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Use FFmpeg’s overlay filter to composite a logo image over your video, map that filtered video to the output, and send the result to the RTMPS ingest URL shown in YouTube Live Control Room. Looping, audio, encoding, and the destination are separate parts of the command; their exact settings depend on your FFmpeg build, source media, and YouTube stream configuration.
What you need before building the command
- An installed FFmpeg build. Check its version and available encoders with
ffmpeg -versionandffmpeg -encoders; options and encoder availability can vary by build. - A video file and a logo image. A PNG with transparency is useful when you want the video visible around the logo.
- A YouTube live stream configured in Live Control Room, with its RTMPS URL and stream key.
- An upload connection that can sustain the bitrate for the resolution, frame rate, and codec you select.
The procedure uses software and a digital image; it does not require a particular physical product. FFmpeg’s documentation demonstrates the two-input, filter-graph approach for compositing an image over video and mapping the filtered result. FFmpeg documentation
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Build the video-and-logo filter graph
Start with the overlay structure
This illustrative command shows the main pieces for a video, a transparent PNG, an overlaid video stream, optional audio from the video, and an FLV output for an ingest URL:
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-filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]overlay=20:20[outv]"
-map "[outv]" -map 0:a?
[encoding options] -f flv [YouTube ingest URL]This is a structure to adapt, not a tested, universal command. Replace the bracketed placeholders with the options and RTMPS destination appropriate to your setup. The overlay coordinates shown place the logo 20 pixels from the left and top edges. Change them to suit the frame and keep important picture details unobstructed.
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Scale or reposition the logo
You can scale the image in the filter graph before overlaying it. For example, chain a scale filter on the logo input and then feed its output to overlay; choose dimensions that suit your video rather than assuming one logo size will fit every resolution. Preserve the PNG alpha channel if you want transparent areas to reveal the video. FFmpeg documents filter graphs and overlaying separate image and video inputs in its command documentation.
Map video and audio deliberately
The example maps the composited video as [outv] and uses -map 0:a? to request audio from the first input when an audio stream is present. If the source has no audio, do not assume the output will have a usable audio track; decide whether your broadcast should be silent or include a separate audio source, then configure the output accordingly. Confirm the streams in the input and output with your local FFmpeg build and a test transmission.
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Loop the source for continuous playback
FFmpeg has input-looping options, but option placement matters: input options configure the input that follows them. Consult the documentation for the installed version and the actual source format before adding a loop option. A loop count of -1 is commonly used to request indefinite looping, but verify its behavior with your build and media rather than treating it as a universal guarantee. The FFmpeg documentation covers input looping and image inputs.
For a file intended to play at normal speed as a live broadcast, use real-time pacing rather than allowing FFmpeg to read and transmit the file as quickly as it can process it. Check the documentation for the relevant option and confirm that the audio and video remain synchronized during a representative test. The logo is a still image, so its input handling may differ from the video input; follow the documented behavior for your FFmpeg version.
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Choose YouTube ingest and encoder settings
Use the RTMPS details from Live Control Room
- Open YouTube Live Control Room and create or select the live stream you intend to use.
- Copy the RTMPS URL and stream key provided for that stream into the matching fields in your FFmpeg output configuration.
- Keep the stream key private. Treat it like a password: anyone with access to it may be able to transmit to your stream.
YouTube recommends RTMPS for live ingest. Its Help page explains: “It’s RTMP over a Transport Layer Security (TLS/SSL) connection and provides encryption.” See YouTube Help: Encrypt your stream using RTMPS. Use the URL shown in Live Control Room rather than assuming an endpoint.
Match bitrate to resolution, frame rate, and codec
Choose resolution, frame rate, codec, and bitrate together. YouTube’s current live encoder guidance, accessed 2026-10-03, varies recommended bitrate by resolution, frame rate, and codec. For example, its table recommends 5 Mbps for H.264 at 1080p/30 fps and 8 Mbps for H.264 at 720p/60 fps; the corresponding AV1/H.265 recommendations are 10 Mbps and 6 Mbps. These are YouTube recommendations, not performance measurements or guarantees. Check the current YouTube encoder settings and bitrate table for the mode you plan to use, since the page is rolling guidance and does not show a publication year.
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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. Select an encoder and settings supported by your FFmpeg build, and do not copy a bitrate from a different resolution, frame rate, or codec. YouTube Help also says: “We recommend running a speed test to test your upload bitrate.” Check YouTube Help: Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions.
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Test before the intended broadcast
- Run the complete command against the intended video and logo, using the same resolution, frame rate, codec, bitrate, and audio arrangement planned for the live stream.
- Test with representative motion and audio, not just a static opening frame. Check the logo’s size, transparency, placement, and legibility across the content.
- Transmit a test stream and monitor YouTube’s stream health and on-screen messages while it runs.
- If the stream is unstable, compare the selected bitrate with the connection’s sustainable upload capacity and reduce the output quality settings as needed.
YouTube advises choosing a quality the available connection can sustain, testing with representative audio and motion, and monitoring stream health and messages during the event. Current guidance is at YouTube Help: Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions.
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Troubleshoot common failures
- The logo does not appear: Check that the image input is valid, that the filter graph refers to the correct input indexes, and that the filtered output is mapped. Adjust the overlay coordinates if the logo falls outside the visible frame.
- The output has no audio: Inspect the source for an audio stream and confirm the audio mapping. The optional map in the example does not create audio when the input contains none.
- The loop does not repeat: Verify the loop option’s placement relative to the input it configures and confirm behavior for your FFmpeg version and source format in its documentation.
- YouTube does not receive the stream: Check that the RTMPS URL and stream key came from the intended Live Control Room stream, that they are entered in the correct output configuration, and that the key has not been mistyped or replaced.
- YouTube reports poor stream health or the feed drops: Review the platform’s messages, test upload capacity, and confirm that bitrate, resolution, frame rate, codec, and keyframe interval match YouTube’s current guidance and what your connection can sustain.
- FFmpeg rejects an option or encoder: Check the installed version’s documentation and encoder list. A command assembled for another build or media input may require changes.
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Copyright and live-stream eligibility
Only stream video and audio you have the rights to use, and check YouTube’s current rules for live content before broadcasting. Adding a logo or looping a file does not establish that you own the underlying material or make it eligible for monetization. Review YouTube’s notices and stream-health messages during testing; do not assume that a technically accepted stream clears copyright or reused-content concerns.
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