GiftShow Complete Tutorial

This guide covers every feature in detail — from first setup to advanced configuration. Read the Getting Started section first, then jump to whichever feature you need. Every parameter is explained so you know exactly what each setting does.

Product Overview

GiftShow is a TikTok Live gift effects overlay tool for Windows. When viewers send gifts, it automatically plays your configured effects in a transparent floating window on top of your screen — in real time, with no manual action needed.

How it works — step by step:

System Requirements

Installation & Activation

Step 1: Get Your Activation Key

After purchasing on the website, your activation key is emailed to you. It looks like: GSHO-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.

Step 2: Download and Run

1. Download the latest GiftShow-vX.X.X-portable.exe from the Download page
2. Move the EXE to a permanent folder, e.g. D:\GiftShow\
3. Double-click the EXE. If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", click "More info" → "Run anyway"
4. Wait 3–5 seconds for the GiftShow main window to appear

Step 3: Enter Your Activation Key

1. On first launch, the "🔑 License" input field is visible at the top of the main interface
2. Paste your activation key into the field (Ctrl+V)
3. Click "Verify License"
4. GiftShow connects to the license server (takes 2–5 seconds). On success, the status bar shows 🟢 License: Verified
5. The field is automatically disabled and shows "Verified." On future launches, GiftShow remembers your key automatically — no re-entry needed

Interface Walkthrough

The GiftShow main window has three zones:

Status Bar Indicators

Left Panel Buttons

Connecting to Your TikTok Live

Connection Steps

1. Confirm your license is verified (status bar shows 🟢 License: Verified)
2. Find the "TikTok:" input field in the left panel
3. Enter your TikTok username. No @ symbol — if your profile URL is tiktok.com/@myname, enter myname
4. Click "Connect Live"
5. Wait 2–10 seconds. On success, the status bar shows 🟢 TikTok: Connected
6. The log area on the right will show "✅ TikTok live connected." Incoming gifts and chat messages will start appearing in the log

Disconnecting

Click "Disconnect" at any time to end the connection. Recommended after each session to free up resources.

Connection Errors Reference

Named Gift Effects

Named gift effects are the highest-priority trigger: you bind a specific effect file to an exact gift name. When that gift name matches precisely, the effect fires regardless of diamond value.

Opening the Config Modal

1. Click "🎬 Gift FX" in the left panel
2. The modal has three tabs at the top: "🎯 Specific Gifts (Priority)", "💎 Value Tiers", "🎁 Built-in Effects" — click the first tab

Adding a Named Gift Effect

1. In "Gift Name", type the exact gift name as it appears on TikTok. For example: Rose, Lion, TikTok Universe
2. Click "Select File" and choose a local media file (MP4 / GIF / PNG / WebM / MP3)
3. Adjust parameters as needed (see full parameter table below)
4. Click "➕ Add Gift" to save
5. The new entry appears in the list below — it's now active

All Parameters Explained

Editing and Deleting Existing Configs

• Click "Edit" next to any entry → the form pre-fills with that entry's settings. Modify and click "Save Changes"
• Click "Delete" → a confirmation dialog appears. Confirm to remove
• Changing the gift name in edit mode replaces the old name's entry with the new one

Value Tier Effects

Value tiers are a fallback system: when a gift doesn't match any named configuration, GiftShow checks the gift's diamond value and plays the effect for the matching tier.

Adding a Value Tier

1. In the Gift Effects modal, click the "💎 Value Tiers" tab
2. Set the Min Diamonds and Max Diamonds to define the range
3. Select an effect file and configure display parameters
4. Click "➕ Add Tier" to save

Recommended Tier Structure

Built-in Animations

GiftShow ships with 13 built-in animation types. Zero media files needed — they run entirely within the app. When a gift name (or its alias) matches one of these types and no custom effect is configured for that gift, the built-in animation fires automatically.

Accessing Built-in Effects Settings

In the Gift Effects modal, click the "🎁 Built-in Effects" tab. You'll see all 13 effects as cards showing their emoji, name, aliases, animation style, and current enabled/disabled state.

All 13 Built-in Effects

Toggling Effects On/Off

Click any effect card to toggle it on or off. Disabled effects won't fire even if the gift name matches. The panel header has "✅ Enable All" and "✗ Disable All" quick-toggle buttons.

Text Overlay Configuration

Text overlay displays a custom text string on screen while the effect plays — useful for showing the gift name, the sender's username, a thank-you message, or any custom text. Both Named Gift Effects and Value Tiers support independent text overlay settings.

Enabling Text Overlay

When adding or editing a named gift or tier, find the "📝 Text Overlay" section and check the enable checkbox. The detailed options will expand.

Text Overlay Parameters

Advanced Parameters

Edge Fade

Edge Fade creates a soft transparency gradient at the edges of your effect media, blending it into the background. This eliminates the hard rectangle border that appears when using regular MP4 videos on a transparent overlay.

