> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.streamwizard.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ads

> Warn viewers before an ad break and count down while it runs.

The ad widget tells your viewers what's happening with ads. A few minutes
before an ad, it gives them a heads-up. While the ads run, it counts down
to when you're back. After the break, it says thanks. The rest of the time
it stays out of sight.

## Add it

In the overlay editor, open **Widgets → Ads** and add **Ads**.

## Where the timing comes from

* **Before an ad:** from your ad schedule in Twitch's Ads Manager. The widget
  checks it every minute, and every 15 seconds once an ad is close. If you
  snooze an ad, the countdown moves within about 15 seconds.
* **During the break:** Twitch tells StreamWizard the moment an ad break
  starts and how long it runs. The countdown starts right then, for scheduled
  ads and ones you run yourself.

Twitch only schedules ads while you're live and have ads switched on in Ads
Manager. **Open Ads Manager on Twitch** in the widget settings takes you
there. If no ad is scheduled, there's no heads-up, but ad breaks still show
when they start.

If the settings show a **Connect Twitch** button, StreamWizard can't read
your ad schedule yet. One trip to Twitch and you're set.

## Designs

| Design | What it looks like | Good for |
| - | - | - |
| **Pill** | A small badge with the countdown and a thin line running down | Corners |
| **Bar** | The line of text over a bar that runs down | Under your camera, tickers |
| **Card** | A bigger card with the countdown and a message for viewers | A small "be right back" screen during ads |
| **Ring** | A ring that runs down around the time left | Next to your camera |

In the last 10 seconds before an ad, the accent pulses so the heads-up is
hard to miss.

## See it before you go live

The settings have three test buttons:

* **Ad coming** shows the heads-up. It plays on the editor canvas only:
  Twitch has no event for an upcoming ad, so there's nothing to send to your
  live overlay.
* **30 s break** and **60 s break** play an ad break. They follow the demo
  bar's Local and Live switch.

The same buttons sit in the **Ads** row of the editor's **Demo** bar. After a
test, **Back to your Twitch schedule** puts the real schedule back.

## Settings

* **When**: show it before an ad (and how many minutes before, from 30
  seconds to 10 minutes), during the break, and a welcome back for 5 seconds
  after.
* **Text**: the line before an ad, during the break and after it. `{time}`
  becomes the countdown, like `1:30`. The Card also has a message line for
  the break.
* **Colors**: accent, background, text, background opacity and corner radius.
* **Font**: font, weight, size, and a shadow that keeps it readable over
  bright games.
* **Motion**: how it appears and hides.

If reduced motion is switched on in the system settings of the computer
running OBS, the widget plays it still: no pulse, and the countdown line
jumps instead of running down smoothly.


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