Overlays and scenes

The studio gives you a deep set of design tools so your stream actually looks like a show, not a webcam call. This page walks through every visual layer you can add to a scene, plus the auto-reply feature for engaging fans during the broadcast.

All of this lives in the studio for the template you're working on. Switching scenes in the left rail changes what you're decorating — every layer is set per-scene, so different scenes can have different looks.

Scenes

A scene is a single full arrangement of what's on stage. Build several so you can switch between them as the show flows.

• Camera — A live camera scene. The default scene type.
• Media — Plays a video file you've uploaded as the main stage. Useful for intros, recap clips, or pre-recorded segments. Cameras can still appear over the video in Picture-in-picture layout.
• Countdown — A full-screen countdown timer. Perfect for "starting in 5 minutes" screens before you go live or during breaks.

Add, rename, duplicate, and delete scenes from the left rail. See setting up a stream for the basics.

Layouts

Every scene has a layout — set with the layout thumbnails just above the controls bar:

• Solo — Single camera fills the frame. Pin a specific person from their video tile to feature them.
• Grid — Two or more cameras share the screen in an evenly spaced grid that adapts as people are added or removed.
• Picture-in-picture — One camera fills the stage, with a second camera tucked into the corner.

Design (Layers)

Open the Design tab on the right rail. This is where global look-and-feel lives — fonts, colours, name tags — and where you manage the per-scene logo, background, overlay image, and video source.

Font

Pick a Font from the dropdown. The font applies to every text element on the stage — banners, tickers, comments, name tags, and the countdown timer.

Primary colour

Pick a Primary colour. This is the accent colour used as the background for banners, the ticker bar, and your participants' name tags. TribeNest automatically chooses a contrasting text colour so labels stay readable. Use the colour swatch to open a picker, or paste a hex value into the input.

Show name tag

Toggle Show name tag to show or hide each participant's on-screen name label. If you turn it off, no participant name appears on stage.

Logo

Open the Logo section to pin a small logo to the top-right of the current scene.

1. Click the + tile to upload a JPG or PNG.
2. Click any uploaded logo to apply it to the current scene. Click the same logo again to remove it.

The logo selection is per-scene, so different scenes can use different logos (or none at all).

Background

Open the Background section to set a full-stage background image for the current scene. The image fills the entire frame and sits behind every other layer.

1. Click the + tile to upload a JPG or PNG.
2. Click any uploaded background to apply it. Click again to remove it.

If no background is set, the scene falls back to a clean dark background. Backgrounds are per-scene.

Overlays

Overlays are images that sit on top of everything else — frames, watermarks, branded borders, sponsor cards. They render above cameras, banners, and tickers.

1. Open the Overlays section in the Design tab.
2. Click the + tile to upload a JPG or PNG.
3. Click an overlay to apply it to the current scene. Click again to remove it.

For best results, design overlays in the same aspect ratio as the broadcast (16:9) with transparent areas where you want the cameras to show through.

Videos (media source for the scene)

Open the Videos section to upload and assign a video file to the current scene. When you assign a video, the scene type automatically switches to Media and the video plays as the main stage source.

1. Click the + tile to upload an MP4, WebM, or MOV file.
2. Click any uploaded video to assign it to the current scene.
3. Use the playback controls below the stage to play, pause, scrub, change volume, loop, or change playback speed.

Removing the video reverts the scene to Camera type. The current playback position is saved with the scene, so if you switch away and come back the video resumes from where you left it.

Banners and tickers

The Banners tab is the home for two on-screen text elements — banners (a static title/subtitle card) and tickers (a scrolling line at the bottom of the screen).

Banners

A banner is a small card that appears in the lower-left of the stage. It has a Title and an optional Subtitle — the title uses your primary colour, and the subtitle uses the contrasting colour underneath it.

To create a banner:

1. Open the Banners tab.
2. Click the + next to Banners.
3. Enter a Banner title and an optional Banner subtitle.
4. Click Create.

To put a banner on stage, click it in the list — it animates onto the screen of the current scene. Click it again to remove it. Each scene can show one banner at a time.

Use the pencil icon to edit a banner's text and the trash icon to delete one (you can't delete a banner that's currently on stage — remove it from the scene first).

Tickers

A ticker is a scrolling text strip pinned to the bottom of the stage. Use it for run-of-show announcements, hashtags, song credits, or sponsor messages.

To create a ticker:

1. In the Banners tab, click the + next to Tickers.
2. Enter a Ticker title.
3. Click Create.

Click a ticker in the list to put it on stage. Click again to remove it. Edit and delete with the icons next to each ticker.

Putting comments on stage

Comments are technically a third stage element. From the Comments tab, click any comment to push it onto the stage as a comment card. It uses the same styling as banners. See going live for the full Comments workflow.

Countdown scenes

A Countdown scene shows a large timer counting down to zero. Perfect as a "starting soon" screen before the show, or a "back in 10" screen during a break.

1. Add a new scene and choose Countdown as the type.
2. Switch to the countdown scene.
3. Hover over the timer on the stage to reveal a control bar above it.
4. Set the Duration in seconds (1 to 3600).
5. Pick a Color for the digits using the colour picker.
6. Pick a Font from the dropdown.

The countdown automatically restarts when you switch to the scene. When it hits zero it stops and stays at 00:00 — switch to a different scene whenever you're ready to start.

Auto-replies

Auto-replies are short pre-written messages you can use to acknowledge fan comments without typing them every time. They live with your account, so you can reuse them across every broadcast.

Managing your auto-reply library

1. In the studio, open the Comments tab on the right rail.
2. Click the Manage replies icon (the message icon next to the auto-reply switch).
3. The dialog lists every auto-reply on your account.
4. Type a new message in the input at the top and click Add (or press Enter) to save it.
5. Use the pencil icon to edit a reply, or the trash icon to delete it.
6. Tick the checkbox next to a reply to enable it for the current broadcast. Untick to disable.

Turning auto-replies on for a broadcast

In the Comments tab header, toggle the Auto reply switch. When it's on and you're live, the enabled replies are eligible to be sent automatically to fan comments. Toggle it off any time to pause.

You can change which specific replies are enabled mid-stream — open the manage dialog and tick or untick checkboxes.

Where to go next

• Bring it all together by going live.
• Already have a few broadcasts? See managing broadcasts for replays and recordings.