Max Concurrent Playback

Controls how many simultaneous instances of the same gift effect can play at once:

• 1: Only one at a time — good for premium gifts (Lion, Fireworks) to keep the screen clean
• 2–3: A few can overlap briefly — works well for medium-tier gifts
• 5+: Many play simultaneously — great for small gifts like Roses to create a "flower rain" effect

Priority & Match Logic

When a gift arrives, GiftShow looks for a matching effect in this exact order:

Creating the Transparent Overlay Window

The transparent overlay is GiftShow's signature feature: an always-on-top, transparent-background, click-through floating window that covers your entire screen, letting all effects render directly in your stream view.

Steps to Create

1. Make sure TikTok Live is connected
2. (Optional) Configure overlay settings first via the "Transparent Window Config" panel
3. Click "✨ Create Window" in the left panel
4. The overlay is now active over your screen. Since it's transparent and click-through, you won't see much difference visually — use Edit Mode or the Test button to confirm it's working
5. Click "🧪 Test All Features" — gift notification text and stats should appear on screen

Three Overlay States

Edit Mode (WYSIWYG Positioning)

Edit Mode lets you drag overlay elements to exact screen positions with your mouse — what you see is exactly what viewers will see.

Entering and Exiting Edit Mode

1. Make sure the overlay window has been created
2. In the Transparent Window Config panel, click "✏️ Edit Overlay Layout"
3. A visible dashed border appears around the overlay area; your mouse can now interact with elements inside
4. Drag elements to your desired positions
5. Click "✅ Done Editing" — the overlay returns to click-through mode and positions are auto-saved

Draggable Elements

Overlay Window Settings

Click "Transparent Window Config" to open the settings panel. It has multiple tabs:

Gift Notification Text Settings

Stats Panel Settings

Using with OBS / TikTok Live Studio

GiftShow's overlay displays effects directly on your desktop screen. If you need effects to also appear in your streaming software's output, add a window capture source in OBS or TikTok Live Studio.

OBS Studio Setup

1. In your OBS Scene, click "+" in the Sources panel and select "Window Capture"
2. In the Window dropdown, find [GiftShow.exe]: TikTok - Effects Window
3. Disable "Capture Cursor" (you don't want the mouse visible)
4. Check any transparency/alpha-related options to keep the background transparent
5. In the Scene, drag this source to the top of the layer stack so it overlays everything else
6. Preview in OBS to verify effects are rendering correctly

TikTok Live Studio Setup

1. Add a Window Capture source in your TikTok Live Studio scene
2. Select the GiftShow overlay window (contains "Effects Window" in the name)
3. Move it to the top of the layer order

VIP Boss Board

The VIP Boss system automatically identifies and rewards your top gifters with personalized welcome messages and exclusive effects — a proven driver of repeat gifting behavior.

Opening the Config

Click "👑 VIP FX" in the left panel. The modal has two main tabs: "VIP Tier Config" and "Live Boss Board".

How Boss Ranking Works

GiftShow tracks every user's cumulative diamond total for the current session and ranks them in real time. Rankings reset when you restart GiftShow (per-session tracking).

Configuring VIP Tiers

The system comes with 5 preset tier templates — edit them, or click "+ Add VIP Tier" to create more.

VIP Tier Parameters

Saving VIP Config

Click "💾 Save Config" after editing. Once saved, the system is active — whenever a user's cumulative diamonds cross a threshold, their next gift or entry triggers that tier's welcome.

Viewing the Live Boss Board

Switch to the "Live Boss Board" tab to see all gifting users ranked by cumulative session diamonds. Click "🔄 Refresh" to manually update.

Viewer Entry Count Trigger

Fire an effect when every Nth viewer enters your stream — great for milestone celebrations ("Welcome our 100th viewer tonight!").

Configuration

1. Click "👋 Join FX" in the left panel
2. Switch to the "Entry Count" tab
3. Check "Enable Entry Count Trigger"
4. Click "+ Add Trigger Rule"
5. Set the trigger count (e.g. 100 = fires every 100th viewer)
6. Select an effect file and configure display parameters
7. Click "Save Rule"

Loop vs. Single Trigger

• Loop (recommended): Fires at every multiple of N. Set to 100: fires at viewer 100, 200, 300, etc.
• Single: Fires only once when exactly viewer N enters. Good for a special "100th viewer" celebration that doesn't repeat.

Resetting the Counter

Click "🔄 Reset Counter" at the bottom of the panel to reset the viewer count to zero. Useful at the start of each new stream session.

Chat Keyword Trigger

Fire an effect when a chat message contains a specific keyword. Perfect for guided audience participation: "Type 'hype' in chat for a special effect!"

Configuration

1. In the Join FX modal, switch to the "Chat Keyword" tab
2. Check "Enable Keyword Trigger"
3. Click "+ Add Keyword Rule"
4. Type your trigger keyword, e.g. hype, 666, let's go
5. Select an effect file and display parameters
6. Save the rule — it's immediately active

Cooldown Protection

Each keyword has a built-in cooldown of ~3–5 seconds after triggering. Subsequent chat messages containing the same keyword during the cooldown are ignored, preventing effect spam from a rapid chat flood.

