Give your Whatnot stream a custom animated overlay

A lot of Whatnot streams still look like a home security camera: a fixed shot of a table and nothing else. If you sell to high-value buyers, that plain look doesn't match what you are asking them to spend. A custom animated overlay gives your stream its own look, and you can make one in a few minutes with Adobe Firefly and OBS.

Why the look of your stream matters

Your stream is the shop window. Buyers who spend a lot are choosing where to hang out for an hour, and a stream with its own look and movement feels more like a place worth staying in than a bare camera feed.

An overlay doesn't replace good products or good hosting. What it does is make your stream recognisable. When someone scrolls past, they can tell it is you.

Step 1: generate the overlay in Adobe Firefly

1. Open Adobe Firefly.
2. Write a prompt that describes the overlay you want: the frame, the colours and the style that fit your shop.
3. Check the generation settings before you hit generate. You want an animated result in a shape that fits your stream layout.
4. Generate, and keep trying until you have an overlay you are happy with.

Keep the centre of the frame clear. That is where your products and hands need to be seen.

Step 2: add it to OBS

1. Before you next go live, drag the overlay file into your scene in OBS.
2. Turn on the loop option for that source, so the animation plays over and over instead of stopping after one run.
3. Put the overlay above your camera in the source list so it sits on top.
4. Check the preview to make sure nothing important is covered.

Once it is in your scene, every stream you run from that scene has the same look, without any extra work.

What to watch out for

• Don't cover the product. Buyers need to see what they are bidding on. Keep the overlay to the edges.
• Keep the movement calm. A slow loop adds life. A fast, busy one pulls attention away from the item.
• Check it on a phone. Whatnot is a phone app for a lot of buyers, so make sure the overlay still looks right small.

What to do in your own shop

1. Look at your stream as a buyer would. Watch a few minutes of a past show and ask if it looks like a shop or a security feed.
2. Pick a style that fits your category. Use your shop's colours and the feel of what you sell.
3. Generate an overlay in Adobe Firefly and test a few versions.
4. Add it to OBS with looping turned on, above your camera source.
5. Check it on a phone before you go live, and make sure the product area stays clear.