How To Make Stickers For Telegram From Scratch: Guide For Beginners

Stickers (or “stickers”, as they sometimes say) have long and firmly entered our lives, becoming an organic part of chatting. Evil tongues talk about widespread primitivization and the transition to pictograms, but it is almost impossible to resist the charm of meaningful and at the same time colorful pictures.

Masks are another trend – they have become both the main purpose of individual applications, such as Snapchat, and an additional feature that such giants as Facebook and Instagram have already supported.

Telegram, which provides a really cool opportunity, did not stand aside: in addition to using the built-in masks and stickers, you can add them to the messenger yourself using the @Stickers bot.

However, to create high-quality stickers, you need to be able to use graphic editors. And if you do not own such programs, but want to make stickers for Telegram, this tutorial will help you.

» Important: This guide is designed for beginners in the field of image editing.

Telegram requirements for source images

Telegram’s requirements for source images for masks and stickers are almost identical:

– The picture must fit into a 512×512 square (one of the sides must be 512 pixels);

– .png format;

– The image must not be copyrighted.

It is advisable to adhere to the recommendations:

– Transparent background;

– Upload pictures via the web version or desktop application;

– For stickers: white outline and shadow. The bot sends an example file in .psd format, which can be opened in Photoshop and used as a template.

»  Interesting things from the TeleGuide:  In February, serious passions broke out around one sticker pack for Telegram, about which all well-known media outlets and Pavel Durov wrote. Find out more about this in our material:  “Chronology of events with the sticker pack” Election Girl “”

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How to make stickers for Telegram

For clarity, we will demonstrate the complete algorithm for creating a sticker (mask) for Telegram using Paint, Pixlr and Photoshop.

Note : from a technical point of view, stickers and masks in Telegram are the same, so they are created in the same way. The difference lies in saving directly to the bot, which we will talk about in the “Bot for creating stickers in Telegram” section .

Basic image processing

As indicated above, there are mandatory Telegram requirements, and there are recommended ones. And first you need to make sure that the picture corresponds to the necessary – we are talking about the size and format. Of course, the best option would be to find the picture immediately on a transparent background and, accordingly, in the .png format.

Then all that remains is to change the size to 512×512 pixels, and for this, standard editors of operating systems are enough.

In the MacOS operating system, the size of the picture can be changed in the built-in editor.

In Windows, the well-known standard Paint program will help. Select the item “Resize” and enter the required parameters.

If your image is in a format other than .png, for example .jpg, this can also be changed using Paint – choose PNG when saving.

The result can already be sent to Telegram by going to the  “Bot for creating stickers in Telegram” section !

But the functions of the built-in image editing programs are rather limited. Therefore, we will demonstrate a simple algorithm for creating sticker packs / masks in the Pixlr online service and in Photoshop.

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Advanced Editing: Pixlr

The Pixlr service is essentially a copy of Photoshop, only you don’t need to download anything and only the key tools are present. Beginners can easily handle this editor. We will cover the basic tools, starting from the most common cases of working with cutting objects in images.

» Interesting things from the TV Guide:  A picture with Shiba-inu named Bodie was chosen as the initial one, and according to the Internet, she earns up to $ 15,000 a month from her photo shoots. So it goes.

• Step one: Open source.

• Step two: Arrange the workspace.

Select the magnifier on the toolbar or adjust the scale using the slider in the upper right corner:

Arrange the work area to your liking.

• Step three:  Let the editor make the background transparent.

To do this, “remove the lock” from the background layer by double clicking.

Now you can start processing the image. Our goal is to make the key object have a transparent background.

• Step four: cut out the object

» Recommendation from TV Guide:  Three different ways to remove the background will be described below. Therefore, we recommend that you first read about everything, and then choose the easiest option for you to make stickers as quickly and easily as possible!

Method number 1: Magic wand

“Magic Wand” (available by pressing W) allows you to select areas that are solid and similar in shade. The sensitivity of the instrument is adjusted with the “Tolerance” item.

If the original drawing has a fairly uniform backdrop, you can use a magic wand, having previously selected its “power”. In our case, the optimal Tolerance value is 22.

The algorithm is extremely simple – we isolate part of the background by clicking the “Magic Wand”, cut it out with the Eraser (shortcut E), isolate the next area and cut it out again until the desired result is obtained.

We advise you to use the hotkey CTRL + D to deselect.

Method number 2: Polygonal lasso

It is often easier to isolate the object itself than what is behind it. We recommend the simple polygonal lasso tool (hotkey L). The only caveat is that when using this type of lasso, the sticker will have “even areas” edges, as you can see from the gif below.

Algorithm of use: select “Polygonal lasso” and begin to guide along the edges of the object. The main condition for a successful selection is to return to the starting point at the end .

Then right-click on the selected area, select “Invert selection” and cut out the excess with the “Eraser”.

Do not forget to uncheck by pressing CTRL + D.

Method number 3: Selection with simple geometric shapes

You can also select a rectangular or oval area. To do this, use the tool of the same name “Selection” (hotkey M).

We act according to the already known scheme: select the object, right-click on the selected area, invert it, cut out the background. And again, do not forget to get rid of the selection with CTRL + D.

• Step five: design.

Once we have the cutout object, we can style it in the style of classic stickers – add a white stroke and shadow.

To make a stroke, right-click on the layer name and go to “Layer Styles”. Select the “Outer glow” item and adjust to your liking.

