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evmux Knowledge Base

How to Add a Lower Third (Name Banner)

This guide shows you how to configure lower thirds to identify speakers and display names during broadcasts.

Quick Steps

  1. Click the Brand tab in the left sidebar
  2. Find the Lower thirds section
  3. Toggle on to enable lower thirds for speakers
  4. Select a preset or click Custom to customize

Hotkey: show / hide lower thirds

Ctrl + Shift + O toggles lower thirds on and off — it is a built-in default shortcut (toggleLowerThirds), not something you have to create, and like every other shortcut it can be reassigned in Settings -> Hotkeys. Use it to drop the name tags mid-show without going back to the Brand tab.

What is a Lower Third?

A lower third is a graphic overlay that displays on screen showing:

  • Speaker’s name (first line)
  • Job title or description (second line)
  • Optionally: speaker’s title prefix and logo

Where to Find Lower Third Settings

Lower thirds are configured in the Brand tab (not the Banners tab):

  1. Open the left sidebar
  2. Click the Brand tab
  3. Scroll to the Lower thirds accordeon section
  4. Toggle the switch to enable lower thirds for speakers in the dynamic scene

The Brand tab with the Lower thirds section highlighted: the on/off switch, two preset styles and a Custom button

Detailed Steps

Step 1: Enable Lower Thirds

  1. Go to Brand tab
  2. Find Lower thirds section
  3. The toggle enables/disables lower thirds for speakers in the dynamic scene
  4. Tooltip: “Toggle on to display guests name as part of the stream.”

Step 2: Choose a Preset Style

The Brand tab shows three options:

OptionDescription
Preset 1First built-in animation style
Preset 2Second built-in animation style
CustomOpen full customization popup

Click one to select it. The active style shows a highlighted border.

Step 3: Customize (Optional)

Click Custom to open the Lower third settings popup. This provides full control over:

The Lower third settings popup: Enabled, Show Always and Play only Once switches, timing fields, Size slider, Main and Second color, Display Logo, and a preview with six position choices

Text Content:

  • First line - Main text (name), max 50 characters
  • Second line - Secondary text (title), max 50 characters

Display Options:

  • Enabled checkbox - Turn lower third on/off for this speaker
  • Show Always checkbox - Keep visible continuously
  • Play only Once checkbox - Show once then hide

Timing Settings (disabled when “Show Always” is on):

  • Delay Before Start - Wait 0-60 seconds before appearing
  • Hide After - Visible for 0-60 seconds
  • Repeat Every - Cycle time 0-300 seconds

Appearance:

  • Size slider - Scale 0-100%
  • Main Color - Primary color picker
  • Second Color - Secondary color picker

Speaker Options (when linked to a speaker):

  • Display Title checkbox - Show speaker’s title (e.g., Mr/Ms/Doc/Prof)
  • Display Logo checkbox - Show speaker’s logo beside the lower third

Step 4: Choose Animation Style

In the Custom popup, click Choose different Style to see all available animations. There are 14 styles: eleven standard animated designs, including the two presets from the Brand tab, and three that use a video background. Click one to preview it on the right, then keep it or go back to the list.

Step 5: Set Position

Use the position chooser at the bottom of the preview:

PositionCodeLocation
Bottom-leftblLower left corner
Bottom-centerbcLower center
Bottom-rightbrLower right corner
Top-lefttlUpper left corner
Top-centertcUpper center
Top-righttrUpper right corner

Click a position icon to place the lower third there.

Step 6: Video Background Options

For styles ending in _v (video backgrounds):

  • Background opacity slider - Adjust 0-100%
  • Video background selector - Choose from 20 video backgrounds (v_bg_1 through v_bg_20)

Custom Lower Third per Layer

For speaker layers, you can customize the lower third individually:

  1. Select the speaker layer in the scene
  2. In the Layer Toolbar, find Custom Lower third
  3. Check the checkbox to override the global style
  4. Click Lower third style to open the customization popup

Close the Popup

  • Click the X button in the top right
  • Press Escape key
  • Click outside the popup (on the darkened background)

Best Practices

Design

  • Keep first line short (names)
  • Use second line for titles/roles
  • Choose colors that contrast with your video content
  • Test position doesn’t cover important content

Timing

  • “Show Always” keeps lower thirds visible throughout
  • “Play only Once” is good for introductions
  • Use “Repeat Every” for recurring reminders

For Dynamic Scenes

  • Lower thirds appear automatically on speaker layers
  • Configure per-speaker in the speaker settings
  • Can be overridden per-layer in toolbar

Troubleshooting

Lower third not appearing?

  • Check that “Enabled” is checked
  • Verify lower thirds are enabled in Brand tab toggle
  • Make sure you’re in a dynamic scene with speakers

Timing controls greyed out?

  • “Show Always” is enabled - this disables timing controls
  • Uncheck “Show Always” to access Delay, Hide After, and Repeat settings

Can’t see Custom button?

  • Make sure you’re in the Brand tab, Lower thirds section
  • The three options should appear below the toggle