Creating and Managing Overlay Templates
How to build, save, apply, and update Overlay Templates so every show, playlist, and calendar block on your stream has the right branding without manual setup.
Introduction
Overlay Templates let you save a full Composition design as a reusable preset. Apply it to a playlist, a calendar entry, or both. Update the template and every place it's used updates automatically.
This guide walks through building one, applying it, and managing your library of templates.
Step 1: Build the Overlay Template
Go to the Media Library, click New button and select “New Overlay Template” and give a name add the overlay elements you want:
Logo in a corner
Lower thirds for host and guest names
Now Playing overlay
Image graphics for frames or watermarks
Audio visualizer if it's a music context
Get the design exactly the way you want it. Test it visually, the template will look exactly like this everywhere it's applied.
For element-by-element setup see Adding a Logo and Lower Thirds.
Step 2: Save
In the Composition Editor toolbar, click Save .
In the dialog:
Name: descriptive (Tuesday Interview Show, Sunday Service, Horror Night)
Description (optional), what this template is for, who it's used by
Click Save
The template now appears in the templates picker.
Step 3: Apply to a Playlist
Open any playlist. In the playlist settings, find the Overlay Template picker. Choose your template.
Every video in that playlist now plays with the template's overlay automatically.
If the playlist plays on a Live Channel, those overlays are visible whenever the playlist is active. If the playlist is part of a calendar block, the overlays are visible during that block.
Step 4: Apply to a Calendar Entry
When you create or edit a Calendar block, the entry dialog has an Overlay Template option. Pick one.
The block plays with that template's overlay during its scheduled window. When the block ends and the calendar moves to the next entry, the overlay switches accordingly.
Step 5: Update a Template
Open the Composition Editor for the template (in the Templates panel, click the template you want to edit). Make your changes, move the logo, update the lower-third style, swap the background image. Click Save.
The change propagates to every place the template is used. All applied playlists and calendar entries pick up the new design on the next playback transition.
This is the magic of templates: change one thing, change everywhere.
Managing Your Template Library
As you build out your channel, you'll accumulate templates. Keep them tidy:
Name them descriptively. Tuesday Interview Show beats Template 4.
Group by show or context. Use prefixes, Show A, Default, Show A, Sponsor Segment, Show A, Closing.
Delete unused templates. If you stop using one, remove it. Templates pile up.
Duplicate to iterate. When you want to try a variant, duplicate the existing template, modify the copy, test it. Don't experiment on a live template.
Use Cases
Show-Per-Day Programming
A network with a different show each weekday. Build one template per show:
Monday, Coffee Talk
Tuesday, Tech News
Wednesday, Wellness
Thursday, Throwback
Friday, Friday Mix
Apply each template to its show's calendar block. The right overlay shows up on the right day.
Sponsor Segments
Build a sponsor template for each sponsor:
Sponsor A, Brand Bug + Lower Third
Sponsor B, Brand Bug + Lower Third
Apply to specific calendar blocks (sponsor segments) or specific playlist items.
Themed Nights
A movie channel with themed nights gets a template per theme:
Horror Night
Sci-Fi Night
Classics Sunday
The Calendar swaps templates automatically as themes rotate.
Multi-Brand Channels
If you operate multiple brands on one stream (e.g., a network of small channels), each brand gets its own template. The stream switches branding as content rotates.
Pro Tips
Build a "default" template first. A clean, simple overlay you fall back to. Use it on any content that doesn't have a specific theme.
Match templates across formats. If your weekly interview also runs as a re-air, both should use the same template so the show looks consistent.
Preview before going live. Apply the template to a test playlist and play it on a non-broadcast destination first.
Version your templates over time. Show A, v1 in Q1, Show A, v2 in Q2 with refreshed branding. Keep both around briefly during the transition.
Don't make every template wildly different. A coherent visual system across templates feels more professional than a free-for-all.
Common Questions
Can I have multiple templates on one playlist? No, one template per playlist. For variation, split into multiple playlists with different templates.
What if a video has its own composition that conflicts? The template's overlays render on top. Item-level compositions still work, just be aware they layer with the template.
Can I export a template to use on another stream? Yes, duplicate or copy templates between streams in your account.
What about transitions between templates? When the calendar transitions between blocks with different templates, the overlay swaps cleanly. There's no fade by default.