Live Stream Thumbnail, Splash Screen and Poster Walkthrough

Today, we are going to discuss three different aesthetic elements of live streaming: thumbnails, splash screens, and posters. We will define each of these and explain how to set them up on Dacast.

What are Live Stream Thumbnails?

Thumbnails are small images from the movie, which represent the video to viewers before they begin to watch.

Live stream thumbnails can be either icons or a still picture.

Where do Video Player Thumbnails Appear?

The primary location for thumbnails is at the main page of either your Live Channel, VOD, or  Playlists:

Uploading a Video Thumbnail

To upload a thumbnail, go to the GENERAL tab for any Live Channel, VOD, or Playlist. The thumbnail part will be in the lower-middle, under “Images”:

Now, as shown on the image above, clicking “Change” will enable you to browse through your computer for an image of your choice or select a frame directly from your video, to select as a thumbnail for your content.

What Type of Images Can I Use?

Dacast supports JPEG, PNG, and GIF formats. For GIFs, you can upload animated files, but the channel will only show the first frame. Additionally, transparent elements on GIFs and PNGs will be replaced by black elements.

Note that images should be less than 1MB in size.

What is a Splash Screen?

A splash screen is an image that covers the entire viewable area of the player when the content isn’t playing.

Splash screens will first “splash” onto the video area for a few seconds before the video begins to play. You can use this “splash” as a loading screen or preview. 

Additionally, if your live stream is offline, the splash screen will appear as a background behind any system messages, even including the paywall if you monetize your content.

For content not set to auto-play or after a video on demand has finished, the splash screen also appears until the viewer clicks play.

In addition, the optional Dacast Viewer service uses the splash screen to represent your content to viewers.

Uploading a Splash Screen

Similar to uploading a thumbnail, go to the GENERAL tab for any Live Channel, VOD, or Playlist. The splash screen part will be in the leftmost part, next to the Thumbnails:

Now, as shown on the image above, clicking on “Add” will enable you to browse through your computer for an image of your choice:

If you already have an image uploaded and want to change it, all you have to do is either click “Change” or “Delete.”

What is a Poster?

A poster is a larger image you can upload and use for any purpose related to your content. Think of it as an arbitrary image you can assign to a specific piece of content. 

To give you an example, on other streaming platforms (e.g. Netflix) their user interface allows one to scroll through all the content, and essentially, what the user sees are the poster images of each content. 

Where do Posters Appear?

The primary location for posters is at the main page (General tab) of either your Live Channel, VOD, or Playlists. 

Uploading a Poster

To upload a poster, go to the GENERAL tab for any Live Channel, VOD, or Playlist. The poster will be in the rightmost part, under “Images”:

Now, as shown on the image above, clicking on “Add” will enable you to browse through your computer for an image of your choice 

If you already have an image uploaded and want to change it, all you have to do is click “Change” (as indicated in the image above).

Most importantly, please press the SAVE button afterward, for ALL changes to be reflected immediately.

Any questions or need help/access to this feature? Please contact us.

Not yet a Dacast user, and interested in trying Dacast risk-free for 14 days? Sign up today to get started.

get started for free

Additional Resources

• Intro to Live Streaming: A Walkthrough
• How to Setup Live Streaming Video on a Website
• Creating a Playlist Channel: A Walkthrough
• Logo and Watermarking: A Walkthrough
• How to Choose the Best Video Streaming API