Design

Why does my sticker have a white box around it?

Because it was saved as a JPEG. JPEG has no alpha channel — no way to store transparency — so any transparent area is filled with white when the file is written. This is the single most common sticker mistake. Save as PNG or WebP instead. If the white box is already baked into your file, the transparency is gone and the subject has to be cut out again from the original.

What makes a cutout look clean

Contrast between the subject and what is behind it. A person against a plain wall cuts perfectly; the same person against a busy patterned background does not. Automatic selection works by finding edges, and a busy background has edges everywhere.

Hair, fur and semi-transparent edges are where every tool struggles — not just automatic ones. A slightly tighter crop hides more sins than a better algorithm.

Size and padding

Around 512×512 pixels is the practical standard across messaging platforms. Larger wastes bandwidth for no visible gain, since stickers are displayed small.

Leave a little empty space inside the canvas. A subject touching the edges looks cropped once the app adds its own outline or drop shadow, and you cannot fix that afterwards.

What you are allowed to use

The same rules as any image. Photographs you took are yours. Photos of other people raise likeness questions if you distribute them. Characters, logos and artwork belong to someone, and platforms remove sticker packs built on copyrighted characters routinely.

Private use among friends is one thing; publishing a pack is another. The line matters more than people expect.

StickerLab - Sticker Maker

Our iOS app for exactly this. Runs on your device — no account, no tracking.

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