 

• Step six: Save for Telegram.

Do not forget that the image must fit into a 512×512 square.

Save it in PNG format.

Sticker for Telegram is ready!

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Some Photoshop features

To make stickers for Telegram, you can use the main graphic editor – Photoshop. We used the version of Photoshop CC 2017, but this is not essential – the basic functions are the same in all versions.

On the official website of Adobe you can download a free trial version of this editor.

If you are a beginner, rest assured: the beast is not as scary as it seems. The editor is almost identical to the Pixlr described above.

All of the tools in question are easy to use.

• Step one: Open the source and get acquainted with how the program looks like.

• Step two: We  adjust the size of the working area to ourselves. A magnifying glass and dragging the working window will help us.

• Step three: Turn on the transparency support – next to the layer name, click once on the “lock” to get rid of it.

• Step four: Cut out the object.

» Recommendation from the TeleGuide:  As for the service above, we have analyzed different cutting methods. In this case, there are 4 of them: read about all of them first, in order to decide on the most suitable one!

Method number 1: Magic wand

And we will start again with the “Magic Wand” (shortcut W), which allows you to select an area of ​​similar or identical color.

First you need to right-click on the icon indicated on the icon and select “Magic Wand”.

The item “Tolerance” is responsible for the strength of the feature: what range of shades will be selected.

To make a selection in a row several areas, just click on this icon:

Experiment with the “Tolerance” and find the optimal value: just try how a part of the background will be highlighted, and deselect it using the CTRL + D hotkey.

After that, we can get down to business.

The algorithm is simple – select the background with the “Magic Wand”, then switch to the “Eraser” and erase unnecessary areas.

After the background plan is erased, press CTRL + D to remove the selection.

Method number 2: Magic eraser

It combines the entire first item “Magic Eraser”, available by clicking on the corresponding icon with the right mouse button.

This tool automatically erases part of the picture of the same or almost the same color. There is also a Tolerance parameter to adjust the size of the area to be removed.

The disadvantage of this type of eraser is obvious: if the background is not ideal, the edges of the object are somewhat “torn”, and the necessary part of the image may also be removed. But when speed is more important and you need to quickly make stickers for Telegram, the Magic Eraser is the best choice.

Method number 3: Straight lasso

This tool is very similar to Pixlr’s Polygonal Lasso. Like the previous ones, it is “hidden” under the main icon.

We proceed as follows: select the muzzle with the help of the “Straight Lasso”, connecting the final point with the starting point.

Next, click on the selected area with the right button, select the item “Invert the selected area”, take the “Eraser” into our virtual handles and erase the background. As usual, remove the selection with CTRL + D.

Method number 4: Feather

One of the most popular ways to highlight an object is to use the Pen. The tool allows you to quite accurately trace a certain area of ​​the picture. Further, it is enough to invert the selected area and erase the unnecessary.

No special settings are required – “point by point” circle the desired piece of the picture, and then click on the “Selection” item.

Next, invert the selection and erase it. Press CTRL + D on the keyboard to remove the stroke.

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» Tip from TeleGuide: If you want the sticker in Telegram to take up as much space as possible – press CTRL + T, hold down SHIFT , drag it around the perimeter of the canvas and press ENTER.

• Step five: registration.

Photoshop’s imaging capabilities are virtually endless. We have considered the simplest ways to get the cut out area of ​​the image, and now you need to make the sticker design. Again, we chose the classic white stroke and small drop shadow.

Right-click on the layer name and go to the “Blending Options” section. Responsible for the stroke is “Stroke”. Be sure to set the “Position” → “Outside” option.

To add a shadow in the “Blending Options” select the appropriate section – “Shadow” – and adjust the parameters to your liking.

• Step six: save for Telegram.

Again, let’s remind you the importance of the correct size and format of the picture. To resize the image in Photoshop, go to the “Image” section, select “Image Size”.

We save in .png format via “File”, “Save As”.

Sticker for Telegram is ready!

After creating the required number of stickers, it’s time to work with the bot.

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Bot for creating stickers in Telegram

What to do next?

We go to the chat to the @Stickers bot and write “/ start”. In response, he will send a list of available commands.

• Create a sticker pack

1. We send the command “/ newpack”;

2. At the request of the bot, enter a name for the new sticker pack;

3. Send the previously created picture as a file;

4. Choose a suitable emoji;

5. “Feed” the bot with the desired number of pictures for the set, performing the above algorithm;

6. Press “/ publish”.

7. Enter a short address for dialing, and get a link to it. With its help, the set you have created can be added to yourself in Telegram or shared with friends.

• Creating a set of masks

1. We send the command “/ newmasks”;

2. At the request of the bot, enter a name for new masks;

3. We send the previously created image as a file;

4. Choose the location of the mask: forehead, mouth, eyes, chin. Or skip the command “/ skip”;

We chose the forehead ..

5. After configuring the location of the mask, click “Finish”;

6. Upon returning to the chat with the bot, press “Start” again;

7. We send more images, following the algorithm;

8. When the pack of masks is generated, write “/ publish”;

9. Further, everything is similar to stickers: we enter a short address for typing, and we get a link to it.

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We have reviewed the full cycle of creating stickers and masks for Telegrams, and we really hope that it will be useful to you. Subscribe to @teleblog – the oldest Telegram blog in the messenger!