diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/DisplayManager/DisplayManager.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/DisplayManager/DisplayManager.cs
index 6d6620478c..d68a34e804 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/DisplayManager/DisplayManager.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/DisplayManager/DisplayManager.cs
@@ -128,6 +128,11 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		/// </summary>
 		public System.Windows.Forms.Padding GameExtraPadding;
 
+		/// <summary>
+		/// additional pixels added at the native level for the use of lua drawing. essentially just gets tacked onto the final calculated window sizes.
+		/// </summary>
+		public System.Windows.Forms.Padding ClientExtraPadding;
+
 		TextureFrugalizer VideoTextureFrugalizer;
 		Dictionary<string, TextureFrugalizer> LuaSurfaceFrugalizers = new Dictionary<string, TextureFrugalizer>();
 		RenderTargetFrugalizer[] ShaderChainFrugalizers;
@@ -498,6 +503,9 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 				chain_outsize = new Size(bufferWidth * zoom, bufferHeight * zoom);
 			}
 
+			chain_outsize.Width += ClientExtraPadding.Horizontal;
+			chain_outsize.Height += ClientExtraPadding.Vertical;
+
 			var job = new JobInfo
 			{
 				videoProvider = fvp,
@@ -609,6 +617,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			fPresent.GuiRenderer = Renderer;
 			fPresent.Config_FixAspectRatio = Global.Config.DispFixAspectRatio;
 			fPresent.Config_FixScaleInteger = Global.Config.DispFixScaleInteger;
+			fPresent.Padding = ClientExtraPadding;
 
 			fPresent.GL = GL;
 
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/DisplayManager/Filters/Gui.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/DisplayManager/Filters/Gui.cs
index a6a4825917..c143b587f0 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/DisplayManager/Filters/Gui.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/DisplayManager/Filters/Gui.cs
@@ -222,7 +222,11 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk.Filters
 				LL.vh = size.Height;
 			}
 			else
+			{
 				LL = new LetterboxingLogic(Config_FixAspectRatio, Config_FixScaleInteger, OutputSize.Width, OutputSize.Height, size.Width, size.Height, TextureSize, VirtualTextureSize);
+				LL.vx += Padding.Left;
+				LL.vy += Padding.Top;
+			}
 
 			return size;
 		}
@@ -254,8 +258,16 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk.Filters
 				LL.vw = InputSize.Width;
 				LL.vh = InputSize.Height;
 			}
-			else 
-				LL = new LetterboxingLogic(Config_FixAspectRatio, Config_FixScaleInteger, OutputSize.Width, OutputSize.Height, InputSize.Width, InputSize.Height, TextureSize, VirtualTextureSize);
+			else
+			{
+				int ow = OutputSize.Width;
+				int oh = OutputSize.Height;
+				ow -= Padding.Horizontal;
+				oh -= Padding.Vertical;
+				LL = new LetterboxingLogic(Config_FixAspectRatio, Config_FixScaleInteger, ow, oh, InputSize.Width, InputSize.Height, TextureSize, VirtualTextureSize);
+				LL.vx += Padding.Left;
+				LL.vy += Padding.Top;
+			}
 			ContentSize = new Size(LL.vw,LL.vh);
 		}
 
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/tools/Lua/Libraries/EmuLuaLibrary.Client.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/tools/Lua/Libraries/EmuLuaLibrary.Client.cs
index 73967db45e..753a70339b 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/tools/Lua/Libraries/EmuLuaLibrary.Client.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/tools/Lua/Libraries/EmuLuaLibrary.Client.cs
@@ -161,6 +161,16 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			GlobalWin.MainForm.FrameBufferResized();
 		}
 
+		[LuaMethodAttributes(
+			"SetClientExtraPadding",
+			"Sets the extra padding added to the 'native' surface so that you can draw HUD elements in predictable placements"
+		)]
+		public static void SetClientExtraPadding(int left, int top, int right, int bottom)
+		{
+			GlobalWin.DisplayManager.ClientExtraPadding = new System.Windows.Forms.Padding(left, top, right, bottom);
+			GlobalWin.MainForm.FrameBufferResized();
+		}
+
 		[LuaMethodAttributes(
 			"ispaused",
 			"Returns true if emulator is paused, otherwise, false"