For a quick sticker from one photo, Telegram's built-in sticker editor is enough: open the sticker panel in any chat, tap (+), pick a photo and cut out the background with one tap. For video stickers, either prepare a WEBM file yourself and upload it with Telegram's @Stickers bot, or send a video to @StickerMakerFromPhotoBot, which converts it for you.
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Open in Telegram: @StickerMakerFromPhotoBotStep-by-step guide: How to make a sticker from a photo in one minute
Side by side
| Built-in sticker editor | @Stickers (bot or app) | @StickerMakerFromPhotoBot | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You start from | A photo on your device | A ready image (PNG or WEBP) or video (WEBM) file | A photo, video, GIF or round video note | [1] [2] bot page |
| Background removal | One tap; you can also erase and restore parts by hand | No — you upload a finished file | Automatic | [1] [2] bot page |
| Outline, text, drawings | Outline, text and drawings | Made beforehand in your own editor | A white outline is added automatically; no text or drawings | [1] [2] bot page |
| Video stickers | Not described in Telegram's announcement of the editor | From a WEBM file you prepare: VP9, no sound, up to 3 seconds and 256 KB, one side 512 px | Made for you from the first 3 seconds of a video, GIF or round video note | [1] [2] bot page |
| Your own sticker set | Yes | Yes, with usage statistics in the Stickers app | Yes, a personal pack of up to 120 stickers | [1] [2] bot page |
| Cost | Included in Telegram | Included in Telegram | Free: 15 stickers and 5 video stickers a day | [1] [2] bot page |
Which one to choose
- The built-in editor — one sticker from a photo, with text, drawings or an outline, without leaving the chat.
- @Stickers — you already make stickers in an image or video editor and want full control over the files, or you run a public pack and want its usage statistics.
- @StickerMakerFromPhotoBot — you want a video sticker from a clip without editing software, or many photo stickers with the background removed automatically, collected in one pack.
What a video sticker file has to be
Telegram accepts video stickers only as WEBM files encoded with VP9, without sound, up to 3 seconds long, up to 30 frames per second and up to 256 KB, with one side exactly 512 px. Exporting that from a phone is fiddly, which is the main reason to let a bot do the conversion.
About the bot
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a Telegram sticker without a bot?
Yes. Open the sticker panel in any chat, tap (+) and choose a photo: Telegram's built-in editor cuts out the background and lets you add an outline, text or drawings, then save the sticker or add it to your own set.
Can the built-in editor make video stickers?
Telegram's announcement of the editor describes stickers from photos and does not mention video stickers. For a video sticker, upload a prepared WEBM file through @Stickers, or send the video to a bot that converts it.
Are stickers made by a bot ordinary Telegram stickers?
Yes. @StickerMakerFromPhotoBot adds them to a regular Telegram sticker pack: add the pack with one tap and use it in any chat. You can delete the pack in @Stickers.
Sources
- Sticker Editor — Create Your Own Stickers (Telegram blog) — https://telegram.org/blog/sticker-maker
- Telegram Stickers — creating and technical requirements — https://core.telegram.org/stickers
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