A branding overlay is a transparent PNG you upload in your event's Branding section. Once it's turned on, it's placed on top of every photo in that event automatically. Nothing is edited by hand, and nothing changes about the photo underneath it.

A client logo and event name placed on a photo the same way your overlay would apply to every photo guests are spotted in. This is a real render from one of the downloadable template packs below, not a mockup.

Upload your overlay in the event's Branding section, then use Save and Send Test. That generates sample photos with your overlay applied, so you can check the look before any guest sees it.

Match your overlay to the event's aspect ratio, and use one aspect ratio per event. If guests are getting cropped at the edges or losing part of their face, that is an aspect-ratio mismatch rather than a problem with the overlay itself. See Skip Branding and Resizing for how to set it.

If you don't want to design your own from scratch, ready-made template packs are available, from bold and colorful to clean and minimal. The two below are real renders straight from those downloadable packs, not mockups:

See Graphic Design Resources for the full set of downloadable templates, the design spec sheet, and the overlay FAQ.

Overlays are separate from watermarks. If you want to hold photos behind a paywall, that's Image Sales, not an overlay setting.

Overlays are also separate from hiding the SpotMyPhotos name from guests. That's a branding mode (White Label or Private Label). See Branding Modes.