Patterns, textures and experimental overlays Some stock text overlays might be very specific, like holiday ones where you might see phrases like 'Happy Halloween.' Others will allow users to add their own words through their video software's overlay editor. There are very basic text overlays as well as more advanced ones that can give your videos a more professional typographic edge, as you might in commercials, Internet ads and YouTube videos. If you want to add text to a video, you will need to look for text overlays. You often find them used instead by YouTubers or social media content creators. These types of graphic overlays probably aren't going to go into a short film. You'll likely see a lens flare in a JJ Abrams television series or movie (see: Star Trek). For others, it's an aesthetic effect that adds a certain beauty to the moving image. For some filmmakers and videographers, it's an annoyance. There are also overlays that add bokeh to a video.Ī lens flare is the scattering of light on a lens. Some common types of lighting overlays include lens flares and light leaks. Again, you can find many of these offered as free video overlays. They run the gamut from simple lighting changes to dust to experimental effects like glitches. Popular types of overlaysĪll sorts of video overlays exist. We will discuss them in greater detail in the following section. There are overlays for lens flares, snow, text and others.

This is called an Alpha Channel, and it simply defines the transparency level of a clip. Since it is being laid atop an existing clip, a video overlay has a transparent background. As such, an overlay's various parameters can be edited through color grading, transitions, effects and layering.

Even though video overlay is being applied to larger video, it is a video clip in and of itself. MP4, but others do exist depending on the video editing software being used. But, as the word 'overlay' indicates, it is a motion graphic laid over a video or animation. On a technical level, a video overlay is simply a motion graphic. Then we can discuss types of transparent video overlays and how to use them. So, whatever your overlay needs might be, chances are you will be able to find what you're looking for.īefore diving into the world of the video overlay, we should take a deeper look into exactly what they are.

There are a wide variety of overlays out there, ranging from free video overlays to paid ones. In that case, you should be looking for what are known as 'video overlays.' But perhaps you don't have the time or skill to pull off something completely original. You've got a video, and now you want to add some complexity to it with lighting, text or even visual effects.

Bokeh video overlay gif