RaceLab Support – Chat Highlight Overlay (Streaming – Twitch only)

Chat Highlight Overlay (Streaming – Twitch only)

The Chat Highlight overlay shows one Twitch chat message at a time in a big, readable box on your stream. It is perfect for putting the focus on good questions, helpful tips, funny moments or VIP messages without showing the whole chat window.

Important: the Chat Highlight overlay is built for Twitch chat only, just like the normal Chat overlay. YouTube and other platforms are not supported for this specific overlay yet. You must have your Twitch account connected to RaceLab before highlights can appear.

What does the Chat Highlight overlay do?

  • Shows a single Twitch message in a large, clear box.
  • Helps viewers follow key information in VODs and clips.
  • Lets you feature one viewer at a time without chat spam.
  • Works alongside the normal Chat overlay or on its own.

You normally trigger which message is highlighted from the RaceLab UI or a control panel. Think of it as a “spotlight” for chat.

1. Check your Twitch connection

If you already set up Twitch for the normal Chat overlay, you are probably done here. This is just a quick reminder:

  1. Open the RaceLab App.
  2. Go to the Settings / Streaming area.
  3. Confirm that your Twitch account is connected and authorised.
  4. If not, click the Twitch connect / login button, sign in, and allow RaceLab to access your chat.

2. Create a layout for highlights

  1. In the RaceLab app, go to Layouts.
  2. Create a new layout (for example: “Stream – Chat Highlights”) or edit your existing stream layout.
  3. Click Add widget.
  4. Select the Chat Highlight overlay from the list.
  5. Place the highlight box where you want it:
    • Often above or near your webcam.
    • Or centred near the top or bottom of the screen.
  6. Resize the box so long messages fit without wrapping too many times.
  7. Adjust fonts, colours and background in RaceLab so the text is easy to read and matches your stream style.
  8. Save the layout.
Tip – pairing with normal chat overlay Many streamers run both overlays at once: a small normal chat box in a corner plus a larger highlight box above the webcam. Use the normal chat for background context and the highlight overlay when you want viewers to focus on a specific message.

3. Add the highlight overlay to OBS / Streamlabs

  1. In RaceLab, open your highlight layout and copy the overlay URL / browser link for that layout.
  2. Open OBS Studio (or your streaming software).
  3. Select the scene where you want the highlight box to appear.
  4. Click Add > Browser Source.
  5. Give it a name such as “RaceLab – Chat Highlight overlay”.
  6. Paste the overlay URL into the URL box.
  7. Set a starting size, for example:
    • Width: 700–900 pixels
    • Height: 220–320 pixels
  8. Press OK and position the box in your layout.
  9. Fine-tune the size so 2–3 lines of text fit comfortably.

4. Using the highlight during a stream

  1. Go live on Twitch as normal.
  2. Watch your chat in the Twitch dashboard or inside RaceLab.
  3. When you see a message you want to highlight, use the RaceLab controls to select that message for the Chat Highlight overlay (exact method depends on current RaceLab version – usually a small icon / button near the message).
  4. The overlay on your stream switches to show that message in the box.
  5. When you are done, either clear the highlight or select a new message to replace it.
Tip – good messages to highlight Highlight messages that:
  • Ask a question you are about to answer.
  • Contain important info (server name, event details, rules).
  • Give useful technical tips for other viewers.
  • Are funny moments you might clip later.

5. Common problems and quick fixes

  • No highlight appears at all:
    Check that the highlight layout in RaceLab contains the Chat Highlight widget and that the correct layout URL is in your Browser Source. Also confirm that Twitch is connected.
  • Overlay is visible but empty:
    Make sure you have actually selected a message to highlight using the RaceLab UI. The overlay may stay empty until a message is chosen.
  • Text runs off the box:
    Increase the Browser Source width / height, or reduce the font size in RaceLab. You can also limit how many lines are displayed in the style options if available.
  • Too bright or hard to read over the game:
    Darken the background and increase contrast on the text. A darker, slightly transparent panel with white text usually works well.
  • Highlight appears behind other elements:
    Move the highlight source higher in the OBS source list so it is drawn on top of other overlays and images.

This page was created by a RaceLab community member Scottozy, based on personal experience using RaceLab overlays together with publicly available documentation and community feedback. It is an unofficial help page and is not an official RaceLab publication.

Sources & references

  • RaceLab – official information about streaming overlays and Twitch chat support.
  • RaceLab community posts discussing how to use the Chat Highlight overlay in streams.
  • Practical testing by sim-racers combining RaceLab highlight overlays with OBS / Streamlabs on Twitch.