How To Make Twitch Emotes: Basics & Guidelines

Twitch emoticons—or emotes—are emoji-like images that Twitch users create for use in their livestreams and Twitch chats.

Streamers create emotes from images to capture various facial expressions, communicate inside jokes, or display emotions that aren't easily said with words. Followers can also use these images to show their support for specific Twitch streamers.

These emotes are essential for building active Twitch communities because they enable users to communicate with each other quickly, easily, and often in a humorous way.

As a community owner, making your own emotes can be a great way to add a personal touch to your channel and make it stand out from the rest.

Making unique emotes can be fun and creative. You get to decide on a concept, sketch inspired designs, and turn those designs into emotes using helpful tools.

However, you'll want to be sure that your design sends the right message, connects well with the audience, and adheres to Twitch's emote guidelines.

This article explains how to make Twitch emotes that catch your audience's attention and meet Twitch's specified criteria.

Choosing a concept for your emote

When creating an emote, consider your audience and brand. Who are you designing the emote for? What tone do you want to set?

Asking the right questions can help you select a concept and make sure your emote is appropriate for its intended audience.

A great way to come up with ideas is to research popular emotes and the best Twitch emote trends. One way to spot trends is to join other live streams and monitor the emotes used.

Follow these methods to research popular emotes:

• Browse popular Twitch channels. Observe the emotes that are frequently used and well-received by the audience. Channels with large followings often have emotes that resonate with a broad audience.
• Participate in Twitch communities. Join forums, Discord servers, and Reddit communities dedicated to Twitch. Engage with users and ask for their favorite emotes. This can provide insight into current trends and popular designs.
• Analyze top Twitch emote directories. Websites like "BetterTTV" and "FrankerFaceZ" have directories of popular emotes. Check the most downloaded or favorited emotes to understand what designs are trending.

After collecting ideas from your research, come up with a list of potential concepts unique to your Twitch brand.

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If you're looking for something funny, try an emote that refers to a popular meme. If you want something cute, you could try an emote that features a character or animal. You can also create an emote that features your logo or a famous character of your channel.

Tips for brainstorming and refining emote concepts:

• Identify your brand personality. Think about the traits that define your brand. Is it humorous, serious, playful, or edgy? This will help narrow down the style and tone of your emotes. For example, a playful brand might use bright colors and cartoonish designs.
• Think about your audience's preferences. Consider what your audience enjoys and relates to. If your viewers love gaming, create emotes featuring gaming references or characters. If they enjoy memes, incorporate popular meme elements.
• Use simple and clear designs. Emotes are small, so clarity is crucial. Avoid overly detailed designs that may not be recognizable at a small size. Focus on bold lines and clear expressions.
• Experiment with different emotions and actions. Emotes often convey emotions or actions. Create a range of expressions (happy, sad, angry) and actions (clapping, cheering, facepalming) that your audience can use in various contexts.
• Gather feedback through polls or surveys. Create a few rough sketches or concepts and ask your audience for their opinions. Use polls on social media or Twitch to see which designs resonate the most.

Once you've created a list of potential concepts, ask a sample of your intended audience for feedback. Getting direct opinions can help gauge whether your idea will likely be understood and used.

Understanding and adhering to Twitch's guidelines

You'll need to review the Twitch Community Guidelines.

Here’s an overview of what you can expect when reviewing the guidelines:

• Hateful conduct and harassment. Emotes should not promote hate speech, discrimination, or harassment. For instance, any emote that could be used to mock or belittle a particular group is prohibited.
• Violence and nudity. Emotes must be free of violent imagery and nudity. This ensures a safe and welcoming environment for all users. Emotes like "Kappa," which is simply a grayscale face used to convey sarcasm, comply by being neutral and non-violent.
• Vulgarity. Avoid using explicit language or gestures in your emotes. The "BibleThump" emote, featuring a crying face, is an excellent example of conveying emotion without vulgarity, making it widely accepted and used.
• Political symbols. Emotes should not contain political symbols or messages. This helps keep Twitch a neutral space where users from all backgrounds can feel comfortable. Instead of political symbols, consider using general expressions of excitement or support, similar to the "TriHard" emote, which depicts a joyful expression.
• Rapidly changing colors. Emotes with rapidly changing colors are not allowed as they can be harmful to viewers with photosensitive conditions. Successful emotes like "PepeHands" maintain a consistent color scheme and clear, non-flashing imagery.
• Glorifying images. Avoid creating emotes that glorify harmful behavior or substances. Emotes like "LUL," which shows a face laughing, are popular because they celebrate humor and positivity, aligning with Twitch's guidelines.

How to create your emote design

To make a Twitch emote, streamers must have emote design software. You'll also want to have multiple versions of your emote for different purposes.

Choose software to create your emote

You can use basic image editing software like Adobe Photoshop or specialized tools like the Twitch Emotes Maker.

What's important is finding the right software for your needs.

If this is your first time creating emotes, you may want to use something simpler to get a feel for it. If you're more experienced, you may want to use software with more features to make complex emotes.

Think about the support you need. Some software is very user-friendly and comes with many tutorials. Other software programs are more bare bones and expect users to be experienced, so you may need to research how to use them.

Finally, consider the cost. Some applications are free, while others cost money. Consider whether you'll need to pay for the features you want or if you can bring your design to life for free.

Below are some of the most popular emote makers you can use for your Twitch emoticons.

Adobe Photoshop

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Adobe Photoshop is a powerful image-editing software that offers many tools for creating emotes. It has a user-friendly interface and offers layers, filters, and brushes that allow for fine-tuned adjustments and customizations.

It's an excellent option for beginners, as it's widely used and offers a wealth of tutorials and resources.

Key features include:

• Layers and masks. These allow for non-destructive editing, enabling precise adjustments and flexibility.
• Advanced brushes and filters. Customizable brushes and filters help create unique textures and effects.
• Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud. Seamless integration with other Adobe products and cloud storage enhances workflow efficiency.

Adobe Photoshop is available at $22.99 per month.

GIMP

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The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) is free Twitch emoticon editing software that offers many of the same features as Adobe Photoshop.

In addition, GIMP offers plug-ins and extensions, giving many categories of users—including illustrators and emote designers—ample choices for customizing their designs.

Key features include:

• Customizable interface. Allows users to modify the layout and tools to fit their workflow.
• Extensive plug-in support. Users can add plug-ins to extend functionality, including those specifically designed for emote creation.
• Open-source nature. Being open source, it's extensible, meaning you can create extensions or plug-ins that add new features to the software.

GIMP is free to use.

OWN3D Emote Maker

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The OWN3D Emote Maker is an online tool that helps users create unique emotes on Twitch and other social media platforms like YouTube and Discord.

Key features include:

• Customizable templates. Offers a vast library of emote templates that you can customize to make unique designs.
• User-friendly interface. Simplifies the emote creation process, making it accessible for beginners.
• Additional tools. Provides options for creating custom Twitch sub badges, panels, stream banners, and stream overlays.

OWN3D has a free version. Their Pro Plan costs $18.66 a month for three months, $11.33 a month if you sign up for the six-month package or $7 a month for the one-year package. It includes 24/7 support, as well as premium overlays and alerts.

Placeit

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Placeit has about 250 free emote templates and tools to make your Twitch emote. The templates are divided into different categories, such as Cartoon, Gaming, and Foodie, making it easy to find the template that best fits your needs.

Key features include:

• Built-in preview feature. Allows you to see your emotes in action before they're finalized and exported.
• Wide variety of templates. Over 85,000 high-resolution design and video templates are available with the paid plan.

Placeit offers a paid plan that costs $9.99 per month.

Kapwing

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Kapwing is another emote creator designed to be intuitive and easy to use, even for beginners. Users can navigate the different options and customize their emotes in just a few clicks.

Key features include:

• Image import functionality. Users can import images to create unique emotes that reflect their style and interests.
• GIF creation tools. Provides a suite of tools and overlays for creating and editing GIFs.

Kapwing offers a free-to-use version with basic tools. The Pro package costs $16 per month and includes unlimited cloud storage, access to all AI editing tools, and branding kits.

Sketch multiple versions of your emote

As a Twitch streamer, you want your channel to look and feel consistent. Part of that is having new emotes to represent your channel.

While you may have an excellent idea for an emote, you'll want to digitally sketch multiple versions before deciding on a final design. This allows you to experiment with different poses or expressions to see what works best.

Try different color schemes and test other sizing options to make sure the emote will look good in both small and large formats.

Creating multiple versions of your sketch also allows you to use them in different situations. For example, you might have one version that's perfect for chat and another that works better as a Twitch panel image.

Follow these steps to sketch multiple versions of your Twitch emote:

1. Research and gather reference materials. Before sketching, gather reference images and materials to help create a compelling and accurate representation of the subject matter. This could include photographs, videos, or even real-life objects or subjects.
2. Conceptualize the composition. Think about the composition of the image. Consider the placement of the various elements, the overall tone of the sketch, and how the light will interact with the forms.
3. Start with a rough sketch. Sketch the basic shapes and forms of the image on a blank canvas. This is known as a "thumbnail sketch"—a small, rough drawing to get a sense of the composition and placement of elements in the image.

