If you’ve ever watched a YouTube tutorial where the creator appears in a small box talking while their screen recording or footage plays in the background, you’ve seen the picture-in-picture (PIP) effect in action. It’s one of the most popular techniques in modern video content – perfect for tutorials, reaction videos, vlogs, and product demos.
In this tutorial, we’ll walk through exactly how to create a picture-in-picture video using MAGIX Movie Edit Pro Plus 2020, one of the most beginner-friendly video editors available. The good news? MAGIX has made this effect incredibly simple with a built-in one-click template – no complex keyframing or manual resising required.
Step 1: Set Up Your Project
Start by opening MAGIX Movie Edit Pro Plus 2020 and creating a new project. For this example, we’ll use standard HD settings:
- Aspect ratio: 16:9
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- Frame rate: 29.9 frames per second
Step 2: Import and Drag Your Video Clips to the Timeline
Locate the two video clips you want to combine – in this example, one clip is the primary footage and the other is a background clip (in the tutorial, an “earth” video clip). Drag and drop both video files onto the timeline.
Note: You may see a pop-up message about a frame rate mismatch (for example, your clip is 30fps but your project is set to 29.9fps). Don’t worry – this is a minor discrepancy and won’t cause any real issues. Simply click Do Not Adjust to continue.
Step 3: Decide Which Clip Goes on Top
Once both clips are on your timeline, you’ll need to decide:
- Which clip will be the larger background video
- Which clip will be the smaller overlay video (the picture-in-picture clip)
The rule of thumb: place the smaller/overlay clip on the bottom track of your timeline, and the larger background clip above it. The bottom track clip is the one that will end up “floating” on top of the background footage.
Step 4: Apply the Picture-in-Picture Template
This is where MAGIX makes life easy:
- Click on the bottom video clip (the one you want overlaid).
- Navigate to the Templates panel.
- Scroll down until you find the Picture in Picture section.
- Browse the available style presets – MAGIX offers several PIP layouts and framing styles to choose from.
Select a style and click the arrow icon next to it to apply the effect. Once applied, click Play to preview – you’ll immediately see both videos playing together, with one overlaid on top of the other.
Step 5: Position the Overlay Where You Want It
To do this:
- Make sure the bottom-track video clip is selected.
- Click the appropriate positioning arrow/preset (e.g., bottom-left or bottom-right corner placement).
This creates the classic layout where the presenter appears in a small box in the corner while their main content (screen recording, footage, or demonstration) plays behind them – exactly the style you see in countless Photoshop tutorials, gaming videos, and vlogs on YouTube.
Why Use Picture-in-Picture?
This effect is incredibly versatile for content creators. Common use cases include:
- Tutorials: Show your face while demonstrating software on screen
- Reaction videos: Display the reaction alongside the original content
- Vlogs: Layer B-roll footage over your talking-head shot
- Product demos: Combine live demonstration footage with supporting visuals
Final Thoughts
Picture-in-picture used to require a lot more manual setup in older versions of MAGIX software — carefully resising clips, positioning them by hand, and adjusting layers one at a time. With MAGIX Movie Edit Pro Plus 2020, this entire process has been streamlined into a quick, template-based workflow that takes just a few clicks.
Whether you’re building tutorials, YouTube content, or professional-style video overlays, this feature is a simple but powerful tool worth experimenting with in your next project.
Give it a try and see how picture-in-picture can elevate your next video!
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