Free Video Overlay Editor: Layer Video, Images and Text Online

A video overlay places one element, a second video, an image, a logo or text, on top of your main clip so both show at once. With this free video overlay editor you upload your base video, add the overlay on a new layer above it, then resize, position and time it before exporting. Put an image over video, superimpose one video on another, or overlap two clips, all free, browser-based, and with no account.

How the video overlay editor works

Every overlay in EchoWave sits on its own layer above the base video, and each layer is independent. That separation is what makes overlay editing flexible: you can change one element without disturbing the rest.

For each layer you control four things. Position sets where it sits in the frame, drag it anywhere or snap it to a corner. Size scales it from a small corner bubble up to full-frame, with the aspect ratio locked so nothing stretches. Timing decides when the overlay appears and disappears, so a logo can stay on screen the whole clip while a callout flashes for two seconds. Opacity controls transparency, drop it to around 20 to 40 percent for a subtle watermark, or keep it solid for a graphic that needs to read clearly.

Layer order matters too. The track at the top of the stack renders in front, so a text caption placed above a webcam clip will always sit over it. Reorder layers any time to change what shows on top. Because everything happens in your browser, your footage is never uploaded to a server you do not control, and there is nothing to install.

Picture-in-picture and split-screen

Picture-in-picture (PiP) is the most common video overlay: a smaller video plays on top of a larger one. It is the webcam bubble in the corner of a gameplay clip, the reaction face over a TikTok, or a product close-up floating over a wide shot. To build it, add your second clip to a layer above the main video, scale it down to roughly a quarter or a third of the frame, and drag it into a corner. Keep faces clear of the very edge so platform interface buttons do not cover them.

A split-screen shows two clips at full size at the same time. Add both videos, then position one on each half of the frame: left and right for a side-by-side comparison, or top and bottom for a stacked layout that suits a vertical 9:16 phone screen. For a quick side-by-side without manual nudging, the dedicated split-screen tool and the video collage maker snap clips into preset grids for you. You can keep adding layers to build three-up and four-up multi-cam grids.

How to put an image over a video

To overlay a picture, photo or logo over your footage and put an image over video:

1. Upload the video you want as the background and drop it on the timeline.
2. Add your image (JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF) as a new layer above the video. Use a transparent PNG so a logo sits cleanly without a white box around it.
3. Drag it into position and resize it, full-frame for a texture or graphic, or tucked into a corner for a watermark.
4. Set when the image appears and disappears, adjust opacity if you want it semi-transparent, then export.

This is the fastest way to overlay an image on video online, with nothing to install. It also works the other way around: set a photo as the background and add a clip on top to add video to an image or photo. For a single still photo over a clip you can also use the dedicated add image to video tool, and for a brand mark there is a focused add logo and watermark workflow.

Overlay sizes for TikTok, Reels, YouTube and OBS

Match your canvas to where the video will be posted, then place overlays inside the safe area so captions and buttons do not cover them.

• TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts use a vertical 9:16 frame (1080 by 1920). Keep important overlay content away from the bottom third and the right edge, where the caption and action buttons live. A reaction or commentary cam usually reads best as a PiP bubble in the top half.
• Instagram feed and square posts use 1:1 (1080 by 1080). A stacked top-and-bottom split fits this shape neatly.
• YouTube and most landscape video use 16:9 (1920 by 1080). Corner webcam overlays and lower-third name graphics are the standard here.
• Streamers and OBS users often want to overlay a static frame, alert or facecam border. Export the overlaid clip from EchoWave, or build the composited layout here and drop the finished file into your scene.

EchoWave does not stretch overlays when you scale them, so a square logo stays square on a vertical canvas. Resize the project canvas itself with the resize video tool if you need to repurpose one edit for several platforms.

Supported formats, quality and limits

EchoWave reads the common formats most cameras, phones and screen recorders produce: MP4 (H.264), MOV, WebM and M4V for video, and JPG, PNG, WebP and GIF for image overlays. Exports are MP4, which plays everywhere and uploads cleanly to every social platform.

Overlay layering does not re-compress your base footage beyond the final export, so quality stays close to the source. You can also overlay audio on a video on the same timeline: add a music or voiceover track to layer sound over the picture alongside your visual overlays. Because the editor runs in your browser, very long or very high-resolution files lean on your device's memory; if a clip stalls, trim it first with the video trimmer or shrink it with the video compressor before adding overlays. Most phones, tablets and laptops handle standard 1080p clips comfortably.

One honest note on watermarks: this overlay editor is part of the full EchoWave editor, and free exports carry a small EchoWave watermark that you can remove on a paid plan. The dedicated quick tools, crop, trim and compress, export with no watermark at all.

What is a video overlay?

A video overlay is any element, a second video, an image, a logo, text or a graphic, that is layered on top of your main footage so both are visible at once. Overlays are how editors create picture-in-picture, split-screen comparisons, watermarks, lower-third name bars, and animated effects like film grain or light leaks.

In EchoWave, each overlay lives on its own layer with its own size, position, timing and opacity. You can stack as many layers as a clip needs and export the result for free from your browser, with no account required to start. It is a flexible alternative to heavier video overlay software, and you can drop in AI video overlay elements like a generated image or animated graphic on a layer of their own.