Before you start creating stickers for WhatsApp, you should be clear about some things:

  • Each sticker is an image with a transparent background.
  • Stickers must have the exact dimensions of 512 x 512 pixels.
  • Each sticker must be less than 100 KB in size.

Those who create colorful and cartoonish stickers use professional graphic design tools, but most of us simple users do not know to create them from scratch.

Now, do you think you really can create your own stickers for the world's most famous messaging app? Of course, you can, and you have two ways to do it: either by creating custom stickers with the photos in your gallery or by using AI through the Google keyboard.

How to create stickers with photos from your device

To create stickers using photos you have on your device, you have to download and install an application called Sticker Maker.

When you first open it, this is what you will see:

Sticker Maker’s main interfaceSticker Maker’s main interface

If we tap on the cross, we can create a new package of stickers:

Button to create packsButton to create packs

After taping, a screen will appear asking for a name for the pack and the author. Fill in both fields and tap on Create:

Creating the packCreating the pack

Now, we will have created the package. To start editing, tap on it:

Pack createdPack created

An overview of the whole pack will be displayed. The first image should correspond to the one that will serve to identify the whole package:

The pack’s front stickerThe pack’s front sticker

If we tap on it, three options will be displayed:

Options to create a stickerOptions to create a sticker

Take Photo will open the camera, Open Gallery will let us select a photo from the gallery and Select File will open the file browser to search for an image. When we have chosen what we want, tap on it and we will see how it looks on the screen. Then, we can manipulate the image with the controls at the bottom to customize it:

Tools to edit the stickerTools to edit the sticker

Once we are done, we will see this on the screen:

Sticker createdSticker created

If we tap on Save Sticker, it will be set as the header image:

The pack’s iconic stickerThe pack’s iconic sticker

Now, if we tap on any of the image thumbnails, we can start creating custom stickers:

Slots for the stickersSlots for the stickers

The process is exactly the same as in the previous one. When we tap on one of them, we will have again the three options that appeared before us to create the header image, and the process of opening and manipulating the image is the same too. Now, create as many as you need and tap Add to WhatsApp once you are done:

Stickers pack createdStickers pack created

Keep in mind that you can add up to 30 stickers per package thanks to this app.

How to create stickers with Gboard

Gboard lets you create custom stickers using your face as a base. To do this, first, install it and activate it if you do not have it on your phone.

If you already have it, and you use it regularly, then open any application that involves using the keyboard to enter text (any text is fine).

As soon as the keyboard is displayed, tap on the sticker icon:

Sticker button in GBoardSticker button in GBoard

A menu will open with lots of stickers pre-installed on the Google keyboard. Scroll to the right, until you reach the gear icon. Tap on it:

Sticker settings button in GBoardSticker settings button in GBoard

When you open it, you will see a screen with two tabs. By default, Favorite is opened, although in this case you, should tap on Browse:

Sticker settingsSticker settings

In this tab, tap on Create:

Button to create customized stickersButton to create customized stickers

The front camera of your phone will open, with a frame where you have to fit your face:

Camera to create customized stickersCamera to create customized stickers

When you are done, tap on the camera button to take a picture. Now, the application will start working, and when it is finished, it will let you know the ideas it has for you. If you tap on Show me, the app will show you all the sticker packs it has created:

Creation finishedCreation finished

Every single one of these stickers is based on your face and is perfectly customizable. Just tap on Customize to access the editor:

Customized sticker galleriesCustomized sticker galleries

These are some samples from the custom sticker editor:

Sticker editorSticker editor

If you go back to the Gboard sticker tab now, you should be able to access all your custom stickers without any problem:

Customized stickers in GBoardCustomized stickers in GBoard

As you can see, the process is quite simple, but it is necessary to follow the steps carefully. With this guide, you should have no problems.

How to create stickers with Sticker.ly

This application is quite special, as it lets you download good quality stickers already created while offering the possibility to create your own.

When you open the app, you will first see this:

Sticker.ly’s main interfaceSticker.ly’s main interface

In this main screen, you will find images and videos for your WhatsApp status, as well as sticker packages that you can add to your collection by tapping on the Add button (as highlighted in the image). If you want to create your own collection, you will have to tap on the cross icon:

Button to create stickersButton to create stickers

After that, the image gallery will be displayed:

Photo galleryPhoto gallery

Here, we will search for the picture we want to turn into a sticker. Once we have found it, we must tap on it. Now, we will have to cut (or not, we can leave the image as it is by taping on Next) the background of the photo before creating the sticker. The best way to do this is by taping on Auto:

Picture from the gallery to turn into a stickerPicture from the gallery to turn into a sticker

The sticker will automatically be cut out. We can manually adjust the cut area and even add text if we want. When we are done, tap on Next:

Automatically remove the backgroundAutomatically remove the background

The next thing to do is add labels to our sticker, and tap on Save to save the changes:

Sticker tagsSticker tags

Then, we will have to create a pack to save it. To do so, tap on New Pack:

Create a new sticker packCreate a new sticker pack

Type in a name for the pack and the creator and tap on Create. We can also enable or disable other Sticker.ly users to find our creations by taping on Allow Search:

Name of the pack, of the pack’s creator and community search optionsName of the pack, of the pack’s creator and community search options

Now, the pack is created:

New pack createdNew pack created

To add it to WhatsApp, you will need to create a minimum of 3 stickers, something that will be a piece of cake if you follow the steps we have given you.