Chat Stickers
WhatsApp Sticker Size, WebP, and PNG Export Basics
A tested guide to preparing a digital sticker for WhatsApp workflows, including 512×512 WebP output, the 100KB cap, transparent PNG sources, and import limits.
This workflow is for people who already have a photo and want a reusable transparent sticker file without opening a heavy design suite or sending the photo to a generation service.
Many people make photo stickers because they want to use them in chat apps. The file you download is only one part of that workflow. The chat app or sticker app still controls how stickers are imported, grouped, and displayed.
Browser-local workflow demo
What the WhatsApp WebP QA verified
These demo pairs show an ordinary source image beside a clean transparent sticker result. Your result may vary with lighting, contrast, blur, hair, fur, glass, and crop.
Tested 2026-07-20
What we verified
- The background-removal model and editor run in the browser; the source photo is not sent to an image-generation API.
- The result can be corrected with erase and restore brushes before export.
- Transparent PNG, 512×512 PNG, and WhatsApp-oriented WebP are generated on the device without a watermark.
Limits to keep in mind
- • The public cat images illustrate the source/result workflow; the numeric adapter checks come from the dedicated engineering fixture.
- • StickerBeam does not import the file into WhatsApp or publish a sticker pack.
- • Platform requirements can change, so users should still verify the current import workflow in the app they use.
Free browser editor
Make your sticker in this browser
Choose one photo, refine the sticker result, and download the finished file free.
Digital sticker files only. No physical stickers are printed or shipped.
Why the export uses a 512×512 canvas
Chat stickers are displayed small and commonly use a square canvas. The StickerBeam WhatsApp adapter creates a 512×512 WebP so the file has predictable dimensions while preserving the subject's aspect ratio inside the square.
The adapter keeps safe padding around the subject instead of stretching the image to fill every pixel. It also adds a white edge treatment to help the sticker remain readable on both light and dark chat backgrounds.
Transparent background is important
A chat sticker usually needs transparency so it does not appear as a square photo tile. The WebP adapter preserves an alpha channel and places the sticker result on a transparent square canvas rather than flattening it onto white.
Before importing the image, inspect either the clean PNG or the WebP on a contrasting background. Transparency does not repair missing hair, fur, fingers, product corners, or other details that were already weak in the preview.
How the adapter stays under 100KB
The adapter uses several WebP quality and alpha-quality steps. It starts with a higher-quality candidate, checks the encoded file size, and only moves to stronger compression when the result is above the 100KB cap. If no candidate can meet the cap, the server returns an explicit failure instead of silently sending an oversized file with a misleading name.
The size cap applies to the generated WhatsApp WebP variant, not to the clean source PNG. A complex subject with soft edges or many semi-transparent pixels may need more compression than a simple object. That is why file size and visual quality are both tested rather than assuming that a `.webp` extension alone is enough.
- Target canvas: 512×512 pixels.
- Target format: transparent WebP.
- Target file-size cap: 100KB.
Platform rules can change
WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage, Discord, and third-party sticker apps can each have different import rules. Some need a sticker pack app. Some compress images. Some accept PNG directly. Some require additional metadata, tray artwork, or a separate publishing step.
StickerBeam creates downloadable PNG and WebP assets. It does not connect to a WhatsApp account, call an official WhatsApp API, create or publish a sticker pack, or complete the platform-specific import steps for you.
Keep the source file
If the sticker looks too small in chat, try a source photo where the subject fills more of the frame before generating another result.