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TikTok Overlay Template Guide: Use Tiktory, TikFinity, and Custom Frames Without Covering Chat (2025)

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    Robin
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TikTok Overlay Template Banner Design overlays that fit TikTok’s UI instead of guessing where chat and gifts will appear.

Source discussion: TikTok Live Template Transparent Overlay — r/streaming (plus follow-up experiences from creators using tools like Tiktory and TikFinity). Core problem: TikTok overlays are hard to position because the phone UI covers big chunks of the screen, and many overlay tools don’t ship accurate templates.

Why TikTok Overlays Feel So Hard Compared to Twitch

On Twitch or YouTube, you work with a fairly stable 16:9 canvas. TikTok flips everything:

  • The video is vertical, often 9:16.
  • Chat, gifts, and buttons float on top of your content.
  • Different phones and UI layouts can shift elements slightly.

If you just throw StreamElements/Twitch-style overlays on top, you end up with:

  • Follower goals hidden behind chat bubbles
  • Webcam frames underneath the gift carousel
  • Text that looks fine in OBS but is totally covered on the viewer’s phone

That’s why posts like “TikTok Live Template Transparent Overlay” blow up: people want a reliable frame they can design inside.

Step 1: Start With a Transparent TikTok Template

The cleanest approach is:

  1. Use a phone-based screenshot or template

    • Take a full-screen screenshot of your live UI (no overlays).
    • Or download a community template like the one shared on r/streaming.

  2. Trace the safe areas in an editor (Figma, Photoshop, Photopea, Canva):

    • Mark where chat appears.
    • Mark the gift carousel and icons.
    • Mark the top status bar and any pinned comments.

  3. Create an empty 1920×1080 or 1080×1920 transparent PNG:

    • This becomes your design sandbox.
  • You’ll place overlays only in the regions that stay visible.

Over time, you’ll build a reusable “TikTok-safe overlay frame” for your channel.

Step 2: Overlay Tools for TikTok (Tiktory, TikFinity, and Friends)

Most creators in r/streaming mention the same options:

  • Tiktory: overlay and alert platform focused on TikTok
  • TikFinity: still one of the most popular TikTok event providers
  • General overlay suites (StreamElements, Streamlabs, etc.) for Twitch/YouTube

The Reddit thread about StreamElements lacking TikTok support and the follow-up about Tiktory highlight three truths:

  • TikTok’s event system is different from Twitch/YouTube.
  • Tools like TikFinity and Tiktory fill the gap, but each has limitations.
  • You often need to mix tools: TikTok-specific event providers + your own layout/template.

Practical pairing in 2025:

  • Use Tiktory or TikFinity for events (follows, subs, gifts, likes).
  • Use a custom transparent template as the frame that lives in OBS or a browser source.
  • Keep all critical visuals inside the safe zones of your template.

Step 3: A TikTok Overlay Layout That Actually Works

Here’s a high-level layout that respects typical TikTok UI placement:

TikTok Overlay Layout Map

Reading the layout top-to-bottom:

  • Top bar: leave mostly empty; TikTok will place live badges and icons here.
  • Upper-middle: safe area for a compact webcam frame, simple logo, or a short stream title.
  • Center: your gameplay or main camera content—keep this as clean as possible.
  • Bottom middle: room for event tickers (latest follower, most recent gift, mini goal bar).
  • Bottom corners: small social tags or CTA text, kept away from chat bubbles.

If you’re using Tiktory or TikFinity:

  • Configure follow/sub/gift alerts to spawn in the upper-middle zone, not the entire frame.
  • Keep goal widgets in the lower third, making sure they don’t collide with chat.

Step 4: How Tiktory and TikFinity Fit Into the Picture

From the overlay discussion thread:

  • TikFinity is praised for event coverage and flexibility, but:

    • Free tiers can feel constrained.
    • Server hiccups lead to delayed or missed events if your internet or their service wobbles.

  • Tiktory markets itself as a polished alternative, but creators point out:

    • Missing quality-of-life features like “last 3 followers” or “last 5 subscribers” lists.
    • Limited formatting options for scrolling tickers or comma-separated name lists.

When to lean into Tiktory

  • You want a simpler, curated overlay library.
  • You’re mostly fine with single-event popups and a clean UI.
  • You don’t need complex lists (e.g., top gifters this week).

When TikFinity still wins

  • You like granular control over triggers and event conditions.
  • You want to build custom alerts, counters, and goals.
  • You’re okay tinkering and babysitting settings to keep it running smoothly.

In practice, many creators prototype overlays on Tiktory, then graduate to TikFinity or fully custom overlays once they’re ready to invest more time.

Step 5: A Simple TikTok Overlay System Architecture

To avoid spaghetti, think of your setup as a small system instead of “just vibes”.

TikTok Overlay System Flow

Conceptually:

  1. TikTok Events: follows, subs, gifts, likes.
  2. Overlay Service (Tiktory / TikFinity): listens for events and turns them into alerts/goals.
  3. Browser Overlay: shows alerts, tickers, and widgets using your template as a background.
  4. OBS or Live Studio Capture: captures the overlay browser source and combines it with your camera/game.
  5. TikTok Live Output: viewers see a clean vertical layout where nothing important is buried under chat.

This mental model helps you debug:

  • If alerts never show: check event provider → browser overlay.
  • If overlays are cut off: check template safe zones → phone view.
  • If everything looks fine in OBS but broken on mobile: record your screen and adjust the template itself.

Step 6: Practical Build Steps in OBS (or Similar)

Here’s a pragmatic checklist you can follow even if you’re new:

  1. Create a 1080×1920 scene in OBS (or 1920×1080 if you’re rotating the output).
  2. Add your transparent TikTok template PNG as the bottom-most overlay layer.
  3. Add your webcam/camera and resize it into your chosen safe area.
  4. Add the overlay browser source from Tiktory or TikFinity:
    • Set the same base resolution as your scene.
    • Position and crop it so alerts appear in your intended zones.
  5. Preview on your phone before going live:
    • Go live privately or on an alt account.
    • Check how chat overlaps your layout.
    • Iterate until text and alerts land in clean spaces.

Once this is dialed in, you rarely have to redesign your whole overlay—you just swap out styles and colors while keeping the underlying frame.

Step 7: Avoid These Common TikTok Overlay Mistakes

  • Copy-pasting Twitch overlays: they assume bottom chat and a different aspect ratio.
  • Ignoring phone UI: designing purely from a PC preview guarantees something will be hidden.
  • Overloading the screen: TikTok viewers watch on small displays; one strong CTA beats five tiny widgets.
  • Not testing on multiple devices: iPad/Tablets and older phones might crop differently.

If your overlays look “cool” but engagement is flat, simplify:

  • One follow goal and one gift tracker is enough for most TikTok Lives.
  • Use one clear message on screen: what you’re doing and what viewers can do next.

Final Take

You don’t need a perfect overlay suite or a magic “Tiktory preset” to look professional on TikTok Live. What you need is:

  • A transparent template that respects TikTok’s UI.
  • A reliable overlay provider (Tiktory, TikFinity, or custom HTML) plugged into that frame.
  • A short iterate → test on phone → adjust loop until everything important is visible.

Do that, and your TikTok stream will feel intentional and polished—without fighting your chat, your gifts, or your layout every time you hit “Go Live.”

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