Make Stickers From Your Own Photo: How to Cut Out the Subject

Choose a photo that works as a sticker

• One clear subject, large in the frame, with an expression or pose people will understand at a small size.
• A background that differs in colour from the subject.
• Sharp and evenly lit. A soft edge is hard to cut out.
• Only people who agree, and only pets or objects you have the rights to use. Do not use celebrity photos, logos or other people's artwork.

Step by step: cut out the subject

1. Choose a bold, simple photo for the sticker

   Use a bold, simple JPG or PNG, up to 10 MB.

2. Open Background remover for the sticker photo

   Go to Background remover and upload it.

3. Check the price, then cut out the sticker

   You see the credit price before the sticker is cut. When a run fails, the held credits are given back automatically, and credits may stay held until the check ends if the result is not confirmed.

4. Download the transparent PNG

   One run also gives a white-background PNG.

5. Check the edges at 200 percent

   Put the PNG on a dark colour and on a light colour, because stickers are shown on different backgrounds. Look for white or coloured fringes and missing parts.

6. Save the sticker cut-out within 24 hours

   Your sticker cut-out is kept for 24 hours, so send it to your sticker printer in that time. The Privacy Notice says results are fully deleted from storage within 7 days.

Make it read well as a sticker

• Keep the subject big and the expression clear. Small details disappear when a sticker is shown small.
• Add text or a border in an image editor if you want it, after the cutout.
• The result is 1024 px on the long side with the same proportions as your photo. Resize it in your editor to the size the platform asks for; make it smaller, not larger.

Before you upload anywhere

Each sticker platform has its own file sizes, shapes, numbers of images and approval rules. We have not checked them for this guide. Read the platform's current guidelines first, and set the canvas to its requirements before you export.

When the cutout is not good enough

• Thin hair, fur, glasses and transparent items are hard in any cutout. We have not tested them for this guide, so judge each photo yourself.
• Take a new photo with a plainer background and better contrast rather than running the same photo again and again.

Frequently asked questions