, such as speaker names. Consult StreamYard’s current support material for its own formats and limits rather than applying those details to OBS.
Vimeo’s Help Center describes lower thirds in its web-based production tool when producing through the “Stream through your browser” mode. It documents adding graphics to scenes, editing speaker name and title fields, and choosing Show or Hide on the stage. The article lists particular paid or enterprise access conditions, which can change; check Vimeo’s current Help Center instructions before choosing that workflow. This is a studio feature, not an OBS-style source list.
For vMix, the vMix User Guide describes creating title and lower-third templates with GT Designer and adding a template through Add Input → Title. Overlay-channel buttons cue the transition in and out. The guide also describes edition-specific animation support, so verify current edition details and template behaviour in the current documentation. This can be a natural fit if you already produce in vMix; it is a different workflow from placing a PNG in an OBS scene.
Choose the route that suits the people operating the show. A static image is straightforward when the text rarely changes. A browser graphic or built-in studio banner can reduce repeated asset editing when names change, but introduces its own controls and requirements. A title-input workflow may suit a vMix production that already uses templates. For any of them, test the exact graphic, output, and operator action in advance; no platform choice removes the need to check the composition.
Keep the graphic dependable in a long-running channel
A lower third is usually not the part of a broadcast that causes the most trouble, but a forgotten cue or mismatched label can make an otherwise stable stream confusing. Keep the file in a known location, give the source a descriptive name, and avoid changing the asset immediately before a broadcast without checking the preview. If names are updated, verify spelling and role, then run through show and hide again.
If the channel runs continuously from prerecorded material, think carefully about whether a speaker-specific label can remain accurate through every loop. You may prefer a segment card at a transition or a title that is part of the video, rather than a persistent OBS source that covers unrelated footage. A label managed separately from the video can be useful, but only if someone or something can cue it at the right times. Match the workflow to the actual schedule and operating capacity.
When the recurring pain is not the graphic but having to leave a personal computer on to keep a prerecorded channel broadcasting, StreamNeo can remove that particular burden: you upload a video, provide your YouTube stream key, and the broadcast continues with your computer switched off. It does not replace the graphics decisions in this guide, and it is a YouTube-only service, so keep the lower-third workflow aligned with whichever production method you use.
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
Can I add a lower third directly in OBS?
Yes. Add a transparent PNG as an Image source for a static graphic, or a Browser source for a web-based one. Put it above the camera or video layer, position it in the preview, and test it at your actual output dimensions.
Do I need a transparent PNG?
A transparent PNG is a practical choice for a static lower third because only the designed nameplate needs to cover the video. The unused part of the canvas remains see-through. If you use a browser graphic instead, follow its provider’s setup instructions and check what controls are available.
Can I use the same lower-third file in StreamYard, Vimeo, vMix, and OBS?
Do not assume so. Their workflows and documented dimensions or file requirements can differ; OBS uses scene sources, browser studios provide their own graphics controls, and vMix uses title inputs and overlay channels. Check each tool’s current instructions and inspect the result in that tool before going live.
How do I know the graphic is in the right place?
Preview it with the real video or screen content, at the output size you will use. Check legibility and make sure it does not cover faces, captions, or important information. A matching canvas alone does not guarantee the visible graphic fits your composition.