Overlay For Mac

Whether you’re drawing something, comparing two artworks, or using an object as a reference, it might help to place two images on top of one another. However, not all graphic editors allow you to do this.

Overlay provides a very simple way to set up an image overlay. You just place it in a dedicated window which has customizable opacity and scale, and then move said window over any other application that you’re working with.

After launching the app, you’ll see a semi-transparent window on your desktop, along with the overlay controls. You can drop images directly in the window, and they will appear translucent. The window can then be moved freely.

From the controls, you can change the window’s opacity, the image’s scale, position, and rotation. Click Float, and the window’s title bar and background will be hidden, leaving you with just the translucent image. You can then move the image using the controls, but only within the confines of the window.

The controls are quite easy to understand and use, but they get a bit sluggish when working with high-resolution images. It would also be rather nice if the controls could be attached to the image window and toggled on or off as needed.

When you float the image window, you can make adjustments from the controls, but you can no longer move the window. To do so, you’ll need to unfloat it.

The app can remember the last position of both windows when closed, so you’ll be able to continue working on a project that relies on exact positioning even after restarting it.

Overlay works quite well, and it’s a simple solution to a problem that your graphics software might not be equipped for. It’s versatile and relatively easy to use, but there are certainly ways in which it could be improved as well.