With BoxCast's Graphic Overlays feature, you can add PNG images to your broadcast without any extra hardware or software mixer/switcher equipment. It's as simple as dragging and dropping your graphics onto a canvas on the Dashboard and clicking Apply!

At any point after scheduling, you can upload PNG images and place them on a transparent grid to be overlaid on the video during the broadcast. The simple drag-and-drop canvas can be changed live during the broadcast. You can use this for lower thirds, full slates, watermarks — or any combination of these. You can even use this in conjunction with BoxCast Scoreboard Overlays.

Images must be PNG format and less than 5MB in size and our recommended resolution is 1920x1080 for full-size slates. Transparency in the image is supported.

To add an overlay to a broadcast, click on the broadcast. This could be an live or upcoming broadcast. On the broadcast details page, click overlays.

Browse to the Broadcast Details page on the BoxCast Dashboard.

Click the Overlays tab (status indicator will display as green if overlays are active, no indicator if inactive).

In the Overlay Gallery section, drag and drop or browse to upload an image from your computer.

Hover over the newly uploaded image and tap the Add Overlay button.

Drag and drop or resize in the canvas to position the image how you'd like it.

Click Apply Changes.

Note: The overlay is applied against real time, so it takes approximately 30–60 seconds for changes to appear to viewers in the video player.

While on the Broadcast Details page, navigate to the Overlays tab and review the Overlay Gallery section.Active overlay images are highlighted with a border.

Hover over the image you'd like to deactivate and tap Remove Overlay.

Note: This makes the overlay no longer active but does not remove it from your gallery. To remove it from your gallery entirely, hover over the image once again now that it isn't active and tap the Delete button.

Although you can upload any PNG image to our online canvas, for consistent repeatable results, we suggest you create the graphics as a 1920x1080 image using a graphics software such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. If you use Photoshop or Illustrator, we have a template for you to use when creating the overlay.

Do I need this feature if I already have a video mixer?

No. If you already have video mixing capabilities, you can send that produced signal to BoxCast without having this feature.

Can I insert video overlays with this feature?

No. The Graphic Overlays feature only supports .png files.

Do the overlays appear immediately in the video?

No. The overlays are tied to the overall video delay. For example, if someone is walking onstage right now, viewers will not see for 30–60 seconds. But if you add an overlay at the time that person is walking onstage, 30–60 seconds later, when viewers see that person walking up to the stage, they'll also see the overlay.

Can I use overlays in conjunction with scoreboard overlays?

Yes. The graphic overlays will appear on top of the scoreboard graphic. If you want a full-page slate with the scoreboard showing through, you can add transparency in the area where the scoreboard would appear to allow it to show through the slate.

How many overlay graphics can I use at the same time?

We recommend no more than five simultaneous overlay graphics. If you think you need more, consider making a 1920x1080 graphic with all your images composed together.

Will the overlay appear if I have no other video signal or on audio-only broadcasts?

No, these graphic overlays only appear when the video is received by the BoxCast servers. Until the video is received, there is no actual broadcast to overlay the images on.

Can I set an overlay as a default for every broadcast?

You can set a default overlay when scheduling a broadcast. If you schedule a recurring broadcast, such as a Sunday service, this overlay will appear on every broadcast.

Note: When setting up a default overlay, you can only upload a 1920x1080 image.

Can I use overlays for advertising or sponsors?

You may use overlays for advertising purposes, but the advertisements can't be interacted with and the metrics aren't tracked. Streams with advertisements or sponsorships can't be pushed to social media sites like YouTube or Facebook Live.

Can I set the overlay to automatically change in the middle of the live event?

No. At this time you must manually add and remove each overlay.

Why does an image appear to be large or need to be repositioned every time?

No scaling is performed on images. We'll present an image in its original size on a default portion of the screen. If you'd like an image to always appear in the same spot, consider creating a fully transparent 1920x1080 image with your graphic placed in the specific spot within the image. When this graphic is used, it'll be the exact size of the video player itself and the overlaid image will appear in the same place on the video player as it does on the transparent background.

Can I edit overlays on archived videos?

No. Overlays are injected into the actual video data itself.