# Create a custom stream overlay with AI Describe your overlay in aq.chat, refine the scene and its controls in Studio, then add its private Scene link to OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, or Meld Studio. Creation and editing work the same way for all three. Revisions keep the same deployed URL; live deployment requires an active trial or subscription. By aq.chat · Updated 2026-09-25 Source: https://aq.chat/guides/stream-overlay ## Before you start - An aq.chat account. To take your overlay live, use OBS Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, or Meld Studio. - Generation credits to create and revise your scene. Free accounts receive 600 credits each month. - An active live-deployment trial or subscription when you load the Scene link in your streaming app. Studio previews remain available to workspace members. ## Describe and create your first scene Decide what your overlay should do: frame a camera, display chat, react to stream events, or fill the screen between segments. Describe the canvas size, visual style, transparent areas, camera position, and any event reactions you want. You can attach your own artwork as a reference. On the home screen, type your request into Create your scene and send it. Studio opens as aq.chat builds the scene and its control panel. Use the prompt below as a starting point for your own design. Example prompt: > Create a 1920 × 1080 arcade overlay. Leave the center transparent for gameplay, put my webcam frame in the lower left, and leave space for chat on the right. On a new subscriber event, show a short pixel-fireworks celebration without covering the score. Use fictional names in the preview. ## Test and refine in Studio When generation finishes, Studio shows your overlay preview above a custom control panel. Here’s how the two work together. ### Meet your Studio workspace - **Your overlay preview:** Your overlay on its canvas. Watch it update as you use the controls below. - **Your custom control panel:** Beneath the preview: controls built for this overlay, already open. Test the scene here, then control it live during your stream. [Learn more about control panels](https://aq.chat/guides/qontrol) The scoreboard and controls are an example; your scene and panel are built around the overlay you asked for. 1. **Use the panel beneath your scene:** Use the available controls to replay an alert, try a different name or score, toggle an element, or adjust a setting while you watch the result. Ask aq.chat to add or refine the controls you want to keep using. Once those controls exist, you can test and tweak the scene without sending a new prompt for every change. 2. **Refine one thing at a time:** Compare the result with your original brief. If something needs changing beyond the available controls, ask for a smaller camera frame, larger chat text, a shorter alert, or another specific adjustment. Check the result before moving to the next change. 3. **Ask for an editable preview:** The Studio preview is interactive. Ask aq.chat to make the scene itself editable: click a label to change its text, drag a camera frame into position, or add handles to resize an element. Specify which edits should be saved and ask for editing controls to appear only in Studio, so they stay out of the live overlay. These interactions are built for your scene, so you can ask for the editing experience that suits it. 4. **Rehearse the full scene:** Use the panel’s test buttons and simulated events to check alerts and other reactions on demand. Try long names, different scores, and the settings you expect to use. Check your intended canvas size and leave important gameplay visible. Panel changes and simulated events can also reach connected live scenes, so do this rehearsal before going live. [Explore what you can do with Qontrol panels](https://aq.chat/control-panels) ## Add your scene link Copy a private Scene link, then add it to the app you stream with. Choose your streaming app below. 1. **Copy your private Scene link:** **Keep Scene links private: do not post them publicly or show them on stream.** Select Scene in the bar between the preview and control panel, then Copy link in the Your overlay link dialog. The link binds to the first device that opens it, so paste it directly into your streaming app rather than opening it in a browser first. Copy a fresh link for another device. If a link is accidentally shared, it needs to be revoked and replaced; copying a new link alone does not revoke the old one. ### How to add an aq.chat overlay to OBS Studio 1. **Add a Browser Source:** In OBS, use the + button in Sources, choose Browser, and create a source. Paste the Scene link into its URL field. 2. **Match the canvas:** **Enter the scene’s dimensions in the Width and Height fields in OBS Browser Source Properties. Dragging the source’s edges in the OBS preview does not change these dimensions.