Using Overlays
If you used overlays in earlier versions of HALO, you might notice that there’s no longer an “Overlay” upload button in your preset settings.
Nothing has been removed. The same exact overlay files you used before can still be used in HALO 5.0.
In the new Layout Designer, overlays are added as image layers.
Image layers give you more control over your design while keeping the original overlay workflow intact for anyone who prefers to build their designs in an external program.
How to think about overlays in HALO 5.0
In previous versions, overlays were treated as a single graphic placed on top of your layout. That’s still how they behave — the main change is how you import them.
One big improvement in the new layout system is that your overlay (and any other image you add) can be resized directly in your settings. In earlier versions, overlays couldn’t be adjusted at all once imported, so any tweaks required going back to your design file. The new layer system gives you more flexibility without changing how your overlay is supposed to look.
Old workflow
Upload an overlay → HALO places it over your frame(s), fixed in position.
New workflow
Add an image layer → Import the same PNG file → Position and size it exactly where you want.
Your overlay file can still be designed the same way as before: a transparent PNG with all decorative elements baked in.
Tips
You can keep designing your files in the same way
You can still design mostly transparent overlay files, with only your design elements visible. Just be sure they are sized correctly for the layout you are designing.
Layers give you more flexibility
If you want to fine-tune placement, you can.
If you don't want to keep designing mostly transparent files, your design elements can be imported, resized, and repositioned
Logos vs overlays is simpler now
Logos are just another image layer you can position anywhere.
Overlays are also image layers — just placed above the photo frame and designed to cover it.
Adding an overlay in HALO 5.0 (as an Image Layer)
Open your preset and go to the Layout Designer.
Select the frame size you’re working with.
Tap the Add Layer button and choose an image from your library.
Upload your overlay PNG.
Drag, resize, or rotate the layer if needed. • If your overlay was designed at the correct aspect ratio, you can place it at full width and it will fit exactly as it did before.
Make sure the layer is above your photo frame in the layer list.
Overlay sizing in the new system
The same rules apply:
Design your overlay for the final output size you want. Pixel dimensions are no longer shown in your settings — the new Layout Designer uses aspect ratios instead.
Match portrait overlays to portrait frames, landscape to landscape.
Overlays do not automatically stretch to fit, unless you manually resize them (which may distort your design).
Why the change?
HALO 5.0’s new layout tools are built around a layer-based system. Instead of having special upload slots for overlays, logos, and frames, everything flows through a single, predictable workflow:
Add layer → Choose what to add.
This reduces confusion, gives you more control, and makes complex designs easier to manage.
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