Technically, OBS stands for Open Broadcast Software, a free and open-source, cross-platform streaming software and recording program. Since 2016, people have referred to the software as OBS Studio. For most people, OBS Studio is the way that they can broadcast on Twitch. Not all Twitch streamers use OBS, however. For example, Zoom allows you to stream directly to YouTube. However, you will find many people streaming on Twitch using OBS, although they may not always be aware of it. You use OBS to capture and record your screen while also capturing audio.
You will also find that as well as there being a free open-source version of OBS, there is also a proprietary version – Streamlabs OBS. Streamlabs OBS is a mix of Streamlabs and OBS. It includes add-ons Streamlabs has to offer, for example, chat windows and a dashboard. The Streamlabs OBS makes it easier to track your donations and followers. It is also easier to import pre-made themes and templates into your stream. However, you can still add OBS templates, themes, and overlays to the non-Streamlabs versions of OBS.
We look at some of the places you can obtain OBS templates and themes in this post. In reality, most of these templates are simply graphics files in a standard file format. You can use them for your streaming on virtually all the leading streaming platforms, including Twitch, Facebook Gaming, and YouTube. Indeed, if you are a talented designer and have access to appropriate graphics software, like Adobe Photoshop or Fireworks, you could make streaming templates yourself.
However, not all of us have the time, software, or skill to achieve that and rely on others' expertise to improve our streams' looks. Here is a selection of OBS templates that may interest you.
11 Best OBS Templates to Jazz up Your Stream:
- 11 Best OBS Templates to Jazz up Your Stream:
- 1. OWN3D – Animated Ops Overlay Package
- 2. Placeit – OBS Stream Overlay Maker Templates
- 3. Nerd or Die – Borderline – Stream Package
- 4. Streamlabs – VELOCITY
- 5. Visuals by Impulse – System Override Stream Package
- 6. Twitch Overlay – Pure Valor Stream Package
- 7. Graphic Design Resources - Free Hitbox Streaming Overlay Pack – PSD
- 8. WDFLAT – Thunder Strike Stream Package
- 9. Behance – Free Stream Overlays
- 10. Streamplay Graphics & Sounds - Neon Circuit Animated Stream Package
- 11. TacticalLion Designs - Horror – Stream Package
- The 6 Essential OBS Template Components for Twitch Streaming
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. OWN3D – Animated Ops Overlay Package
Source: own3d.pro
OWN3D makes some stunning OBS templates and other overlay & stream designs. They describe their Animated Ops Overlay pack as being the "absolute branding package," everything you need as a streamer.
The package comes in two versions: Basic and Premium. The Basic pack includes animated stream overlay, animated stream alerts, animated stream webcam overlay, animated stream intermission banners, static files, stream panels, and Streamlabs OBS import files. The Premium package includes all of the above along with animated stream transitions, animated stream talking banner, Twitch profile banner, Twitch profile picture, YouTube banner, and desktop wallpaper.
OWN3D's mission is to give every streamer the chance to present an ideal external representation of themselves. This Animated Ops Overlay Package, or if you prefer, many of the other overlay and stream designs on their site, certainly helps meet that goal. The company claims to offer the largest selection of overlays, emotes, and panels worldwide.
2. Placeit – OBS Stream Overlay Maker Templates
Source: placeit.net
Placeit is part of Envato, the world's largest creative marketplace that helps millions of people get creative projects done. Placeit's team marries design and technology to create high-quality branding and marketing tools, so anyone from individuals to large companies can create amazing visual assets for their brand regardless of technical or artistic skills. They take pride in turning complex design and layout problems into ridiculously easy-to-use tools for their users.
Placeit offers a tremendous number of mock-ups, designs, logos, videos, and gaming tools. The section under Gaming includes OBS Stream Overlays. You will also find sections devoted to Twitch Banners, Twitch Offline Banners, Twitch Overlays, Twitch Panels, as well as other areas relating to YouTube.
If you have the patience to go through the site, you will find 425 OBS stream overlay makers (currently). You are sure to find something that suits your aesthetics and style. You can modify many of the templates to make them even more relevant to yourself.
While you can buy individual templates on Placeit, they also offer a subscription for $14.95 per month or $89.69 per year, giving you access to all of Placeit's mock-ups, design templates, videos, and logos.
3. Nerd or Die – Borderline – Stream Package
Source: nerdordie.com
Nerd or Die makes Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming compatible overlays, alerts, and stream designs. They originally started as a tutorial website and YouTube channel but evolved into a brand that creates products, custom designs, free resources, and tutorials for anyone looking to enter the live streaming world.
You can quickly install Nerd or Die templates for OBS Studio, Streamlabs OBS, and Stream Elements. If you're getting started, they offer free overlays, alerts & resources for Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook.
One of their more premier packs is their Borderline Overlay Package. This overlay pack includes subtly animated overlays, scenes, and webcam variations. You'll also receive animated alerts, as well as event lists and chat widgets. It features five different color variations and an option to grab the source files so that you can show off your brand colors in style. Subtle animations in the webcam, scene designs, and supporter bars create visual interest while not distracting viewers during intense gameplay or chat interaction moments.
