WhatsApp officially added animated stickers in 2020 , although it wasn’t until a year later that it became possible to import stickers made with other apps directly into WhatsApp as an additional pack. After being activated worldwide, it is now finally possible to create animated sticker packs for WhatsApp .
There are tons of stickers for WhatsApp and you can create them from static or animated images. We’ll tell you how to do it step by step with Sticker Maker for Android. The process is very simple: the biggest complication lies in finding the material for the sticker, that is, the animated GIF or video that you’re going to use as a base.
1. Install Sticker Maker
Sticker Maker is one of the most advanced apps for creating stickers for WhatsApp and, in addition, the first that allows you to create a sticker pack that is imported directly into WhatsApp , without having to use the share menu or special keyboards.
Sticker Maker is a free app for creating traditional sticker packs (non-moving), but if you want to create animated stickers you need to purchase the Premium version , with a one-time payment of 4.99 euros.
2. Create your sticker pack
With Sticker Maker installed and the Premium version activated, the first step is to create your sticker pack. To do this, tap on Create a new sticker pack and then enter a little information about it.
Specifically, there are two pieces of information you need to enter. First, the name of your sticker pack and then the name of the creator: in both cases you have a limit of 30 characters. This information will be visible to anyone who touches your sticker after you send it to a chat.
3. Add the icon
After creating your sticker pack and tapping on it, you will see the grid showing the slots for all the stickers that will make up the pack, as well as the icon that represents it . The icon must be static, and to change it, you will need to tap on its grid.
The ways to open an image to use as an icon are the same as for stickers: you can take a photo with the camera, open the gallery selector, the file selector, select a sticker from another sticker pack on your phone or create one from text. If you choose an image, you have the option to crop the outline manually or semi-automatically.
4. Create animated stickers from videos or GIFs
To add stickers to your pack, you must follow the same process, but tapping on each grid that corresponds to each sticker. To create an animated sticker, you have two options: open a GIF file or a video that you have saved on your phone. In other words, you do not have the option to use the camera.
To use video mode, you can use your phone’s camera – separately, not in the app itself – and save a short video, as well as having the option to download animated GIFs and short videos from websites like Giphy or Tenor . You can then open them in the app and, if all goes well, it will be added to your sticker pack.
Unlike when you import an image into Sticker Maker, when you import a video into your sticker pack you don’t have the option to crop the outline or trim the duration. The video is imported as is, so if you need to do some simple editing, you’ll need other apps . Video import works well, though it fails when the video is too long or heavy .
5. Add the package to WhatsApp
You’ll need your sticker pack to have at least three stickers in it before you can import it into WhatsApp for use. Once it does, tap Add to WhatsApp and confirm your intention by tapping Add in the window that opens.
Once this is done, your sticker pack will become available on your WhatsApp , displaying the icon you chose and with all the individual and animated stickers you’ve added. Like the rest of the stickers, you can add them to your favorites and send them to your chats.