How to make an animated sticker to Telegram

Not so long ago in the Telegram appeared animated stickers. These funny moving pictures perfectly capture the emotions and are a good alternative to the usual GIFCA and stickers. But if you create a normal stikerpak quite simple, with animated images will have to tinker.

Prepare tools

You will need a vector graphics editor Adobe Illustrator, editor of After Effects animation as Adobe and minimum skills with them.

In addition, Adobe After Effects plug-in must be connected Bodymovin-TG. It exports .TGS animation format supported Telegram. To do this, close the Adobe After Effects, if it is open. Download and install the app ZXPInstaller. And it is compatible with Windows, and MacOS. download the plugin Bodymovin-TG (The file you want is called bodymovin-tg.zxp).

Now run ZXPInstaller and click on its window. Select the downloaded plug-in and wait for the application install it.

Open Adobe After Effects. Then do the following:

• On Windows, open the "Edit» → «Settings» → «Scripts and expression ...". Enable "Allow scripts to perform file entry and access to the Internet." Click OK.
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• On macOS open the Adobe After Effects → «Settings» → «Scripts and expression ...". Enable "Allow scripts to perform file entry and access to the Internet." Click OK.

Click "Window» → «Extensions." If you did everything correctly, then you will see the list of extensions Bodymovin for Telegram Stickers.

All tools are configured. Now it's time to create.

Drawing vector graphics

Create a new project in Adobe Illustrator. canvas size must be exactly 512 × 512 pixels - this is important. The project should not have the background. Objects can not go beyond the boundaries of the artboard.

For example, we draw a face. It is possible to make out the figures on the Illustrator toolbox. Each significant for the animation part (arm, leg, the eye) must be on a separate layer. Better just sign that somewhere, not to be confused.

When your schedule is ready, save it in the AI ​​format.

Import graphics in After Effects

Open After Effects and create a composition. Its dimensions should be exactly 512 × 512 pixels. The number of frames per second - 30 or 60 (for a simple animation such as ours will approach 30). Duration of the composition should not exceed 3 seconds.

Then click "File» → «Import» → «File" and locate your graphics in AI format. In the drop-down menu "Import as" select "Composition - to keep the dimensions of layers" and click "Import".

Your schedule imported together with all sectors. Select them (they will be in AI format), and then drag the icon "Create a new song."

The program will ask you for confirmation. Click OK.

The order of layers may be a little bit broken. Drag and drop them in the left pane at the bottom, placing in the correct sequence.

Now we have to create layers of vector shapes to animate. To do this, select the layer and click the right mouse button, then "Create» → «New figures from the vector layer." We get so-called curves.

The layers in the AI ​​format can be removed, so as not to interfere. Select them while holding button Ctrl and press Delete. Leaving only the curves.

Finish the import is complete.

create an animation

In Adobe After Effects, you can create very different animation complexity. But we will not go into the jungle, and for example, try to make our face at just raise an eyebrow.

Select the eyebrow that you want to animate, and click the left mouse button. Touch the> icon next to the curve on the left side panel from the bottom and click "Convert".

Using icons appearing on the panel can change the position, scale, rotation angle and transparency of objects in animation. Since we only need to raise an eyebrow, dispense a change in its position.

Click the "Reference Point" and "Regulations". Then drag the pointer to the time scale of the third second of animation (pull up to the stop).

Click on the diamonds on the left sidebar on the left of "Pivot Point" and "Regulations". So you fixated their animation: its first frame is the same as the last. This is important, since otherwise Telegram will not accept your sticker.

Now place a temporary pointer somewhere in the middle of the scale.

Again, click on the diamonds to create a reference point and there. And change the position of the eyebrows, lifting it. This can be done using the numbers next to "Position" or manually by dragging the mouse eyebrow or the arrow keys.

Press the spacebar to start playback of the animation. All eyebrow moves.

Similarly, you can make the move, and other objects in the animation. Simply create for them reference points by clicking on the diamonds, and change their position.

export sticker

Click "Window» → «Extensions» → Bodymovin for Telegram Stickers. Highlight the song you want to export (in our case - one that is marked with "eyebrow"). Parameter Destination Folder specify the folder where to save your sticker. And click Render.

If all goes well, the expansion otraportuet on completion of rendering. And click Done. If something is wrong, the extension will tell you. However, only in English.

Sticker will be saved in the folder you specified under the name data.tgs.

Place the sticker in the Telegram

Start in the Telegram bot @Stickers and send him a team /newanimated. Boat prompts you to select a name for the new set of animated stickers - type it and send the message.

Then send the bot sticker by dragging the file to the data.tgs Telegram window.

Boat was asked to send a smiley, which is associated sticker - do it. If you have a more animated version for that set, add them. When you're done, enter the command /publish and choose your stikerpak drop-down list. You can assign an icon, if you have it (it must be at TGS image sizes up to 32 kilobytes format). However, this step can be skipped without any problems by going to the team /skip.

The last step - the choice of a short address for your set. Boat create a link where you and your friends have access to the sticker. Click on it and you can add a new animation in the collection, as usual.

Your first own make animated sticker ready. And access to our animation by clicking on the link.