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DocumentaryTube
FFmpeg

How to Add a Static Logo to an FFmpeg YouTube Stream That Loops Videos

Overlay a transparent logo on a looping FFmpeg video, map the right streams, and send the result to YouTube Live over RTMPS.

By DocumentaryTube Team 5 min read
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Use FFmpeg’s overlay filter to composite a logo image over your video, map the combined video and its audio to the output, and send it to the RTMPS ingest URL shown in YouTube Live Control Room. Looping, image handling, encoding, and the destination are separate parts of the command, so confirm the options against your installed FFmpeg build and your source media before broadcasting.

Build the logo overlay

Use the video and logo as separate inputs, then connect their video streams to FFmpeg’s overlay filter. This illustrative command structure places the logo 20 pixels from the left and top edges:

ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i logo.png 
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]overlay=20:20[outv]" 
  -map "[outv]" -map 0:a? 
  [encoding options] -f flv [YouTube ingest URL]

FFmpeg’s documentation demonstrates this separate-input, complex-filter, and mapped-output pattern. The example is not a tested, universal command: replace the bracketed parts with suitable encoding options and your ingest URL, and adapt it to the codecs and streams in your files. See the FFmpeg documentation for the installed build’s input, filtering, mapping, and output options.

Position, size, and transparency

The two numbers in overlay=20:20 set the logo’s horizontal and vertical offset. Choose a position that does not cover important documentary footage, captions, or other on-screen information. You can scale the logo in the filter graph if necessary. A PNG with transparency can retain its alpha channel when composited, which is useful for a logo without a solid rectangular background.

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Map the audio deliberately

-map "[outv]" sends the filtered video to the output. -map 0:a? asks FFmpeg to map audio from the first input if it exists; the question mark makes that stream mapping optional. If your audio comes from another input, or the video has no audio, adjust the mapping to match the program you intend to broadcast. Make sure the final output has the video and audio streams you expect.

Loop the source video

Looping is an input concern, separate from adding the logo. FFmpeg documents input looping and still-image input behavior; option placement matters because input options configure the input that follows them. Consult the full FFmpeg documentation for the exact syntax supported by your installed version and source format. A loop count of -1 is commonly used to request indefinite looping, but verify its behavior with your build and media. When broadcasting a file at normal playback speed, use real-time pacing rather than allowing FFmpeg to process the file as fast as possible.

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A still logo is a separate image input, not the looped program video. Check how your FFmpeg version handles the image input and keep the image available while the process runs. These details can vary with the input type and build.

Set YouTube Live ingest and encoding

Retrieve the RTMPS destination

  1. Open YouTube Live Control Room and retrieve the RTMPS URL and stream key for the broadcast.
  2. Use the matching destination in FFmpeg. YouTube recommends RTMPS for encrypted Live ingest. YouTube Help describes it as: “It’s RTMP over a Transport Layer Security (TLS/SSL) connection and provides encryption.” See YouTube Help: Encrypt your stream using RTMPS.
  3. Keep the stream key secret. Treat it like a password: do not publish it or include it in material you share.

Choose a compatible bitrate and keyframe interval

Match resolution, frame rate, codec, and bitrate to both the encoder’s capabilities and your available upload capacity. YouTube Help’s live encoder-settings table, accessed 2026-10-03, recommends the following examples; these are platform recommendations, not performance measurements:

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Output mode H.264 recommendation AV1/H.265 recommendation
1080p at 30 fps 5 Mbps 10 Mbps
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These examples are not interchangeable presets. Use YouTube’s current table for your intended resolution, frame rate, and codec rather than applying one row to another mode. YouTube recommends a two-second keyframe interval and says not to exceed four seconds; its RTMP/RTMPS guidance supports frame rates up to 60 fps. These recommendations do not guarantee that a particular connection, input, or FFmpeg build will work. See YouTube Help: Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions for the current guidance. YouTube Help says: “We recommend running a speed test to test your upload bitrate.”

Test before broadcasting

  • Run a test with representative motion and audio, not only a static frame or silent clip.
  • Confirm that the logo is visible, correctly positioned, and not obscuring important content.
  • Check that the loop behaves as intended and the output contains the expected audio and video.
  • Choose a stream quality your upload connection can sustain. Monitor YouTube’s stream health and any messages while transmitting.

YouTube recommends testing with representative audio and motion, selecting a quality your connection can handle, and watching stream health during the event. Use the current YouTube live encoder guidance to confirm settings for your chosen mode.

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Troubleshooting

The logo does not appear

  • Check that the logo path is correct and the second input is being read.
  • Confirm the filter references the expected input labels, such as [0:v] for the video and [1:v] for the image.
  • Check that the filtered output label in -map matches the label created by the overlay filter.

The video loops, but the broadcast stops or runs too quickly

  • Check the installed FFmpeg documentation for loop-option syntax and placement relative to the source input.
  • For normal-speed playback from a file, configure real-time pacing and verify the output against the intended duration and frame rate.

There is no audio

  • Check whether the source has an audio stream and whether the output maps it. In the example, -map 0:a? maps audio from the first input only when present.
  • If audio is on a different input, map that input’s audio stream instead; verify that the output has the intended audio format.

YouTube reports poor stream health

  • Check that the bitrate matches the selected resolution, frame rate, and codec in YouTube’s current recommendations.
  • Run an upload speed test and lower the stream quality if the connection cannot sustain the selected bitrate.
  • Verify that the RTMPS URL and stream key come from the active Live Control Room setup, and monitor YouTube’s messages.

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