vidstickerHow to make a video sticker without a background
A sticker without a background looks like the real thing: only the person, cat or character stays in the chat, with no room behind them. For that, the background has to be removed in every frame of the video. By hand that's hours in a video editor; AI does it on its own.
Two AI models for different videos
No single model is equally good at everything, so there are two. Pick the one that fits your video:
| Who's in the frame | Model | Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| 👤 A person, 🐾 an animal or an object | BiRefNet | Hair, hands, hoods, fluffy fur — even in dim light and against a similar background; doesn't lose an animal in the distance. |
| 🎨 A drawing | IS-Net Anime | Cartoons, anime, drawn characters. |
The model looks at each frame on its own, so the mask is checked against neighboring frames: anything that flickers for a frame or two — a glare, a scrap of background, a hole — is removed, and the edge doesn't blink. Colors along the edge of the figure are restored, so no fringe of the old background is left around it.
How to remove the background on the website
- Upload a video to vidsticker.com or paste a YouTube, TikTok, X, Reddit or Vimeo link, and pick a clip.
- Open the Background tab and choose a model: BiRefNet for people, animals and objects, IS-Net Anime for drawings.
- Press Make sticker. The background is removed while the sticker is being made: the editor preview shows the video as is, and the finished sticker has a transparent background — on the page it shows as a checkerboard.
How to remove the background in the bot
Write “no bg” in the video's caption, and for a cartoon — “no bg anime”: the bot picks the right model.
Or send the video as is, and under the finished sticker tap ✂️ 👤🐾 Person or animal or ✂️ 🎨 Drawing. Don't like the result? Tap 🖼 Restore background. The sticker in your pack is replaced automatically.
Which videos work best
- The subject stands out from the background in color, brightness or sharpness. A black cat on a black couch is hard even for AI.
- One subject, up close. If there's a crowd in the frame, the model may keep everyone.
- The whole subject is in the frame. If the edge of the frame cuts off the figure, it'll be cut off on the sticker too.
- Didn't work? Try the other model. On unusual videos the models make different mistakes.
If the background is already transparent
GIF and WEBM files with transparency don't need cutting — the transparency is kept in the sticker. Just send such a file to the bot as a document (📎 → File): otherwise Telegram turns the GIF into a regular video and the transparency is lost.
Questions and answers
How long does background removal take?
Usually 10–20 seconds, including making the sticker — it depends on the length of the clip.
Can I download the video with a transparent background?
Yes: the finished sticker downloads as a .webm file with transparency (VP9 with an alpha channel) — 512 px and up to 3 seconds, the Telegram sticker format.
Can an emoji or a round video have no background?
An emoji — yes, that's how it looks best in text. A round video — no: Telegram video messages can't be transparent.
Why is the background still there in the preview?
The editor preview shows the original video. The background is removed when the sticker is made — look at the finished sticker.
Is it free?
Yes, background removal is free, like everything else.