Live Stats Panel

Main Interface Stats Area

The right panel's "🎯 Statistics" area shows real-time session data:

Detailed Breakdowns

• Gift Breakdown: Per-gift count and diamond value, sorted by value descending
• User Breakdown: Per-user gift count — the source data for the Boss Board ranking

Overlay Stats Panel

In the Transparent Window Config, check "Show Stats on Overlay" to make the stats panel float on the live stream view. Use Edit Mode to position it wherever you want on screen.

Live Chat Display

The "💬 Live Chat" area in the right panel streams all incoming chat messages in real time:

The "📝 Live Log" area records all gift events, connection state changes, and configuration actions — invaluable for diagnosing why effects aren't triggering.

Session History

GiftShow automatically saves each session's data when you disconnect, so you can review performance after every stream.

1. Click the "📁 History" tab in the main interface
2. Select a date or session from the list
3. Review the session's totals: diamond earnings, top gifters, most popular gifts, session duration

Test Panel

The test panel validates that all overlay features work correctly without needing real gifts. The overlay window must exist first.

Media File Specifications

Best Format: WebM with Alpha Channel

For the best visual quality on the overlay, use WebM video with an alpha channel (transparent background). Transparent effects blend perfectly with any stream background without edge fade tricks.

Tools to create transparent WebM

• Adobe After Effects — Export via Media Encoder, choose WebM format, enable alpha channel export
• Adobe Premiere Pro — Media Encoder, WebM + VP9, select RGB+Alpha
• FFmpeg (command line) — Convert green-screen MP4 to transparent WebM using chroma key
• Asset sites — Motion Array, Envato Elements, and others have pre-made transparent overlay packs

File Path Rules

Best Practices & Tips

Pre-Stream Checklist

• ☐ License verified (status bar green)
• ☐ TikTok live started, username connected
• ☐ Transparent overlay window created
• ☐ Ran "Test All Features" — everything looks correct
• ☐ Entry count reset for this session
• ☐ If using OBS: overlay window capture source added and on top

Engagement Tips

Performance Tips

• Keep effect files under 20MB — larger files cause a noticeable trigger delay
• For high-frequency small gifts (Rose, Heart), keep max concurrent ≤ 3 to avoid screen clutter
• Use MP4 over GIF — MP4 uses hardware decoding and is much lighter on CPU
• Close unnecessary background applications before going live
• Store effects on an SSD rather than HDD for faster file loading

FAQ

Q: Can I use one key on multiple PCs?

No. Each key is bound to one device. To transfer to a new machine, email support@giftshow.live with your original transaction ID.

Q: Gift was sent but no effect triggered — why?

Most likely a name mismatch. Open the log and find the line that says 🎁 @user sent [GiftName] — compare that exact name character-by-character with what you configured. Case and full-width vs. half-width spaces matter.

Q: The transparent overlay is invisible / I can't see anything

First, click "🧪 Test All Features" — if you see content appear on screen, the overlay is working. If not: (1) confirm the overlay was created (button now shows "Close Window"), (2) check if you have multiple monitors and the overlay spawned on the wrong one.

Q: Effects have a noticeable delay after the gift is sent

Two possible causes: (1) your effect file is too large — compress it below 20MB; (2) network latency — typically 1–2 seconds, inherent to the connection and not something GiftShow can eliminate.

Q: Can I configure multiple effects for the same gift?

Currently, one effect file per gift name. To get a "random" feel, edit multiple video clips together into a single longer video and let it play in full each time.

Q: Does GiftShow support Brazilian / LATAM TikTok?

Yes. Built-in animations include Portuguese and Spanish aliases: rosa, corazon, coracao, leao, leon, foguete, borboleta, estrela, galaxia, and more. Works out of the box for BR/LATAM streams.

Q: Is there a refund policy?

If GiftShow fails to work on your system and support can't resolve it within 72 hours, we offer a full refund. Contact support@giftshow.live with your transaction ID.

Troubleshooting

❌ License Key Verification Failed

❌ TikTok Connection Keeps Failing

❌ Effects Not Triggering

1. Verify the overlay window exists (run "Test All Features" — does anything appear?)
2. Check the log: did GiftShow actually receive the gift? Search for 🎁 in the log
3. Compare the log's gift name against your configuration letter-by-letter
4. Confirm the effect file path is still valid (file hasn't been moved or deleted)
5. Check that Max Concurrent isn't set to 0

❌ Video/Image Not Showing but Audio Plays

Codec compatibility issue. Re-encode the video using HandBrake (H.264 MP4) or a format converter. Alternatively, try a different video file to confirm the issue is file-specific.

❌ Overlay Elements in Wrong Position After Monitor Change

When screen resolution changes, saved positions may become invalid. Enter Edit Mode and manually drag all elements back to correct positions, then save.

❌ App Crashes or Becomes Unresponsive

Please collect: Windows version, GiftShow version (shown at bottom-right), what you were doing when it crashed, any error popups. Log files are in the logs\ folder next to the EXE. Send these to support@giftshow.live.