How to Make Custom Emoji for Discord, Slack, and Telegram Without Photoshop
Create custom emoji from any photo in minutes — AI removes the background, you pick the padding and corner radius, and download in all required sizes. No design software needed.
Custom emoji make every server and workspace more expressive — and they're surprisingly easy to create if you have the right tool. This guide walks you through making platform-ready emoji from any photo in under two minutes.
What you need
- A photo with a clear subject (pet, person, object, logo)
- Access to the NSS Emoji Creator — free, no account
Step 1: Choose your source photo
The best emoji sources have a subject that stands out clearly from the background. High contrast between subject and background gives the AI the cleanest cut. Good examples:
- Pet photos with a plain sofa or wall behind them
- Product photos on a neutral background
- Selfies or headshots
- Logo files (PNG or JPG)
Step 2: Remove the background
Drop your photo into the Emoji Creator. The AI automatically detects your subject and removes the background, leaving a transparent PNG. This typically takes 5–15 seconds depending on your browser.
Step 3: Adjust padding and corner radius
Two sliders control how your emoji looks:
Padding — how much space surrounds the subject. 8–12% is a good default. Too little and your subject touches the edge; too much and it looks tiny in chat.
Corner radius — 0% is a square, 50% is a perfect circle. Discord and Slack use rounded squares for most emoji. Try 20–25% for a natural look, or 50% for circle emoji like avatars.
The preview updates live at all four sizes: 32×32, 64×64, 128×128, and 512×512.
Step 4: Download and upload
Click Download all sizes (ZIP) to get a ZIP containing all four PNG sizes. Then upload to your platform:
Discord
- Open your server settings → Emoji → Upload Emoji
- Upload the 128×128 PNG (max 256KB)
- Name your emoji — this is what users type in
:emoji_name:
Slack
- Go to workspace settings → Customize → Emoji → Add Custom Emoji
- Upload the 128×128 PNG (max 128KB)
- Give it a name
Telegram
- Go to a sticker pack creation bot (like @Stickers)
- Use the 512×512 PNG for best quality
- Follow the bot's prompts to create a sticker pack
Notion
- Click any page icon → Upload custom emoji
- Any PNG size works — use the 128×128 for speed
Platform size requirements at a glance
| Platform | Required size | Max file size | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discord | 128×128 px | 256KB | PNG or GIF |
| Slack | 128×128 px | 128KB | PNG |
| Telegram | 512×512 px | 512KB | PNG |
| Notion | Any | — | PNG |
Tips for great emoji
- Animals: Use a close-up photo. Full-body shots at 128px become unrecognisable.
- Text or logos: Use the square crop (0% corner radius) to preserve legibility.
- Dark subjects: Try a light padded background — the transparent area around the subject is invisible, but a small padding prevents clipping.
- Test at 32px: Zoom out on your preview. If you can't tell what the subject is at the smallest size, go for a tighter crop with less padding.
All processing is private
The Emoji Creator runs entirely in your browser. Your photos are not uploaded to any server — the AI model runs locally using WebGPU or WebAssembly depending on your device.