Overlays in AppFrames let you add supplementary elements on top of your screenshots without modifying the original image. Perfect for highlighting features, adding callouts, or providing additional context.

Types of Overlay Elements

AppFrames supports two types of overlay elements:

Text Overlays

  • Callout text: Labels, descriptions, or explanations
  • Feature highlights: “NEW”, “UPDATED”, “50% OFF” badges
  • Step indicators: “1”, “2”, “3” for tutorials
  • Multi-language support: Different text per language

Shape Overlays

  • Rectangles: Highlight boxes, background areas
  • Triangles: Arrows or pointers
  • Custom styling: Solid colors, gradients, borders
  • Transparency options: Semi-transparent highlights

[Image placeholder: Screenshot showing both text and shape overlays highlighting different app features]

Adding Your First Overlay

Step 1: Select Screenshot

  1. Open your AppFrames project
  2. Navigate to the screenshot you want to add overlays to
  3. Make sure the screenshot is selected in the sidebar

Step 2: Add Overlay Element

  1. In the Inspector panel (right sidebar), find the Layers section
  2. Click the ”+” button next to “Overlay Elements”
  3. Choose Text Overlay or Shape Overlay from the menu

[Image placeholder: Inspector showing the Layers section with + button and overlay type menu]

Step 3: Position and Customize

  1. Drag the overlay to position it where you want
  2. Resize using corner handles to adjust size
  3. Customize properties in the Inspector panel

Working with Text Overlays

Basic Text Properties

Configure your text overlay in the Inspector:

  • Text Content: What the overlay displays
  • Font Family: System fonts and custom fonts
  • Font Size: Adjustable from small to large
  • Font Weight: Regular, Medium, Semibold, Bold
  • Text Color: Color picker with transparency

Text Positioning and Alignment

  • Text Alignment: Left, Center, Right, Justified
  • Max Lines: Control how many lines text can wrap to
  • Position: Drag to place anywhere on screenshot
  • Size: Resize to control text area width and height

[Image placeholder: Text overlay being positioned with alignment options visible]

Background Styling

Add backgrounds to make text more readable:

  • Background Color: Solid color behind text
  • Background Transparency: Adjust opacity
  • Corner Radius: Rounded corners for background
  • No Background: Transparent text directly on screenshot

Multi-Language Text Overlays

Text overlays support localization:

  1. Add base text in English
  2. Switch to target language using language preview
  3. Edit overlay text - it saves per language automatically
  4. Repeat for all languages in your project

[Image placeholder: Same text overlay showing “NEW” in English and “NUEVO” in Spanish]

Working with Shape Overlays

Shape Types

Choose from available shapes:

  • Rectangle: Most common for highlighting areas
  • Triangle: Great for arrows or pointers

Fill Styles

Customize how shapes are filled:

  • Solid Color: Single color fill
  • Gradient: Smooth color transitions
  • Background Image: Use images as shape fill
  • Transparency: Adjust opacity for see-through effects

[Image placeholder: Different shape overlay fill styles - solid, gradient, transparent]

Border and Styling

  • Border Width: Thickness of shape outline
  • Border Color: Outline color (often contrasting)
  • Corner Radius: Round the corners (rectangles only)
  • Shadow Effects: Drop shadows for depth

Shape Positioning

  • Precise Placement: Drag to exact position needed
  • Layering: Use z-index to control which overlays appear on top
  • Rotation: Rotate shapes to match your design needs

Layer Management

Understanding Layers

Each overlay exists on its own layer:

  • Z-Index: Controls stacking order (higher numbers on top)
  • Visibility: Toggle overlays on/off without deleting
  • Organization: Name overlays for easier management

[Image placeholder: Layers panel showing multiple overlays with z-index controls]

Layer Operations

  • Reorder Layers: Drag overlays up/down in layers list
  • Duplicate Layers: Copy overlay with all settings
  • Delete Layers: Remove overlay completely
  • Toggle Visibility: Temporarily hide without deleting

Managing Multiple Overlays

When working with several overlays:

  1. Use descriptive names: “Feature Callout”, “Price Badge”, “Step 1”
  2. Group related overlays: Similar z-index values
  3. Test visibility combinations: Some overlays work better alone

Advanced Overlay Techniques

Creating Callout Systems

Build consistent callout styles across screenshots:

  1. Create base overlay with desired styling
  2. Duplicate to other screenshots
  3. Adjust position and text per screenshot
  4. Maintain consistent appearance

Highlighting UI Elements

Use overlays to draw attention:

  • Semi-transparent rectangles over important buttons
  • Arrows pointing to key features
  • Text labels explaining functionality
  • Step-by-step indicators for tutorials

[Image placeholder: Screenshot with systematic highlighting showing a user flow through an app]

Brand Consistency

Maintain your brand identity:

  • Use brand colors for overlay backgrounds
  • Consistent font choices across all overlays
  • Standard sizing for similar types of callouts
  • Uniform styling for badges and labels

Overlay Best Practices

Visual Hierarchy

Create clear visual hierarchy:

  • Primary overlays: High contrast, bold styling
  • Secondary overlays: Subtle styling, lower opacity
  • Supporting overlays: Minimal styling, small size

Readability Guidelines

Ensure overlays are readable:

  • High contrast between text and background
  • Sufficient text size for mobile viewing
  • Clear backgrounds for text overlays
  • No overlapping text elements

Performance Considerations

Keep projects performant:

  • Limit overlay count per screenshot (5-7 maximum recommended)
  • Optimize complex gradients
  • Use simple shapes when possible
  • Clean up unused overlays periodically

Overlays Across Variants

Variant-Specific Overlays

Create different overlays for A/B tests:

  1. Set up base overlays for your default variant
  2. Create new variant for testing
  3. Modify overlays for that specific variant
  4. Compare performance between variants

Consistent vs Variable Overlays

  • Consistent: Keep same overlays across variants for fair testing
  • Variable: Test different overlay approaches as part of the experiment

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Overlays Not Appearing

  • Check visibility toggle in layers panel
  • Verify z-index - element might be behind others
  • Check transparency - might be too transparent to see
  • Ensure overlay is enabled in layer properties

Text Too Small/Large

  • Adjust font size in text properties
  • Resize text area by dragging corners
  • Check text wrapping settings (max lines)
  • Preview on actual device size for real-world sizing

Positioning Problems

  • Use zoom to position precisely
  • Snap to grid if available
  • Check rotation - element might be rotated unexpectedly
  • Reset position and start over if needed

Language-Specific Issues

  • Verify language preview is set correctly
  • Check text length in longer languages
  • Ensure proper encoding for special characters
  • Test all language combinations

Export Behavior

How Overlays Export

  • Renders as part of final image - not separate layers
  • Maintains full quality at export resolution
  • Preserves transparency effects
  • Includes all visible overlays only

File Size Impact

  • Minimal size increase for most overlays
  • Complex gradients may slightly increase file size
  • Transparency effects have minimal impact
  • Multiple overlays don’t significantly affect size

Next Steps