If you’ve developed a love for video and you don’t know about overlays, you need this article. For those who already know, and are searching for the perfect overlay, we’ve got you covered.
Overlays are indispensable building blocks for adding visual variety and power to videos. Whether you want to add a vintage film quality, money raining down from the sky or the intensity of a blizzard, you’re bound to find the perfect clip from the thousands at VideoHive.
To get you started, I’ve selected 25 of the most awesome overlays available. They are compatible with any non-linear software that supports Blending Mode, like After Effects, Premiere Pro, Sony Vegas, Apple Motion, Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, and more.
They can be added to footage simply by dragging and dropping the selection and setting the blend mode to add, screen, multiply, or whatever you prefer.
Vintage Film Effects
1. Light Leaks
With the advent of Instagram and its collection of filters, a whole new generation has embraced what used to be considered the negative effects of early film photography.
One of those negative effects was light leaking into the camera and spoiling parts of the film. This effect is now considered cool and vintage.
If you want to bring a bit of old-fashioned charm to a video project then this pack of 15 Light Leaks is for you. They can be used alone or combined with each other.
2. Old Film Look Pack
Light leaks aren’t the only problem to which film was susceptible. This collection of five Old Film Look overlays features some of the other problems filmmakers used to battle with in the early days of filmmaking. Film was susceptible to dust, stains, hair, scratches, and vignetting.
Like light leaks, these problems are now viewed as charming features that add a feel of artisanal imperfection to the cold electronic perfection of video. You can use these overlays separately or all together to bring a wonderfully old-fashioned touch to a video project.
3. Real Film Roll
The advent of video put an end to those cool holes that rolls of film have on either side, but as we have seen with all things film, there is a great nostalgia for the look of film.
So of course there is an overlay designed to reproduce the look of a roll of film.
As with the other overlays featured here, just drag and drop the Real Film Roll overlay over any footage, use the multiply blend mode, and the look of a roll of film is yours.
4. Film Leader Countdown Clock
Another throwback to the early days of filmmaking, the countdown clock is a perennial favourite among videographers.
Film Leader Countdown Clock promises an authentic rendering of an original film leader countdown with three separable sound elements included: projector, soundtrack damage, and the beeping tone at the end of the clip.
5. Elegance Bokeh Overlays
Bokeh is the circular out-of-focus areas in the background of a photographic image created by certain lenses, and Elegance Bokeh Overlays has harnessed this rather appealing effect in 15 gorgeous overlays.
It’s ideal for use in projects where you want to communicate certain elegance, softness and dreaminess like beauty, fashion, and lifestyle or wedding videos.
6. Real Lens Flares Pack
Real Lens Flares Pack is built on another effect created by the camera lens. This is lens flare, that occurs when you take a photograph with the camera pointed towards the light source, be that sun, floodlights, or something else.
The light hits the inside of the lens and flares to create colourful light beams and rings in the photo.
This used to be considered a flaw, but today it’s become fashionable, hence the Real Lens Flares Pack that gives you 53 choices of different lens flares to add to video footage.
7. Camera Flashes
Camera Flashes simulates a series of six different camera flashes to bring a bit of paparazzi glamour to your video footage.
Some versions contain the sound of the shooting camera, while others don’t, and all can be used as loop.
Nature
8. Snow
Snow contains 35 realistic clips of falling snow. They are grouped based on how far away the camera is from the falling snow, from very far to close.
They're further subdivided into light, normal, and heavy snowfall. The clips can be mixed and are looped so you can repeat them as long as needed.
9. Rain with Alpha Channel
Rain with Alpha Channel Pack has harnessed the beautiful look and sound of rain and created 6 loop versions of rain with alpha channel and sound effects so that you can add rain to any scene in a video that you choose.
10. Lightning Pack
Lightning Pack gives you a choice of eight different clips of lighting strikes, ranging from the realistic to the over-the-top.
11. Raindrops on Window Pack
The fascination of watching raindrops on a windowpane has engaged us all at sometime.