4. Streamlabs – VELOCITY
Source: streamlabs.com
As we mentioned in the introduction, Streamlabs has a proprietary version of OBS – Streamlabs OBS. They also offer numerous products and assistance to gaming streamers. They package many of their products together as Streamlabs Prime, which provides useful tools like multistream, overlays, and sponsorships to help you grow. Streamlabs Prime makes available hundreds of premium themes, overlays, and panels. You will also find 46 apps in the Streamlabs App Store.
It is probably best to think of the Streamlabs overlays as a gigantic marketplace. Many of the themes originate from top artists in the industry, including some from Nerd or Die, Visuals by Impulse, and OWN3D. One attractive fully animated theme you will find in the Streamlabs library is Velocity by DreamerDesigns.
5. Visuals by Impulse – System Override Stream Package
Source: visualsbyimpulse.com
Visuals by Impulse is a collection of gamers, Twitch broadcasters, YouTube creators, eSports junkies, and epic meme lords. Indeed, the company works with more than 50 artists, developers, and setup wizards. They believe that professional stream design shouldn't be exclusive to the pros. From first-time creators to veteran streamers, everyone should have access to quality and affordable designs.
System Override is a high-tech theme for your stream graphics; overlays, and alerts inspired by hacker culture and the Watch Dogs universe. A corrupted look combines digital networks and underworld grunge. It supports Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming.
System Override features light and dark mode variations. You can pick from one of three preset color options (blue, green, red), or go fully custom and pick your own. Adjust your color using hue filters within OBS or the included .overlay scene collections.
It also includes arguably the most advanced goal widget ever created. Just choose a height and width, and the widget will dynamically animate to fit your dimensions. You can also customize the widget text to create unique goals for your channel.
You can create your own stream screens; all titles are easily editable with Photoshop. It also includes a custom analog soundtrack and sound effects - so you can make sound waves. Plus, easy alert and widget installation thanks to one-click Streamlabs and Stream Elements setup.
6. Twitch Overlay – Pure Valor Stream Package
Source: twitchoverlay.com
Twitch Overlay's name makes the site's purpose extremely clear. As they say, they have been the home of Twitch overlay and alerts since 2014. They now feature over 150 overlay templates, alerts, panels, and stream starting and BRB screens for use with OBS, Streamlabs & Stream Elements on Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook.
You can either buy packages of all the different elements or select just what you want from separate sections. You can also search for designs by color and by style.
The Pure Valor pack is a Valorant Twitch Package for Streamlabs OBS & xSplit. Within the package, you'll find animated Valorant stream overlay (fully animated, Valorant-inspired minimal design with 5 stream alerts to shout out cheers, follows, donations, subs, and hosts), animated Valorant stream scenes (Be Right Back, stream ending, and stream starting screens), a Valorant Twitch banner and avatar, and Valorant style profile headings.
7. Graphic Design Resources - Free Hitbox Streaming Overlay Pack – PSD
Source: graphicdesignresources.net
Graphics Design Resources offers a collection of more than 150 free stream overlay templates. You can use these with streaming platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Huya, or others. You can easily add it to your stream, whether you use OBS, Streamlabs OBS (SLOBs), Stream Elements, or other tools.
These are optimized overlays for your gaming-stream, easy to edit, and free to use. You can even choose the colors you like.
8. WDFLAT – Thunder Strike Stream Package
Source: wdflat.com
WDFLAT is an online platform for streamers, with elements for Twitch and YouTube Gaming – Stream Overlays, Twitch Panels, Twitch Offline, YouTube Banners, Logo Esports, and more others. All templates are free.
You can download either individual elements or packs. Thunder Strike is one of their streaming packages, containing 41 files in all, in PNG and PSD format.
9. Behance – Free Stream Overlays
Source: behance.net
Behance is primarily a community site run by Adobe, where people can share projects made using Adobe products (such as Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and Lightroom). Inevitably it includes a page for Free Stream Overlays. You will find an eclectic collection of individual overlays and packs, some game-specific, others suitable for any game streaming.
10. Streamplay Graphics & Sounds - Neon Circuit Animated Stream Package
Source: streamplay.com
Streamplay Graphics & Sounds provides Twitch overlays and graphics for streamers (along with alert sounds). These include premium Twitch overlays, offline banners, panels, alerts, stream packages, and more, all designed to help your channel stand out.
They are a team of designers and gamers committed to creating world-class streaming overlays to take your game to the next level. They aim to produce a selection that is chock full of gorgeous, captivating designs to make your stream a world-class experience for your viewers. They want to enable you to create amazing content, live and offline, that'll build a great audience that tunes in to your stream time and time again. You'll find an overlay, alter, panel or package to suit every combo and perfectly complement your style in their library
They stress that although they refer to streaming graphics and visual assets as Twitch overlays, as it's the biggest platform, their overlays will work with every broadcast software and across all platforms.
