Encoding Video Stickers and Emoji with .WEBM and VP9

.WEBM video format allows anyone to easily create high-detail animations for stickers and emoji that users can send and share instantly in Telegram.

Video Requirements for Stickers and Emoji

• Video must be in .WEBM format, up to 30 FPS.
• Video must be encoded with the VP9 codec.
• Video must have no audio stream.
• For stickers, one side must be 512 pixels in size – the other side can be 512 pixels or less.
• For emoji, the resolution must be exactly 100x100 pixels.
• Duration must not exceed 3 seconds.
• Video should be looped for optimal user experience.
• Video size should not exceed 256 KB after encoding.

Encoding Video Files

You can design your animation in your preferred app – but depending on the app’s export settings, you may need an encoding program to create the final file.

Programs like Handbrake or ffmpeg natively support .WEBM encoding with VP9.

Encoding with Adobe Media Encoder

Adobe’s Media Encoder requires a plug-in to support .WEBM encoding. Here is a modified version of a plug-in by fnord software that you can install to render your videos with Media Encoder.

• Windows WEBM plug-in
  Windows Installation Path
  C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\Plug-ins\7.0\MediaCore

• macOS WEBM plug-in (M1 and Intel)
  macOS Installation Path:
  ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Plug-ins/7.0/MediaCore

After the plug-in is installed, .WEBM will appear in the list of formats in the Queue tab.

On macOS, you may need to go to Settings > Security & Privacy to approve installation.

Render Settings

If it’s your first time working with encoding software, here are some tips that might help:

• Make sure to check that VP9 is selected in the codec settings – some apps may default to VP8.
• Make sure to remove any audio streams (uncheck ‘Export Audio’ in Adobe programs).
• Make sure the frame rate is a constant 30 FPS.
• Use Constant Quality and a lower (or lowest) quality setting – otherwise size dramatically decreases without affecting fidelity.
• In Media Encoder, make sure your Renderer is set to ‘Software Only’.
• If your file fails to render, try importing it as a PNG Sequence.

After Effects projects integrate directly with Media Encoder via File > Export > Add to Media Encoder Queue.

Uploading Video Stickers and Emoji

The @Stickers bot lets you quickly publish and manage your sticker and emoji packs. Start a chat with it on Telegram and it will walk you through the process. For step-by-step instructions and more information, see this guide.