Now for those projects when you need this awesome effect you have the Raindrops on Window Pack, 21 clips that range from light to heavy rain, all on alpha channel to enable easy blending with any footage.
12. Dust in Motion 3
If you want to add a wonderfully atmospheric quality to your videos, you’ve got to get Dust in Motion, a collection of clips featuring floating particles caught in light which will add a sense of vibrancy to any footage.
13. Smoke Pack 4in1
Smoke Pack 4in1 captures the mesmerising dance of smoke from a cigarette, candle, or campfire. These four different smoke effects can be used as standalones or together.
Each clip is a loop, and you just drag and drop, and set the blend mode to lighten.
Celebration
14. Colorful Bubbles Loop Overlay
The Colorful Bubbles Loop Overlay is all about adding a touch of the whimsical to a video. It features a very realistic field of multi-coloured bubbles which rain softly down from the top to the bottom of the screen, some bursting along the way, as one would expect.
15. Realistic Fireworks Pack
Sometimes you see a gorgeous night scene and you know that just adding some fireworks would make it perfect. This is where the Realistic Fireworks Pack comes in.
It features 15 beautiful fireworks that you can add to your footage to give it that touch of drama you’re looking for.
16. Confetti Overlays
For those times when you want to create a real air of celebration or fun in your videos there is Confetti Overlays, four different clips of colourful confetti exploding in the air and then slowly falling down.
17. Money Falling
Imagine hundred-dollar bills raining down from the sky. If you’re working on a clip or project that communicates financial abundance—or the dream of financial abundance anyway—then Money Falling is probably the right choice for you.
The best part is you can loop the overlay by overlapping the clips on each other. One caveat: the bills are in US currency, so may not be suitable unless you live or do business there.
18. Magic Glitter
This may be a hard sell for some palettes, but the Magic Glitter overlay is quite tastefully executed and in the right project will bring a whole lot of glitter and a hint of the magical to your video title, logo, or any text you want to highlight.
Creative
19. Television Interference 20
Television Interference 20 is definitely one of the edgiest overlays on this list. With its glitches, fuzzy broken lines and interrupted grids, this overlay definitely brings to mind a television on the blink—but in the best way possible.
20. 63 Film Grime Overlays Collection
If you’re a grunge fan, Film Grime Overlays Collection will take your videos to a whole new level. With 63 unique overlays to choose from, the collection will allow you to bring a wide variety of grungy, dirty and damaged looks to the footage.
21. Grid Overlays
Grids are cool. Grid Overlays features 25 beautifully designed grids that add a bit of dynamism and interest to your video footage.
Drop it over some current footage and use the add or screen blend modes. You can use them as stand-alones or mix them together as you please.
22. Codes Textures 2
Codes Textures 2 does what it says on the tin. It uses the language of code to create pretty wonderful overlay textures. It would be ideal for projects dealing with technology or modernity.
23. Digital TV Signal Distorted Noise & Glitch Overlay
These six Digital TV Signal Distorted Noise & Glitch Overlays simulate a TV signal being disrupted by bad reception, glitches, or a weak antenna signal.
Drag and drop one or more clips on top of your footage to bring a little disruption to any video.
24. Paper Overlay Textures
Paper Overlay Textures provides users with a collection of eight individual paper textures animated in stop-motion style that can be used to add a bit of arts and crafts texture to the footage.
25. Clean Animated Motion Mattes Pack 4
The Clean Animated Motion Mattes Pack 4 is a bit different from the other overlays featured on this list. With it you can slice and dice your video into a variety of pretty cool and amazing shapes. This set of four contains a total of 15 animated mattes.
Conclusion
These 25 overlays for video are just a small selection of the thousands of amazing overlays we have available at VideoHive, so if none of them quite fits your needs, there are plenty of other great options to choose from.
And if you want to improve your skills building motion graphics yourself, then check out some of the ever-so-useful 3D and motion graphics tutorials we have on offer.
