How to make your own emoji in Telegram

New non-standard emoji are visible to all participants in the correspondence, anyone can also create and add their own set to the messenger. But you can use these emoticons only if you have a Telegram premium subscription. At the same time, all users have the opportunity to save their favorite options in the "Favorites" for the future.

The process of creating and importing emoji into the messenger is very similar to working with stickers. Please note: preparing images, videos or animations is much more convenient using a mouse and keyboard on a computer than on a smartphone. If you're ready to experiment, go for it.

1. Prepare your images

For static emoji

You can create static images in any graphics editor. Although many use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

Images must comply with Telegram requirements:

• file format - PNG or WebP;
• resolution - 100 × 100 pixels;
• transparent image background.

For example, let's take Photoshop as one of the most popular tools. In other editors, the procedure will be similar.

To get started, you can find a suitable picture in the public domain or draw your own. Please note that the final image will be very small, so small details will not be read.

Next, create a new 100 x 100 px file. Drag the previously prepared image onto the new canvas and scale it to the desired size.

If your picture opaque background, select the "magic wand" on the toolbar and use it to select the space around the object. You may have to make a few selections and remove everything superfluous.

Small details can be erased with an eraser, which is also available on the toolbar. After cleaning the background and removing all unnecessary layers, all that remains is to export the picture.

You can save the file through the menu “Export” (Export) → “Quick export to PNG” (Quick Export as PNG) or “File” (File) → “Save as” (Save As), and then select the PNG format.

Next, you will have to repeat the whole process for the rest of the pictures that you are going to use in the emoji set.

For animated emoji

To create animated emoticons, we will use Adobe Illustrator and After Effects. You can make animation in other programs, but at the final stage you will need After Effects.

To import finished files into Telegram, you need to save them in the TGS format supported by the messenger. To do this, download the application ZXPInstallerand also plugin Bodymovin-TG latest version (file bodymovin-tg.zxp).

Launch ZXPInstaller and drag the bodymovin-tg.zxp file into it - the application will install it for After Effects. Close ZXPInstaller and start After Effects.

In After Effects, navigate to Edit → Preferences → Scripting & Expressions. Check the box next to Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network. Confirm the setting with the OK button.

Next is to check if the Bodymovin-TG plugin is working. To do this, open the menu “Window” (Windows) → “Extensions” (Extensions). Bodymovin for Telegram Stickers should appear in the list.

Next, go to the most animated picture. Create a new project in Adobe Illustrator. As in the case of static stickers, the canvas size must be 100 × 100 pixels, and the project must not have a background.

For example, let's make a smiling emoticon that will show the tongue. To assemble the image, use the shapes on the Illustrator toolbar. On separate layers, you need to place those parts of the picture that you are going to animate later in After Effects.

In our case, we have prepared a smiling mouth and tongue that will appear about halfway through the animation. It is enough to save the finished image with layers in the standard AI format, which After Effects also supports.

Launch After Effects and create a new composition. The dimensions are also 100 × 100 pixels. The number of frames per second is 60. The duration of the composition should not exceed 3 seconds.

Then click “File” (File) → “Import” (Import) → “File” (File) and specify the image saved earlier in AI format. In the Import As setting, select Composition – Retain Layer Sizes and click Import.

Your vector image is imported along with the layers. The order of the layers may be broken compared to the source. Rearrange them in the desired sequence on the panel below.

On the same bottom panel for layers, you can adjust the position in the frame, the angle of rotation, transparency, and other animation parameters. We decided to make a simple transition from a smile to a tongue.

To do this, in the list below, click on the arrow next to the layer name. In the drop-down list, click on the clock icon next to the Opacity parameter. Move the play slider on the timeline to about the middle and change the mouth's opacity to 0% while keeping it at 100% for the entire previous segment. For the tongue, you need to do a similar operation, but with reverse indicators: 0% before the middle of the reproduction and 100% after the disappearance of the mouth line.

Before saving the finished file to the TGS format, you need to convert vector elements into shapes that will animate correctly. To do this, select all the layers in the list on the bottom panel, right-click and select Create → Create Shapes from Vector Layer. All previously set parameters will be copied to new layers with shapes.

