If you're wondering why your friends are using WhatsApp stickers that you can't find in the "official" packages, the answer is simple: they create them. Here's how
Since the November 2018 update, WhatsApp supports sharing stickers, a feature already seen on other instant messaging platforms like Telegram and Facebook Messenger. Even on WhatsApp, therefore, the stickers mania has begun and in recent months millions of stickers have been exchanged in WhatsApp chats.
As for the other services already mentioned, also on WhatsApp you can create custom stickers to share with friends. There are two ways to do this: follow the official WhatsApp procedure or use one of the many free Android apps available on the Play Store. The first method, the official one, is much more cumbersome and not within everyone's reach while the second, the free apps, is really simple. Whatever you choose, once you've created your stickers you can share them with your contacts, and anyone who receives one will be able to reuse it in other conversations.
Create WhatsApp stickers: the official procedure
In its FAQ on WhatsApp stickers WhatsApp explains how to create a set of stickers and how to share them: "To use your own stickers for WhatsApp, you must create a pack, attach it to an Android or iOS application and publish the application on Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Other users will then be able to download it like any other app." Per seguire questa procedura, quindi, abbiamo bisogno delle competenze necessarie a creare e pubblicare una applicazione per Android e iOS.
Creare sticker WhatsApp con le app gratuite
Per fortuna ci sono decine di app gratuite che ci aiutano a creare sticker WhatsApp senza avere alcuna competenza e con procedure guidate di una semplicità estrema. Tra le app più usate ci sono:
- Sticker Studio
- StickerMaker
- Personal Stickers for WhatsApp
- Sticky AI
Tutte queste app permettono di scattare una foto (o selezionare una foto o una immagine dalla galleria del nostro smartphone) e trasformarla in uno sticker. Dovremo solo “scontornare" l’immagine tracciando il perimetro del soggetto che vogliamo trasformare in adesivo. In all cases to create and export a set of stickers is necessary to create at least 3 stickers.
Create WhatsApp sticker with Photoshop or Gimp
A WhatsApp sticker is an image with resolution 512×512 pixels, with transparent background and maximum weight of 100 kb. So nothing forbids us to create our stickers with a graphics program like Photoshop or Gimp, upload them to the gallery of our smartphone and then use one of the mentioned apps or the official procedure to create the set. The result will certainly be more precise, thanks to the potential of the graphics program used.
How to share WhatsApp stickers
Once we've created all the stickers we want, all we have to do is share them. If we have followed the procedures in the correct way, then we will be able to find the new stickers already uploaded in the WhatsApp app and use them immediately in our chats. In this way, those who receive the new sticker can also save it on their device, adding it to their favorites, and use it later in other chats with other friends.