How to Create a Sticker on Snapchat: Custom, Bitmoji, and More

Snapchat has one of the most flexible sticker systems of any social platform. You can pull from a built-in library, use your Bitmoji avatar, or build something completely custom from your own photos. Each method works differently, and knowing which one suits your workflow makes the whole process faster and more fun.

What Counts as a "Sticker" on Snapchat?

On Snapchat, the word "sticker" covers a few distinct things:

• Pre-made stickers — Snapchat's built-in library of illustrated icons, emojis, and themed packs
• Bitmoji stickers — personalized cartoon stickers tied to your Bitmoji avatar
• Custom stickers — images you create yourself by cutting out a subject from a photo
• Snap stickers — stickers made from your own Snaps using the scissor/cutout tool

Understanding which type you're making changes the steps involved.

How to Add a Sticker to a Snap (Basic Method)

Before getting into custom creation, here's how the standard sticker workflow operates:

1. Take a photo or video Snap, or open one from your Camera Roll
2. Tap the sticker icon (the square with a folded corner) on the right-side toolbar
3. Browse the library by scrolling or using the search bar
4. Tap any sticker to place it on your Snap
5. Pinch to resize, drag to reposition, or press and hold to delete

This works on both iOS and Android. The sticker panel is divided into tabs — you'll see emoji, Bitmoji, and category-sorted packs depending on what you have installed.

How to Create a Custom Sticker Using the Scissor Tool ✂️

This is Snapchat's most powerful sticker feature and the one most people mean when they ask about "creating" a sticker.

What it does: The scissor (cutout) tool lets you trace around any object in a photo — your pet, a product, a person, a logo — and save it as a reusable sticker for future Snaps.

Step-by-step:

1. Open a Snap or import a photo from your Camera Roll
2. Tap the sticker icon on the right toolbar
3. Scroll to the scissor/cutout icon (it looks like a pair of scissors) — this is usually near the top of the sticker panel
4. Use your finger to trace around the object you want to cut out
5. Lift your finger to complete the selection — Snapchat will automatically close the shape
6. The cutout becomes a sticker you can immediately place on the current Snap
7. It also saves to your personal sticker collection for reuse later

The precision of your cutout depends on how carefully you trace. Snapchat does not auto-detect edges the way some third-party apps do, so a clean trace gives you a cleaner sticker.

To access your saved custom stickers later:

• Open the sticker panel
• Tap the scissors icon tab at the top
• All previously cut stickers appear here

How to Create and Use Bitmoji Stickers

Bitmoji stickers are generated automatically once your Bitmoji avatar is linked to Snapchat — you don't "create" individual ones manually. The stickers are rendered by the Bitmoji system based on your avatar's appearance.

To use them:

1. Make sure your Bitmoji is connected (go to Settings → Bitmoji to link or create one)
2. Open the sticker panel on any Snap
3. Tap the Bitmoji tab (your avatar's face icon)
4. Snapchat surfaces contextually relevant Bitmoji stickers based on your activity, time of day, or content

The range of Bitmoji stickers available expands based on what Snap and Bitmoji add to the system — you're choosing from a generated library rather than designing stickers yourself.

How to Turn a Snap Into a Sticker Using the Push Pin Feature

A lesser-known option: you can pin a sticker to a moving object in a video Snap, making it track that object's movement throughout the clip.

1. Place any sticker on a video Snap
2. Press and hold the sticker
3. Tap Pin Sticker
4. Drag it onto the moving subject
5. Snapchat uses motion tracking to keep it attached

This works best when the subject has clear visual contrast from the background. Performance can vary depending on lighting and how complex the motion is.

Factors That Affect Your Sticker Experience 🎨

Not every Snapchat user sees the same sticker options or gets the same results. Several variables shape what you can do:

What You Can and Can't Do With Custom Stickers

Custom cutout stickers are only usable within Snapchat — they don't export as standalone image files you can use in other apps. If you want cross-platform custom stickers, you'd need a third-party sticker maker app that exports to formats like .webp or .png.

Within Snapchat, custom stickers:

• ✅ Can be resized, rotated, and repositioned freely
• ✅ Stay saved in your scissor sticker tab indefinitely (unless deleted)
• ✅ Can be pinned to video motion
• ❌ Can't be shared directly as sticker files with other users
• ❌ Don't carry transparent backgrounds — the cutout shape defines the boundary

The quality of the cutout edge also depends on the complexity of the subject. A simple silhouette traces cleanly; fine details like hair or fur tend to leave rough edges.

Whether the scissor tool, Bitmoji system, or the built-in library makes most sense for you comes down to what you're actually trying to make — a personalized avatar reaction, a recurring inside joke from a photo, or a quick decorative touch. Each path has real trade-offs in flexibility, effort, and where you can use the result.