Next, run the Bodymovin-TG plugin along the path "Window" (Window) → "Extensions" (Extensions) → Bodymovin for Telegram Stickers. Select the created composition you want to export. In the Destination Folder parameter, specify the destination folder. Click the Render button. The file will be saved to the specified path in TGS format.

Do the same for the other emoji in the set.

For video emoji

If you do not have professional skills video work, the easiest way for this type of emoji is to find a ready-made video in the public domain and adapt it for Telegram by removing the background. In our example, we are using flame footage, which we will process using Adobe Premiere Pro.

First you need to shorten the video to 3 seconds in duration, and also set the “Sequence” settings. The size should be 100 × 100 pixels, and the frames per second should be 30.

If the background on the video is transparent, then you can immediately go to the last step and export the workpiece. Otherwise, you need to remove everything superfluous.

In Premiere Pro, you can clear a solid background using the tool listed in the bottom left pane under Effects. There you need to open the directory along the path “Video Effects” (Video Effects) → “Transparent Overlay” (Keying) → “Color Key” (Color Key).

Transfer "Color Key" to your video. The effect should appear in the list in the top left panel under Opacity. In the settings, click on the eyedropper icon next to the “Key Color” parameter (Key Color) and click with this tool on the background color of the video you want to remove.

Next, you need to adjust the color tolerance and feathering so that the main object in the frame does not disappear when moving. A certain amount of artifacts and pixel "ladder" when working with such a small size is normal.

The finished video can be exported through the menu "File" → "Export" → "Media". Select the Apple ProRes with Alpha 4444 codec and specify the download path.

Next, save the exported file as WebM for Telegram. Can be used plugin for Adobe programs, but a standalone program seems more stable Shutter Encoder for Windows and macOS. Download and install it.

Launch Shutter Encoder and drag the file you exported earlier from Premiere Pro into it. In the Select Function list, find the VP9 output codec and WEBM format. Under Sound Settings, select No Sound. In "Advanced Features", activate the item "Enable Alpha Channel".

In the "Bitrate Adjustment" block, press the VBR button and switch to a constant CQ bitrate. Choose a value around 30-50, it affects the level file compression. A larger number means stronger compression.

Click the "Start Function" button. The size of the finished file must not exceed 64 KB. Try adjusting the settings again if your video is too heavy.

Prepare the rest of the videos for the emoji set in the same way.

2. Collect emoji in a Telegram set

The finished set must be downloaded through the official bot. It is more convenient to do this using the web version or application on a computer.

Open StickersBot and type or select a command /start. A list of available commands will appear in the chat. Click to add emoji /newemojipack.

Next, the bot will offer to choose from three emoji options - animated, video emoji or static. Click on the desired view.

Then enter the name of the new set, which will be displayed in the emoji menu.

After that, you need to add all the elements of the set one by one. Send uncompressed image, animation, or video files to the bot. While uploading each emoticon, send the corresponding analogue from the standard set of Telegram emojis to the chat.

After downloading all the prepared emoji for the set, enter the command /publish.

For your set, you can set a cover that will be shown in the list among all added emoji packs. Submit one of your items.

In the last step, specify the name of the set, which will be used as part of the link to your emoji.

3. Add a ready-made emoji set to yourself and share it

You can add a set of emojis via a direct link that was generated in the last step in Stickers Bot. This link looks like https://t.me/addemoji/EmojiName, where EmojiName is the name of your set. Just click on it in the chat or copy it and save it in "Favorites".

Sharing emoji with users is very simple: send them the saved link. If you have lost it, but have already added the set to yourself, then find it through the settings.

On your smartphone, follow the path "Settings" → "Stickers and Emoji" → "Emoji". Click on your pack, then three dots to the right of the name and click "Copy Link" or "Share". Choose who to send the kit to.

On a computer, just open the panel with emoji and stickers in any chat, click on the name of your set, and then click "Share Emoji" in the window that appears. As a result, the link to the pack will be copied to the clipboard.