Video Overlay - How to Create Picture in Picture Effect

Video overlay, also called Picture-in-Picture (PIP) effect, is an extremely useful video technique. It is a feature that allows you to watch two programs at the same time so that you can keep an eye on both programs simultaneously.

This effect can easily be achieved using Filmora Video Editor. By simply clicking and dragging-n-dropping, you can add an additional video clip onto the main video which you want to serve as the background. After overlaying, the PIP video will be displayed in a smaller screen embedded in the background video.

Instruction on How to Create Picture-in-Picture Effect in a Video

picture in a picture

1. Add video clips into the program

First and foremost, load the videos you want to overlay into the program by dragging them from your computer into the User's Album.Also, you can click the Import button on the top of the interface to add your files to the program.

picture within a picture

2. Insert a PIP clip in the main video

Next, drag one video into the video track. It will display in the main screen and also be used for background. Then drag an additional video to the PIP track. It will serve as a PIP video and be displayed in the embedded small screen. You can position the PIP clip anywhere you want and resize it within the main screen, or move its start point in the track to set the time it appears.

Note: To change the size of the PIP video, you can click it in the PIP track so that a yellow border appears around it. Then drag any vector of the clip to adjust its size in the preview window.

add a picture to a picture

3. Adjust the PIP clip

Double click on the video in the PIP track to open the effect widow. Select the effect you like and double click it to apply. Then the PIP clip will be presented in this animated way. For more advanced options, you can click the Advanced button in the lower-right corner. By clicking the Mask tab, you can change the video into various shapes. By clicking the Effect tab, you can freely apply shadow or border to the clip or make parts of the clip transparent.

picture inside a picture

4. Save the edited video

After you have finished adding PIP effect to the video, please preview it to check the effect. If you're happy with the result, click the Export button to save the final file.

You can directly save the video to your local computer in virtually any format you like by clicking Format or choose your portable device from the list to export the video by clciking Device. These two ways of publishing provide you with further selections like resolution, bit rate and etc. For social media lovers, the YouTube and Facebook tags allow you to immediately share the final video online. For watching on TV, users can click DVD to burn it to DVD disc.

Back to top