** For the example above, enter 1920 in Width and 1080 in Height. Leaving the default values and stretching the source to fit your screen scales the existing render instead of giving the overlay the right canvas. Text and graphics can become blurry or distorted. Set Width and Height correctly first, then position the source in your OBS scene. 3. **Arrange your sources:** Place the overlay above gameplay or camera sources where appropriate. Check that transparent areas reveal the intended sources underneath. 4. **Check the deployed result:** Keep the source active and inspect it in OBS. For live event reactions, select your avatar in aq.chat, open Connections, and connect the relevant platform or event source. The panel’s test buttons let you rehearse reactions before real events arrive. [OBS Browser Source reference](https://obsproject.com/kb/browser-source) ### How to add an aq.chat overlay to Streamlabs Desktop 1. **Create a Browser Source:** In Streamlabs Desktop, select the scene you want to use. In Sources, click +, choose Browser Source, give it a name, and select Add Source. 2. **Paste the Scene link and set its dimensions:** **Enter the scene’s dimensions in the Width and Height fields. Resizing the source on the canvas does not set its browser dimensions.** Paste your private Scene link into the URL field. For the example in this guide, use Width 1920 and Height 1080, then save the source settings. 3. **Layer and check the overlay:** Place the Browser Source above the gameplay or camera sources it should overlay. Confirm that transparent areas reveal your video and that text stays sharp at broadcast size. 4. **Rehearse with the panel:** Use the controls beneath your Studio preview or open the Panel link on another screen. Try a score, label, or test alert and watch it update in Streamlabs Desktop. Connect your event platforms through your avatar → Connections in aq.chat; adding the Browser Source does not connect those accounts. [Streamlabs Browser Source reference](https://streamlabs.com/content-hub/post/introducing-browser-source-interaction-for-streamlabs-desktop) [Control Streamlabs from your phone](https://aq.chat/guides/qontrol#connect-streamlabs) ### How to add an aq.chat overlay to Meld Studio 1. **Create a Browser layer:** In Meld’s Layers panel, click + and select Browser. Paste your private Scene link into the URL field in the Inspector. You can also paste the Scene link directly onto the Meld canvas to create the layer. 2. **Size and position the overlay:** Set up the layer for your intended canvas and check the text, graphics, and transparent areas. Meld’s Lock Size setting keeps the browser’s rendered size fixed while you resize the layer; check that setting if resizing scales the content instead of changing its layout. 3. **Check controls and audio:** Use the aq.chat panel to try your scene’s controls before broadcasting. If the overlay produces sound, select the Browser layer in Meld and enable Add an audio track for the source in the Inspector. [Meld Browser layer reference](https://meldstudio.co/docs/layers/#browser) [Control Meld from your phone](https://aq.chat/guides/qontrol#connect-meld) ## Update the overlay without replacing its URL Use the editable preview or control panel for adjustments you have already built in. For a new design or behavior, return to the scene in aq.chat and describe the change. Revisions to that deployed scene use the same Scene link, so you do not need to export and replace an image for every change. Asking AI to generate or revise a scene uses credits. Using existing scene and panel controls, previewing a scene, and running a finished overlay live do not use generation credits. Live deployment still requires an active trial or subscription. [Plans and credits](https://aq.chat/pricing) ## If the overlay does not look right - Nothing loads: confirm that you used a Scene link, that the browser source is active, and that the workspace has live-deployment access. - The scene is cropped or stretched: check the browser’s rendered dimensions and the source or layer transform in your streaming app. In OBS and Streamlabs, enter the canvas dimensions in the Browser Source settings. - Gameplay is covered: ask for transparent areas and check the source or layer order in your streaming app. - A preview event works but live events do not: check the connected account or event source. A working Browser Source does not itself connect Twitch, YouTube, or Kick. - You need a native video stinger: aq.chat live transitions are browser scenes. Using them as an OBS transition requires the StreamUP Scene as Transition plugin; they are not exported OBS Stinger video files. [Supported integrations and requirements](https://aq.chat/guides/integrations) [Explore overlay examples](https://aq.chat/examples)