How to make Twitch emotes from a photo on Windows

1. Know what Twitch accepts

Standard (still) emotes

• PNG, square (same width and height), with a fully transparent background.
• Either one PNG between 112x112 and 4096x4096 px (auto-resize, the default) or three sizes: 28x28, 56x56 and 112x112 px (manual mode).
• 1 MB maximum file size. (Twitch's Subscriber Emote Guide adds that in manual mode each of the three files must be under 100 KB.)

Animated emotes

• GIF, square, no more than 60 frames, and it must not flash or flicker more than 3 times in 1 second.
• Auto-resize: one GIF from 112x112 to 4096x4096 px, 1 MB max. Manual mode: three GIFs (28, 56, 112 px), 512 KB each max.

Emote uploads are for Twitch Affiliates and Partners, and emotes are reviewed before viewers can see them (unless your channel qualifies for instant upload).

Tip: your emote will mostly be seen at 28 px in chat. Use a close crop of a face or one bold shape, and check it at that size before you upload.

2. The free way, with what's already on Windows

1. Pick a clear picture. One subject, good light, and a background that contrasts with it.
2. Remove the background in Paint. Paint in Windows 11 has a one-click remove background button in the toolbar. Open your picture, click it, and tidy any leftovers with the eraser. To cut out just one part, select it with the rectangle select first. If you don't see the button, update Windows 11 and Paint.
3. Crop it square. Use Select, drag a square around the face or subject, then Crop. Leave a little margin so nothing touches the edge.
4. Resize. Click Resize, choose Pixels, and set 112 x 112. With Twitch's auto-resize, you can upload one larger square, up to 4096 px, instead.
5. Save as PNG. Current Paint opens and saves transparent PNGs, and a checkerboard pattern shows which parts are transparent. If the saved file has a white or colored background, open Layers, choose Hide background (Ctrl+Shift+H) and save again.
6. Upload on the Emotes page of your Twitch Creator Dashboard, with auto-resize on.

Want it animated for free? Twitch's own uploader has Easy Animate, which adds a ready-made animation to a still PNG emote. Upload a square, non-animated PNG (112 to 4096 px, 1 MB max) and pick an animation.

3. Where the free route runs out

• Custom animation: Windows has no built-in GIF animator. Your own animation, beyond Twitch's presets, means frame-by-frame work in an editor.
• Every platform wants different files. Twitch, Discord, 7TV and BetterTTV each have their own sizes and file limits, so the same emote has to be exported and checked several times.
• Edges on dark and light chat: a cut-out that looks fine on white can show a halo on a dark chat, and the other way round.

The one-app route: Solace Emotes

Disclosure: Solace Emotes is made by SolaceSoftware, the shop that publishes this guide.

Solace Emotes cuts out your picture, animates it and exports files that already fit each platform.

• One-click background removal on your own PC. It works offline after a one-time 187 MB download on first use.
• 10 animated effects: Shake, Bounce, Spin, Rainbow, Party (with confetti), Peek, Pop, Squish, Pet-pet and Glow, with a speed control. Or keep it still.
• Crop, zoom, sticker outline, 3 borders (circle, star burst, speech bubble) and outlined captions in 3 fonts.
• Exports every size in one go: Twitch 112/56/28 px, Discord emoji 128 px and stickers 320 px, 7TV 128 px WebP and BetterTTV 112 px. Every file is shrunk automatically to fit that platform's size limit.
• A chat preview at 28, 56 and 112 px, and a GIF edge matte for clean edges on dark or light chat.
• 15 sample characters if you don't have a picture yet.
• No account, no telemetry. You upload the files yourself, wherever you want them.

Honest limits: background removal works best on a clear subject. Check every result before you upload it, and use only pictures you have the right to use. There's no free trial for Solace Emotes. It needs about 1 GB of free RAM while removing a background, and an internet connection once for the 187 MB first-use download. Twitch still reviews your emotes, and its Affiliate/Partner rules still apply.

Requirements: Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) with Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime, which is built into Windows 11 and current Windows 10. It's a per-user install with no administrator rights needed, and the download is about 11 MB. The app isn't code-signed yet, so on first launch Windows may show "Windows protected your PC". Click More info, then Run anyway.

Price: $8.27 once, with no subscription and no automatic renewal. It's also part of the Solace Gamer Pack (7 apps, $29) and Solace Complete (25 apps, $45).

Get Solace Emotes for $8.27 once

Questions before you buy: solacesoftware@smilingface.cloud

Quick answer

• Twitch sizes: one square PNG from 112 to 4096 px (auto-resize), or 28, 56 and 112 px. 1 MB max, transparent background.
• Free: Paint's Remove background, then crop square, resize to 112 px and save as PNG. Use Twitch's Easy Animate for preset animation.
• One app, with custom effects and every platform's sizes at once: Solace Emotes, $8.27 once (no trial).