> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.tella.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add image and video overlays

> Layer an image or video on top of your Tella recording, then position, resize, time, and animate it.

Overlays let you place an image or video **on top of** your recording — a logo, a screenshot, a reaction GIF, or a picture-in-picture clip — without replacing what's already on screen. This is different from [media (B-roll)](/docs/help/editing/use-media), which swaps out a whole slot of your layout. An overlay floats above everything for the stretch of time you choose.

## Where to find overlays

1. Open your video in the editor.
2. Open **effects** in the sidebar.
3. Find the **Overlays** section.

## Add an overlay

1. Move the playhead to where you want the overlay to appear.

2. Click the plus button beside **Overlays**. This opens the Media Library.

3. Pick an image or video — **upload** one from your computer, choose an existing item from your **Personal** or **Workspace** library, or **generate** an image with AI. (It's the same library you use for [media/B-roll](/docs/help/editing/use-media#the-media-library).)

The overlay drops onto the canvas at the playhead.

<Tip>
  With the library open, you can **paste** a copied image (⌘V / Ctrl+V) to upload and drop it in as an overlay in one step — no need to save the file first.
</Tip>

<Note>
  Transparent video overlays keep their transparent areas. This includes WebM files encoded with VP8 or VP9 and ProRes files with an alpha channel.
</Note>

## Position and size it

* On the canvas, **drag** the overlay to move it and drag its corners to **resize** it.
* The overlay keeps its position and size relative to your video frame, so it stays put across aspect ratios.

For image overlays, select the overlay to open its controls below the row in the sidebar. Use **Ratio** to crop it to its original shape or a preset aspect ratio, and use **Size** to set its width as a percentage of the canvas.

## Set when it appears

In the timeline, adjust how long the overlay is on screen:

* Drag the **start** or **end** of the overlay segment to change its duration.
* Drag the segment left or right to move it earlier or later in the clip.
* Or select the overlay in the effects sidebar. Its control panel opens below the row, where you can type precise **start** and **end** timestamps.

You can add several overlays and overlap them freely — no multi-track timeline required.

<Note>
  A **video** overlay shows its audio **waveform** on the timeline segment. Its trimmed range is capped to the length of the source clip, so a short video won't loop to fill a longer overlay.
</Note>

## Mute a video overlay

Video overlays can include their own audio. To turn it off without removing the overlay:

1. Open **Effects** in the sidebar.
2. Find the video overlay and open its **three-dots** menu.
3. Select **Mute audio**. Select **Unmute audio** from the same menu to restore it.

The mute action only appears for video overlays that can contain audio. It does not appear for image overlays.

## Animate the overlay in and out

By default, an overlay **hard cuts** — it pops in and out instantly. To make it fade instead:

1. Select the overlay in the effects sidebar.
2. In the **Transition** control below the row, choose **Smooth** to fade the overlay in at its start and out at its end, or **Hard cut** to keep it instant.

<Tip>
  Fades only apply to visual overlays. Audio clips are added as [sound effects](/docs/help/editing/sound-effects), which mix in without a fade.
</Tip>

## Edit or remove an overlay

* Select an overlay in the effects sidebar to open its timing, transition, and image controls and adjust it on the canvas.
* Click an empty area of the canvas to deselect the overlay when you're done adjusting it.
* Use the overlay's **three-dots** menu to remove it.

## Reorder layers

Right-click an overlay on the canvas and choose **Send to front** or **Send to back** to change its order relative to other overlays.

The Effects sidebar lists image and video overlays from front to back, matching their order on the canvas.