How do I add an overlay, like a logo or watermark, across scenes?

An overlay is an image, video clip, animation or shape that sits on its own track above your scenes on the timeline. Media you add inside a scene disappears when that scene ends. An overlay stays on screen for as long as you choose, across as many scenes as you need.

What overlays are good for

• A logo or watermark that stays put. Place your logo once and stretch it across the whole video, instead of copying it into every scene. It's a flexible way to watermark a video: you choose the image, its size, where it sits and exactly when it shows.
• Lower-thirds. Keep a name-and-title graphic on screen while a speaker's footage runs across several scenes.
• Hiding private details. Cover an email address, a customer name or anything else you don't want shown in a screen recording, and keep it covered across cuts. See Using shapes as masking overlays.
• Pointers and callouts. Add arrows and highlight shapes to point viewers at what matters in a product demo or tutorial.

Overlay or watermark setting?

Biteable has two ways to put a watermark on your video:

• The Watermark setting turns on one watermark for every scene of the video. It's the quickest option when you want the same mark on everything. See Adding a watermark to your video.
• An overlay gives you more control. Use any image or animation, size and place it however you like, and show it only for part of the video, such as from the end of your intro to the start of your outro.

Before you start

Open the project you want to edit. If you're not already in the editor, head to your dashboard and click the project you want to open. Your project needs at least one scene before you can add an overlay.

To add an overlay

1. Look at the left edge of the timeline. You'll see a column of track icons. The top one is Add overlay (hover over any icon to see its name).
2. Click Add overlay. The content panel opens on the side of the editor.
3. Pick the media you want to use: an image, video, animation or shape from the library, or something from your Uploads tab.
4. The overlay appears on the overlay track, starting at the scene you're on and lasting as long as that scene.
5. Drag it left or right to change when it starts, and drag the handles on either end to change how long it stays on screen.
6. On the canvas, drag the overlay to move it and use its handles to resize or rotate it. Double-click it to crop.

Because the overlay lives on its own track, it keeps playing across scene changes. A logo placed at 0:02 can stay visible through scene 1, scene 2 and beyond.

Overlays sit on top of your scenes, so an overlay covers anything in the scene underneath it while it's on screen. Text is added inside scenes, not as an overlay.

To remove an overlay

1. Click the overlay on the timeline or the canvas to select it.
2. Press Delete or Backspace on your keyboard.

Overlays can't be copied and pasted. To use the same media again, add a new overlay and pick the same item.

Still need help?

If you're stuck, contact our support team and we'll help you sort it out.