The Neon Circuit Animated Stream Package is a retro electrified neon circuit animated Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming graphics pack. Being a package, you get a wide variety of matching neon-looking graphics for your channel.
11. TacticalLion Designs - Horror – Stream Package
Source: tacticalliondesigns.com
TacticalLion Designs makes beautiful designs for streamers. Level up your stream with custom and premade designs. You can also work with the company to create custom designs for Twitch, Facebook Gaming, YouTube, or the Ultimate Package (covering all three platforms).
Of course, you may be entirely happy with one of their pre-made designs or packages. One of these is their Horror Animated Package. Spooky designs and misty animation make Horror a ghostly addition to your stream. Thrill your viewers with this spine-chilling package. Even if you don't use it year-round, you could surprise your viewers and change your stream's look every Halloween.
The package includes multiple elements, including 11 animated alerts, animated overlay elements, alert sound effects, scenes (BRB, starting, ending, intermission), social icons, and more.
The 6 Essential OBS Template Components for Twitch Streaming
Finding high-quality OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) templates to enhance the visual appeal of your live streams is easier than ever. Whether you're looking for free or premium options, the key is to focus on templates that offer easy customization and professional designs. Here are the four essential OBS template components that every streamer should consider:
Starting Soon Screen
This is a crucial component for any stream. A "Starting Soon" screen helps build anticipation and ensures that your viewers don't miss any content. It gives you time to verify that all technical aspects, such as video and audio, are functioning correctly before you go live. Look for templates that include customizable countdown timers and space for engaging visuals or branding elements.
Be Right Back Screen
A "Be Right Back" screen is vital for maintaining viewer engagement during brief intermissions. This screen reassures your audience that the stream hasn't ended and that you'll be back shortly. Effective templates should allow you to easily customize the message and include appealing graphics to keep your viewers entertained while they wait.
Ending Screen
While not strictly necessary, an "Ending" screen provides a professional finish to your stream. It allows you to thank your viewers for watching and direct them to follow your channel or check out other content. The best templates offer customizable elements so you can tailor your farewell message and include links to your social media or other platforms.
Main Screen Elements
These include borders around webcams, branding, and alerts. Personal preference plays a significant role here, but these elements can significantly enhance the visual appeal of your stream.
- Webcam Borders: Adding a border around your webcam can create a polished look and help distinguish your feed from the game or content. Choose templates that offer various styles and colors to match your branding. For example, check out this webcam border template from the Thunder Strike Stream Package.
Source: Thunder Strike on WDFLAT
- Branding: Incorporating branding elements such as logos, colors, and stream names helps establish your identity and make your stream more recognizable. High-quality templates should provide easy ways to integrate your branding seamlessly.
- Alerts: Alerts for new followers, subscribers, and donations can add an interactive element to your stream, acknowledging viewer support in real-time. Look for templates that allow you to customize the appearance and sounds of these alerts to fit your stream's style.
While some streamers create elaborate digital societies with their overlays, the core content should always come first. Overlays and templates should enhance the viewing experience without overshadowing the main content. By focusing on these four essential components, you can significantly improve the aesthetics and professionalism of your streams.
Conclusion
Finding high-quality OBS templates can significantly enhance the visual appeal and professionalism of your live streams. By incorporating essential overlays like the Starting Soon screen, Be Right Back screen, Ending screen, and main screen elements such as webcam borders and alerts, you can create a more engaging and polished streaming experience.
Our list of 11 best OBS templates offers all of that and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OBS Studio and how is it used?
OBS Studio, which stands for Open Broadcast Software, is a free and open-source streaming software used for live streaming and recording. It allows users to capture and record their screen while also capturing audio, making it a popular choice for broadcasting on platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming.
What is the difference between OBS Studio and Streamlabs OBS?
OBS Studio is the original, free, open-source version of the software. Streamlabs OBS is a proprietary version that integrates additional features and tools from Streamlabs, such as chat windows and a dashboard, making it easier to track donations and followers and to import pre-made themes and templates.
Where can I find OBS templates and themes?
OBS templates and themes can be found on various websites, including OWN3D, Placeit, Nerd or Die, Streamlabs, Visuals by Impulse, Twitch Overlay, Graphic Design Resources, WDFLAT, Behance, Streamplay Graphics & Sounds, and TacticalLion Designs.
What types of designs and elements can I expect from OBS templates?
OBS templates typically include animated and static overlays, stream alerts, webcam overlays, intermission banners, stream panels, profile banners, profile pictures, and other graphic elements that enhance the visual appeal of a stream.
How do I install OBS templates?
OBS templates are generally provided in standard file formats like PNG and PSD. You can import these files into OBS Studio or Streamlabs OBS by adding them as sources in your scenes. Some templates come with detailed installation instructions to guide you through the process.
Are there free OBS overlays?
Yes. There are tons of free OBS overlays as well as paid ones. If you're thinking about taking your streaming career on Twitch to the next level, it's generally advised to invest in an OBS template with professional overlays rather than cheap out on sub-par templates and overlays.
