September 17, 2026 · 5 min read
Make a Sticker for Instagram Stories and TikTok (Free PNG)
Cut yourself, your pet or a product out of a photo and turn it into a transparent sticker for Instagram Stories and TikTok. Free, in-browser, no watermark.
Cut-out stickers are everywhere on Stories: a friend's face popping out of a corner, a product floating over a background, your dog reacting to a post. They look hand-made, but you only need two things: a transparent PNG of the subject and a way to paste it into Instagram or TikTok. This guide focuses on getting that sticker into Stories and videos. If you want general sticker ideas (WhatsApp, Telegram, printing), see our broader guide.
Looking for WhatsApp, Telegram or printable stickers?
Read the general sticker guideStep 1: pick the right photo
- Sharp and well lit. Blur and heavy shadows make ragged edges.
- The whole subject in frame. Cropped-off hands or ears look odd once the background is gone.
- Some contrast between subject and background.
- Big enough. Stories are shown full-screen on phones, so a tiny thumbnail will look soft when enlarged.
Step 2: cut it out as a transparent PNG
- Open Skrubly's AI Background Remover in your phone or computer browser.
- Drop in the photo (JPG, PNG or WebP). It's processed on your device, not uploaded.
- Check the edges, especially hair and fingers.
- Download the transparent PNG. Keep it as PNG: JPG can't store transparency and will add a white box.
Turn your photo into a transparent sticker — free, no watermark.
Open the AI Background RemoverStep 3a: add it to an Instagram Story
At the time of writing, Instagram offers a few ways to get your own image onto a Story, and the exact buttons vary by app version and device:
- Photo sticker: in the Story editor, open the sticker tray and choose the photo or gallery sticker, then pick your PNG. On some versions this sticker adds a frame or crops the image, so check the result.
- Copy and paste (iPhone): open the PNG in Photos, tap Share, Copy Photo, then in the Story editor tap to add text and paste. The image appears as a movable, transparent layer.
- Cutout sticker: Instagram has its own cutout feature on some versions, but a clean PNG you've made yourself gives you more control and works the same everywhere.
Once it's on the Story, pinch to resize, rotate with two fingers, and press and hold to move it behind or in front of other elements where supported.
Step 3b: add it to a TikTok
- In TikTok's editor: after recording, look for Stickers or Overlay options to add an image from your gallery (availability varies by version).
- In CapCut: add your video, then Overlay, Add overlay, and select the PNG. Transparent areas stay see-through, and you can set when it appears and add animations.
- As a green screen background: TikTok's Green Screen effect puts an image behind you; a cut-out PNG works best as a foreground overlay instead.
Make it look like a real sticker
| Style | How to get it |
|---|---|
| Clean cut-out | Use the PNG as it is |
| White sticker border | Add an outline or stroke effect in CapCut or a design app |
| Bold colour block | Export on a solid colour background instead of transparent |
| Slight drop shadow | Add a shadow effect in your editor so it lifts off the video |
| Tilted and playful | Rotate 5 to 10 degrees on the Story |
Ideas that work well
- Reaction stickers of yourself for Q&A Stories.
- Product cut-outs for shop announcements and restocks.
- Pet stickers for running jokes with followers.
- A cut-out of a friend for a birthday Story (ask them first).
- Logo stickers with the background removed for consistent branding.
A note on privacy and permission
Because the background removal runs in your browser, the photo isn't sent to a server, which matters when it's a picture of a person. That said, turning someone into a sticker is still sharing their image, so get their OK, and avoid using other creators' photos or artwork without permission.