# Configure a custom layout for a channel

*Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano*

If you want to do live switching on your channel for a more dynamic video presentation, then you need to add different layouts that you can switch between. We recommend that you rename your channel and layouts to something more intuitive rather than using the default names.

Creating layouts gives you full control over what's presented to your viewers. You can do things like change the size and position of images, add custom backgrounds, up scale and downscale your video sources, add multiple audio sources and text overlays to mention just a few.

**Important considerations:**

For live switching a channel, we recommend that you set the frame size to a fixed size instead of using the default automatic detection of source frame size. Setting the frame size to a fixed value ensures you don't experience any stream interruptions if the source frame size changes due to layouts that contain a single video source that has a different frame size than those in other layouts.

**Configure a custom layout for a channel using the Admin panel**

Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**. From the Channels menu, select the channel and click **Layouts**. The custom layout editor opens. Select a layout from the layout list or click **Add Layout** to create a new layout. If this is a new channel or layout, the layout area is empty and you see a black background matte. Add video sources or a channel as a source for instructions to add a video source to a layout. Click and drag the red and white handles on the corners of the video source to re-size it in the layout editor area. Click **Save** when you're done or continue to add additional video sources to the layout, resize and crop each video source to exactly how you want them to appear.

**Device differences**
- **Pearl Nano:** does not support live switching between layouts or multiple layouts, so none of the three paragraphs above (the live-switching paragraph, the "Creating layouts gives you full control..." paragraph, and the "Important considerations:" frame-size paragraph) apply — Nano's guide has no intro paragraphs before the procedure table at all. The Admin panel menu names are singular ("Channel" menu, "Layout"). Nano has no layout list to select from — instead: "If this is an Auto channel and you have a video source connected to Pearl Nano and the channel encoding is set to use the current signal resolution as frame size, the video source automatically appears in the full frame. Otherwise, a No Signal image appears." Then continue: click and drag the red and white handles on the corners of the video source to re-size it, and click **Save**.

> product: pearl-family · topic: layout · source: pearl-family-common.md · updated: Oct 13, 2026