How to Create a Custom Overlay

A photo overlay is a PNG image with a transparent background that sits on top of guest photos in your layout. It creates the visual frame, border, or branded graphic that guests see on their final photo — corporate logos, seasonal themes, sponsor frames, event branding, and more.

Every photo your booth produces is a combination of the guest's captured image and an overlay applied in the Layout Builder. Getting your overlay right is one of the highest-impact things you can do for a polished, client-ready result.

Specs to Know Before You Start

All overlays must be PNG files with a transparent background — JPEG files do not support transparency and will produce a white or solid fill instead of a clean overlay. For exact dimensions, see Custom Assets Specifications.

The standard dimensions for FMX for Windows:

• Portrait layout: 1200 × 1800 px
• Landscape layout: 1800 × 1200 px

Design your overlay at exactly these dimensions so it aligns perfectly with the guest photo in the layout.

Option 1: Use Foto Master's Overlay Library (Fastest)

You do not need to start from scratch. Foto Master maintains a growing library of professionally designed overlays and full presets organized by theme — holidays, corporate events, weddings, sports, AI experiences, and more.

To browse and load one:

1. Open your event in Foto Master Cloud
2. Enable FMX for Windows and select the device/license.
3. Click Load Preset and filter by theme or event type
4. The overlay, layout, and workflow are applied instantly

From there, click the edit button next to the layout, and customize it to fit your client:

• Replace or add a logo image element
• Update the event name or date as a text element
• Adjust colors by swapping the overlay PNG for a recolored version
• Add or remove elements from the layout canvas

Option 2: Use the AI Overlay Creator (Built Into Cloud)

The Layout Builder in Foto Master Cloud has a built-in AI overlay generator. Describe the overlay you want in plain language and the AI builds it for you.

1. Open your the Layout Builder in Foto Master Cloud (Presets → FMX For windows → Layouts Tab → Add New)
2. Add the Image element
3.  Click on the image, and on the right side bar you'll see the Image Settings.

4. Click "Load example prompt" to start with an example or simply describe what you want.
   

   For example: "Elegant gold frame with floral corners, event name at the bottom, transparent center"

5. Click Generate AI Image. The Image will automatically save to your Cloud Assets.
6. Refine the prompt is needed and save when you're happy with the result.

Option 3: Design Your Own

For full creative control, design the overlay in a tool of your choice and export as PNG with transparency.

Recommended tools

Using AI tools for creative elements

AI image generators (Midjourney, GPT Image, Nano Banana, Adobe Firefly) are excellent for generating decorative elements — illustrated corners, themed graphics, backgrounds, patterns — that you then composite into your overlay in Photoshop or Photopea before uploading onto your photo layout.

Overlay Design Examples

Uploading and Applying Your Overlay

1. In Foto Master Cloud, go to Presets → FMX → Layouts
2. Open your layout template
3. Add an Image element and upload your overlay
4. Set it to fill the full canvas and place it on the top layer so it overlays the photo
5. Save the layout — it will sync to FMX on the next event sync

Read Next

• Custom Assets Specifications
• Layout Builder
• How to Make Part of an Image Transparent Using Photopea or Adobe Photoshop