How to add overlay like CCTV in OBS?

[hoandt]

How can I turn my webcam into a CCTV-style feed with a timestamp that updates every second?
For example:
2025-05-03 15:35:20
I want this timestamp to overlay on my webcam input and broadcast it as a virtual webcam.

Is this possible to do in OBS?

 

[swifttrack]

Have you tried HTML file?

Time and Date Overlay updated

Clock.html GitHub File Download the HTML File In OBS add a Browser Source Select local file Browse to the clock.html file adjust the height and width accordingly You can edit the clock.html in the notepad app on windows, any other text editor...

obsproject.com

 

[hoandt]

Thanks for the suggestion! I gave it a try — it's a great solution, but I'm experiencing some lag during recording. There's occasionally a delay of a few seconds, especially when I switch to other tasks. I’d prefer using Python or something similar for better performance.

 

[swifttrack]

I can try a lua script like cctv.lua, search online: https://swifthub.net/en/ecom-en/how-to-add-datetime-dd-mm-yyyy-to-obs/

• Set Up OBS:
  • Open OBS Studio.
  • Create a scene and add your webcam as a Video Capture Device source.
  • Add a Text (GDI+/FreeType2) source (e.g., named “Timestamp”) and configure its appearance (e.g., font: Courier New, white text, black outline, positioned in the top-left corner).
• Load the Script:
  • Go to Tools > Scripts in OBS.
  • Click the “+” button, select cctv.lua, and load it.
  • In the script properties, set the “Text Source” to your text source (e.g., “Timestamp”).

 

[Suslik V]

OBS resources (including scripts):

Resources

obsproject.com

Example of the discussion thread for heavily customizable digital watches for OBS:

OBS Lua - Datetime digital clock

albinou submitted a new resource: Datetime - This scipt transforms a text source into a digital clock (format can be selected). This scipt transforms a text source into a digital clock. The datetime format is configurable and uses the same syntax than the Lua os.date() call, i.e.: %a...

obsproject.com

 

[hoandt]

Thank you.. the cctv.lua rocks!! @swifttrack