vidstickerHow to make WhatsApp stickers from a photo or video
WhatsApp has its own sticker maker that turns any picture into a sticker. Cutting out the background by hand there is slow, though, and it has no outlines or nice captions. It's quicker to prepare the picture first — in your browser, in a minute — and then just send it as a sticker in WhatsApp. Here's every step: making the picture in our editor and turning it into a sticker on your phone or computer.
Good to know
- Your own WhatsApp stickers don't move. WhatsApp's sticker maker keeps only the first frame of an animated picture — we tested both GIF and animated WEBP. That's why you pick one good frame from a video here.
- A sticker is a 512×512 square. The transparent background is kept, so the chat shows only your subject — no white box around it.
- Nothing to install. You make the picture in your browser and the sticker in WhatsApp itself — on Android, iPhone or a computer.
Step 1. Prepare the picture
- Open vidsticker.com/whatsapp — a sticker maker for WhatsApp. It works in your browser on a phone or computer, no sign-up.
- Upload a photo. If the right moment is only on a video, upload the video and pick the frame on the strip: “Back a frame” and “Forward a frame” move exactly one frame.
- On the Background tab choose “People, animals and objects” or “Drawings and anime” — the background turns transparent.
- Optionally add an outline on the Style tab (white looks like the stickers people make in WhatsApp itself), a circle or rounded shape on the Frame tab, or text on the Text tab.
- Tap “Make sticker”, then “Download PNG for WhatsApp”. Repeat for every sticker you want.
Step 2. Make the sticker in WhatsApp
On a phone. Open any chat, tap the sticker icon next to the message field and choose Create. WhatsApp opens your gallery — pick the downloaded picture. In the sticker editor the background is already transparent, so just tap Send.
On a computer (WhatsApp Web or the desktop app): in a chat click + → New sticker and choose the downloaded PNG — or open the sticker panel and click Create.
Don't send the picture through Photos & videos: that way it goes as a regular photo, and the transparent background turns white.
Step 3. Add the sticker to Favorites
The sticker you sent shows up in the chat. To have it at hand in every chat, tap it and choose Add to Favorites — it will appear in the sticker panel, under Favorites.
How to make your stickers stand out
- Outline. A white outline separates your subject from any chat background, light or dark. Pick the color and thickness on the Style tab.
- Close-up. Stickers are small, so a face in close-up or a whole pet works best. Crop the rest with Crop on the Frame tab.
- Caption. A couple of words on the sticker — “Hi!”, “Yay”, “Seriously?” — make it clear without any chat.
- Filter and backdrop. The Style tab has filters — comic, pencil, pixel, B&W — and the Background tab adds a colored backdrop behind your subject.
Questions and answers
Can I make an animated WhatsApp sticker from a video?
Not with WhatsApp's own sticker maker: it turns an animated picture into a still sticker. Animated stickers can only be added by separate apps on a phone. We make moving stickers from video for Telegram and Discord.
Why did my sticker get a white background?
The picture went through Photos & videos, so it was sent as a regular photo. Send it via the sticker icon → Create (on a computer, + → New sticker).
How do I remove the background from a photo for a sticker?
On the Background tab choose “People, animals and objects” or “Drawings and anime” — only your subject stays and the background turns transparent. For a plain background there's the Solid background mode.
Can I do it all on my phone?
Yes: the picture here, in your phone's browser, and the sticker in WhatsApp on Android or iPhone.
Where do I find my sticker later?
In the sticker panel under Favorites, if you added it there. Otherwise — in the chat you sent it to.
Is it free?
Yes: pictures for stickers are free here, no sign-up.
vidsticker isn't affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta.