Introduction
One of the most fun new features in iOS 17 is the ability to turn your photos into live stickers to use in Messages and other apps. Live stickers are animated versions of your photos that you can send to friends or decorate conversations with.
Turning your favorite pictures into live stickers is easy and only takes a few steps. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of accessing the live stickers maker in iOS 17, selecting photos to turn into stickers, customizing your stickers, and using them in Messages and other apps.
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Access the Live Stickers Maker
The live stickers maker is built right into the Messages app. To access it:
- Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
- Enter any conversation thread.
- Tap the plus (+) icon next to the message box. This will open the menu of attachments.
- Tap on the “Stickers” icon (it looks like a square smiley face).
- Tap on the folded paperclip icon in the top right corner.
- Tap the large plus (+) icon. This will open up your photo library.
Now you’re in the live stickers maker! Next, we’ll see how to select photos and turn them into stickers.
Select a Photo to Turn Into a Sticker
Once you’ve opened up your photo library from within the live stickers maker, you can pick any photo you want to turn into a sticker. Here are some tips for selecting a good photo candidate:
- Choose a photo with a clear subject or focal point that will make sense when cropped. Group shots and landscapes don’t work as well.
- Make sure the photo is high quality and not blurry. The sticker will inherit the same quality.
- For best results, choose a photo without too complicated of a background. Busy backgrounds don’t crop well into stickers.
- Pick a funny, memorable, or expressive photo that will make a fun sticker for conversations.
- Live photos (photos taken with iOS’s Live Photo mode) will turn into animated stickers. But normal photos work too.
Once you’ve picked a photo, tap on it to add it to the sticker maker. If you selected a live photo, you’ll see a preview of the animated sticker.
iOS will automatically remove the background and crop around the main subject of the photo, so all you have to do is select the photo you want.
Customize the Live Sticker
If you want to customize the auto-generated sticker, you have a few options:
- Adjust crop: Use the corner handles to crop the image tight around your desired subject. This works just like cropping a photo in the Photos app.
- Change background: Tap the background settings icon to change the background color or gradient. Keep it transparent for no background.
- Add effects: Use the effects slider to add visual effects like color tints, animations, and more to your sticker. Get creative!
- Draw on stickers: Use the drawing tools to add your own doodles, text, and stickers on top of your photo sticker.
Take your time playing around with the customization tools until your sticker is just how you want it. The live preview will update in real-time so you can see your changes.
Adding Your Sticker
When you’re happy with your new sticker, tap “Add” to add it to your sticker library. You can find all your custom photo and live stickers in the “My Stickers” tab of the Stickers picker.
Now you’re ready to use your new creation in Messages and any other apps that support iMessage stickers!
Using Live Stickers in Messages
To use your new live sticker in a Messages conversation:
- Open a message thread in Messages.
- Tap the App Store icon next to the message box.
- Select the “My Stickers” tab.
- Find your new sticker and tap to send it.
Your custom sticker will animate and react just like the built-in live stickers in Messages!
Some tips for using live stickers:
- Tap and hold a live sticker after sending to enlarge and view its animation.
- Drag multiple stickers onto a conversation to create an animated scene.
- Use stickers to react to messages or have conversations with just stickers.
- Tap on a live sticker multiple times to add copies and create animation overlays.
Get creative in your conversations with the live stickers you make from your own photos!
Sharing Stickers with Friends
In addition to using your custom live stickers in your own Messages conversations, you can share your sticker creations with friends:
- Share individual stickers: Press and hold on a sticker to open the share sheet and share that specific sticker with apps, social media, or contacts.
- Share entire sticker pack: Tap the “…” menu in My Stickers and choose “Share Pack” to send your full collection to someone else. They’ll get the whole pack added to their sticker picker.
Sticker packs make great gifts for friends. Share your specialized meme stickers, inside joke stickers, holiday stickers, or other custom creations.
Using Live Stickers in Third-Party Apps
Live Stickers aren’t limited to just Messages – many third-party apps support using live stickers as well:
- Social media apps: Apps like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp all support using live stickers in posts, stories, and messages.
- Creative apps: Add live stickers to videos in apps like Splice, iMovie, CapCut, or your favorite video editor.
- Communication apps: Use live stickers in email, chats, notes, and more.
- Games: Some iPhone games even allow using live stickers as playable game elements and characters. Get creative!
Browse the App Store for apps that support live stickers to find even more ways to use your custom creations. The possibilities are endless!
Troubleshooting Tips
If you’re having any trouble creating live stickers, here are some tips:
- Make sure your iPhone is updated to iOS 17 or later. Live stickers are only available on iOS 17 and up.
- Check that your photos are high resolution and not blurry. Low-quality source images may not convert well to stickers.
- Try adjusting the crop or increasing the transparency if the auto crop removes important parts of the photo.
- Restarting your phone can help if the sticker maker is glitchy or crashing. This will clear any cached data.
- Report bugs to Apple so they can improve the live sticker feature for future iOS updates. The feedback app is your friend!
Stick with it and you’ll soon be a pro at crafting amazing live stickers from your photos and using them creatively in all your messaging adventures. Have fun bringing your photos to life!
Conclusion
Turning photos into live stickers using the built-in tools in iOS 17 Messages is an easy way to create fun, customized stickers from your own images. With just a few taps, you can make animated stickers out of your favorite photos to share in Messages and other apps.
As you get comfortable with the live sticker maker, try making stickers out of old photos, your favorite memes, inside jokes with friends, and more. Saving special memories or emotions as stickers is a great way to liven up all your conversations. Plus, being able to quickly share your custom sticker packs is a fun way to bond with friends and family.
Get creative with the live stickers feature and your existing photo library. Before long, you’ll have a go-to collection of live stickers to use as animated reactions, memories, jokes, and more. So start snapping photos specifically to turn into live stickers – the options are endless!
Table summarizing the process:
| Step | Action |
| 1 | Open Messages app and enter a conversation |
| 2 | Tap plus (+) icon next to message box |
| 3 | Select “Stickers” tab |
| 4 | Tap folded paperclip in top right |
| 5 | Tap large plus icon to open Photos |
| 6 | Select a photo to use as a sticker |
| 7 | Adjust crop, effects, and customize |
| 8 | Tap “Add” to add sticker to library |
| 9 | Find new stickers under “My Stickers” tab |
| 10 | Tap sticker to send in Messages or other apps |