What does a lower third graphic overlay typically do?

A lower third graphic overlay is primarily used to provide a title and additional information at the bottom of the screen. This format is commonly utilized in video production and broadcasting to introduce speakers, show their names, and present relevant details such as their title, organization, or other context that helps the viewer understand who is speaking or what the subject matter is. The placement at the bottom ensures that it does not obstruct the main visual elements, allowing viewers to absorb the information while still engaging with the video content.

This function is distinct from full-screen video, which would replace the entire frame with a video image, or watermarks, which subtly indicate ownership or copyright information across the video. Additionally, while graphs can present statistics, they do not perform the same role as a lower third, which focuses on providing contextual information rather than analyzing or displaying numerical data visually.