Telegram has three kinds of stickers: images, videos and TGS vector animation. That is why «how do I convert a GIF to TGS» comes up all the time, and the answer is not obvious. Here is what converts with one click, what needs re-encoding and what has to be drawn again.
Why a GIF does not turn into TGS
TGS is Lottie vector animation: shapes, paths and their movement described in code. GIFs and videos are made of pixels. A program cannot tell where the character’s outline is and where the background is, so «GIF to TGS converters» either fail or put the image inside the file, and Telegram rejects such TGS: images inside an animation are against its rules.
So a finished GIF or video has two ways forward: make it a WEBM video sticker or redraw the animation in vector and get a real TGS.
Way 1: a WEBM video sticker
The fastest option for a finished clip. Telegram’s requirements for a video sticker:
- WEBM with the VP9 codec, no sound;
- one side exactly 512 pixels, the other up to 512;
- up to 3 seconds and up to 30 frames per second;
- up to 256 KB.
A GIF or MP4 is re-encoded to WEBM in any video editor that exports VP9, or with ffmpeg. To fit into 256 KB, people usually shorten the clip, lower the frame rate and drop extra detail. A transparent background is kept if the source had transparency too.
What converts with one click: JSON to TGS
If the animation is already vector and was exported from After Effects with Bodymovin as Lottie JSON, turning it into TGS is simple: it is the same Lottie, only compressed. Drop the JSON into our free converter: it checks the canvas, length, frame rate and weight against Telegram’s rules and saves the file as TGS. It works the other way too: you can get the JSON out of a TGS for edits.
Way 2: redraw in vector
For a channel’s or a brand’s own pack, a real TGS is better:
- Sharpness. Vector stays crisp on any screen, video blurs when scaled.
- Weight. TGS is up to 64 KB at 60 frames per second, video up to 256 KB at 30.
- Emoji. The same vector animation also gives you premium emoji, as well as stickers.
To get there, the character or logo is drawn in vector, animated in After Effects without the banned features and exported to TGS. The format’s rules are explained in detail in the article about TGS.
What to choose
| Task | Format |
|---|---|
| A finished clip or GIF, the sticker is needed today | WEBM |
| An animation in Lottie JSON | TGS, browser converter |
| A channel's or brand's own pack, emoji | TGS, redrawn in vector |
Sticker requirements checked against core.telegram.org/stickers on 4 October 2026.