Photo to Sticker Maker
Upload a photo and the AI cuts out the subject — switch on the sticker outline to wrap it in a clean white border, in the same pass. Cutout and outline in one step — no design tool, no tracing by hand. Download a transparent PNG for WhatsApp, iMessage or print. Free, no signup, no watermark.
No image handy? Try a sample (doesn't count toward your daily limit):
The outline is free and runs entirely in your browser: width and color adjustable, white by default — the border look that messaging apps made familiar. The download menu also has a one-tap WhatsApp-spec export: 512×512 WebP under 100 KB.
How to make a sticker from a photo
Three steps, under a minute, entirely in the browser — nothing to install, no account needed for a first try. The whole job runs on this page: upload, outline, download.
Upload your photo
Drop in a JPG, PNG or WebP up to 10 MB and 50 megapixels — iPhone HEIC photos are converted in the browser automatically. The AI finds the main subject and cuts it out on its own, hair and fur included. Stickers work best with one clear subject: a person, a pet, a product or a logo.
Turn the sticker outline on
One tap on the outline control wraps the cutout in the classic sticker border — white by default, any palette color or custom hex. Drag the width slider until the ring reads clearly at thumbnail size; thicker reads better in a chat list, thinner suits print. The ring follows the cutout's exact contour — no manual path work.
Download your sticker
Export a transparent PNG that drops straight into iMessage, Telegram, Discord or a design file — or use the WhatsApp export in the same menu for a ready-to-import 512×512 WebP. Anonymous visitors get 2 images per day, a free account raises it to 5, and downloads carry no watermark. Paid plans unlock full-resolution exports for print.
Make a WhatsApp sticker from a photo
WhatsApp is picky about sticker files; import rejection is the most common way a homemade sticker dies. The four numbers below come from Meta's official WhatsApp Business SDK documentation (verified 2026-10-14) — and the one-tap export in the download menu above meets all four at once.
512×512 pixels
Exactly square, exactly 512 px per side — WhatsApp's sticker picker expects this canvas. The export renders your sticker onto this size automatically, subject centered, outline intact.
WebP format
Stickers must be WebP — PNG or JPG is refused even when everything else is right. The WhatsApp export writes a real WebP with an intact alpha channel, so the transparent surround stays transparent.
100 KB or less
Meta's spec caps a static sticker at 100 KB — photos sail past that at full quality, which is why phone exports get rejected. Our exporter compresses progressively until the file lands under the cap; what you download is always importable.
Transparent background
A sticker floats on the chat bubble, so the background must be genuinely transparent — not white, not baked-in checkerboard. That is exactly what cutout plus outline produces: subject, white ring, nothing else.
One tap on 'WhatsApp sticker' in the download menu produces a file that satisfies all four specs — ready for WhatsApp's import flow.
iPhone's built-in sticker feature vs BackGone
Since iOS 16, the iPhone lifts a subject out of a photo on its own: press and hold the subject in Photos, then tap 'Add Sticker' (per Apple's official iPhone user guide, verified 2026-10-14). Here is an honest split of what it does and where this tool goes further.
What iOS does on its own
Long-press a subject in Photos or a message and iOS lifts it off the background in one gesture; 'Add Sticker' files it in the drawer with an optional white outline or puffy effect. It is free, instant and private, and for a quick reaction sticker inside Apple's apps it is often all you need. The outline is fixed, though — no width or color control.
What BackGone adds
Three things the built-in feature lacks: an outline you can tune — width slider, any color, not just the fixed white ring; a one-tap export at WhatsApp's exact spec (512×512 WebP under 100 KB), so the sticker works outside Apple's ecosystem; and cross-platform reach — the same page on Android, Windows and Mac, no iPhone required.
Want the full step-by-step for the built-in gesture? Our iPhone background-removal guide walks through every iOS version, with screenshots.
Printing your sticker
BackGone does not print or ship stickers — making the file is where our job ends. You download a high-quality transparent PNG that any sticker printing service accepts; the tips below keep the print run painless.
Export the right file
Download the transparent PNG with the outline on — the outline is baked in, so the printer can cut along it or add their own bleed. Keep the original photo too; printers occasionally ask for it.
Resolution decides sharpness
Free downloads are capped at 1024 px on the longest side — fine for small laptop stickers, tight for anything bigger. Paid plans return the full original resolution for large die-cut stickers. As a rule of thumb, printers ask for 300 DPI at final size.
Hand it to a printer
Upload the PNG to any sticker printing service — most accept transparent PNG directly and add their own cut line. Ask for 'die-cut' to trim to the outline shape, or 'kiss-cut' to peel off a square backing.
Photo to sticker FAQ
Free limits, WhatsApp specs, iPhone and Android — the questions people actually search.
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