StreamLive Pro

Show an image on screen during a live stream

Show an image during a live stream from the browser studio: full screen as an input, smaller over the camera, or kept above every shot on an overlay channel.

Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read

To show an image during a live stream, add it to the browser studio as an input (Add input, then Media file) and take it to air like a camera. It fills the main picture until you switch back. For a smaller picture over the camera, add it as a Video Layer or place the image input where you want it on Preview. The image is drawn into the broadcast itself, so every network and the recording see the same thing.

Before you start

• A picture the studio accepts: PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP or SVG. Other files, PDF among them, are refused with a message that lists the formats. For a slide deck, see Present slides in a live stream.
• The right shape. The broadcast is a 16:9 picture. A 1920x1080 image fills it with no bars; a square or tall image gets bars on the sides.
• Transparency when it sits over the camera. A PNG, WebP or SVG with a transparent background lets the camera show around it. A JPG always has a solid box.
• Any plan, including the trial.

Steps

1. Open the studio. Choose Live stream, start a new live and pick Browser Studio.
2. Add the image. Open Add input in the bar under the picture and press Media file, or drag the file onto the Drop or click tile in the inputs strip. The image gets its own tile.
3. Stage it. Click the tile. The image waits on Preview; viewers still see the camera.
4. Size and place it, if needed. Drag it on Preview, or select it and use Alt+arrow keys to move and Alt+= or Alt+- to resize. For an exact crop open the gear on the tile and use the Position tab.
5. Take it to air. Press Take (Space) for a fade or Cut (Enter) for an instant switch.
6. Keep it above every camera, if you want. Click an overlay number (1 to 8) on the tile. The image then stays on top whatever camera you switch to: Overlay channels 1 to 8 and their keys (F1 to F8).
7. Take it off. Switch back to a camera with Take, or click the same overlay number again.

Three ways to show a picture

For a logo in a corner there is a dedicated Logo tile: Add a logo and overlays to your live stream.

Moving pictures

• Animated GIF, APNG and animated WebP play as clips, with transparency kept, and loop by default. In Safari the picture still moves, and the tile says how the loop works there.
• 10 or more numbered pictures added together (frame_0001.png, frame_0002.png and so on) become one input that plays as an image sequence at 30 frames per second, not ten separate tiles.

Examples

• For example, a "We'll be right back" card: a 1920x1080 image you take to air during a break, with music from a playlist under it.
• For example, a photo you talk about: put it on Preview, size it to the right half, and take it next to your camera with a layout from Side by side and picture in picture layouts in a live.
• For example, a QR code or a sponsor card on overlay channel 7 for a minute, then off.

What can go wrong

• Cannot add the file. The studio takes PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP and SVG. Export a PDF page or a slide as PNG first.
• Black or white box around the picture. The file has no transparency. Use PNG, WebP or SVG with a transparent background.
• The picture looks soft. It was smaller than the space it fills and got enlarged. Use an image at least as large as it appears on screen.
• The text in the image is cut off on phones. Some viewers see your broadcast as a vertical or square crop, for example in Shorts cut from it. Keep important text near the centre: Safe-zone guides for vertical and square viewers.
• After reloading the page the picture is gone. Files are picked again after a reload; their settings come back by name.

Frequently asked questions

Can I show a picture during a live without OBS?

Yes. Add it in the browser studio and take it to air. It reaches every network in the same stream as your camera.

Which image formats work?

PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP and SVG. Animated GIF, APNG and animated WebP play as moving pictures.

Can I show a PDF?

Not directly. Export the page as a PNG or JPG and add the image, or share the window that shows the PDF.

Can the picture stay on screen when I switch cameras?

Yes. Put it on an overlay channel (numbers 1 to 8 on its tile) and it stays above every camera until you take it off.

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