The Twitch emotes guidelines stipulate specific requirements when creating a Twitch emote:

• File format. Your design must be in PNG format.
• Emote size. You should submit three versions of the image in 28-by-28 pixels, 56-by-56 pixels, and 112-by-112 pixels, respectively. These images must be square and not exceed 1MB (megabyte) in file size.
• Transparent background. Twitch requires all emotes to be free of copyrighted or trademarked content. In addition, Twitch requires that the images have transparent backgrounds. You can create a transparent background for your image using editing tools like Adobe Photoshop and GIMP. Remove.bg is an online platform you can use to remove image backgrounds for free.

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Keeping Twitch's guidelines in mind, move on with your best sketches and refine them into a high-quality emote.

Choose the best version and refine it

Review the chosen design and identify areas that need improvement, including issues with proportion, symmetry, or overall visual appeal.

Avoid using too many details or patterns that might become hard to read in smaller sizes. Using a full range of color values and techniques can give your sketch more depth and realism.

Use easily distinguishable colors and provide good visibility even when the emote is small. Consider using only a few colors, and make sure the colors go well together.

You can combine complementary colors, which are on opposite sides of the color wheel. Alternatively, you can use a monochromatic combination with different shades and tones of the same base color.

Source: https://gharpedia.com/blog/understanding-the-color-wheel/
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Pay attention to the light source and how it affects the forms. Use filters, effects, or layer styles to refine the overall look of the emote.

Common techniques include adding shadows, highlights, or gradients to give the emote more depth and dimension.

Hiring a professional emote designer

For new streamers, designing and creating emotes can seem challenging. There are a lot of factors to consider, from the size and shape of the graphic to the colors and overall style.

So, how can you get started with emotes when you don’t have design experience or proficiency with design tools? Hiring a professional on Upwork can be an effective tactic.

Upwork is a human and AI-powered work marketplace that connects clients with designers from all over the world. You can access a large pool of professionals who have been vetted and have portfolios and ratings available for you to review.

Professional emote designers typically have the experience of understanding your audience, conceptualizing your ideas, and applying various design elements—like texture, lighting, color, and shapes—to create visually appealing emotes consistent with your brand.

Hiring a professional emote designer can be cost-effective, considering the subscription costs of various design software and the time you may need to create a design. Outsourcing design creation also allows you to focus on other tasks.

Submitting your emote to Twitch

Once your emote is ready, go to Twitch's website and follow the emote submission process. This simple process shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

1. You must sign up for a Twitch account and be a Twitch Partner or Affiliate. You can become a Twitch Affiliate by clicking the "Get Started" button on the "Path to Partner" page of your Twitch application. (Note that the Twitch Partner program is only open to users who meet the specified requirements to qualify for partner positions—such as streaming for 25 hours at least. Apply to the Twitch Partner program, then submit your emote by going to the Twitch emote dashboard—which you can find in the Creator Dashboard under the "Emotes" tab.)
2. On the emote dashboard, click on the "Upload Emote" button.
3. Select the emote image you want to upload. The image must be in PNG format and meet Twitch's size and technical requirements.
4. Enter a name for your emote and select the emotes set you want to add it to.
5. Click the "Upload" button.

Once you submit your emote, Twitch's moderation team will review it. The process can take several days, and you'll be notified by email when they make a decision.

Here are some insights on what Twitch moderators look for during the review process:

• Compliance with guidelines. Moderators check that the emote adheres to Twitch's Community Guidelines and Emote Guidelines. This includes ensuring the emote does not contain hateful conduct, violence, nudity, vulgarity, harassment, political symbols, rapidly changing colors, or glorifying images.
• Quality and clarity. Emotes must be clear and recognizable in all sizes (28x28, 56x56, and 112x112 pixels). Moderators ensure that the emote is not pixelated or blurry, and that it retains its quality and detail even at the smallest size.
• Originality and appropriateness. Emotes must be original and appropriate for all audiences. Moderators look for potential copyright issues and verify that the emote does not infringe on any trademarks or copyrights.
• Transparency and borders. Emotes should have transparent backgrounds to fit seamlessly into Twitch chat. Moderators check that the transparency is correctly applied and that there are no unnecessary borders or backgrounds.
• No misleading or inappropriate elements. Emotes should not include elements that could be misleading, such as parts of Twitch's UI or other platform-specific icons. They should also be free from inappropriate or suggestive content.

If your emote is approved, it will be available for your viewers in your channel's chat. If it's denied, you will receive an email with the reason for the denial and instructions on how to resubmit the emote.

Using your emote

To use an emote in chat on Twitch, you can type the emote code or use the emote picker (if available) in the chat box. The emote code is typically a combination of characters and symbols unique to the specific emote.

To use an emote from the emote picker, click on the emote you want to use, and it will automatically be added to your chat message.

To add your custom Twitch emote to your panel, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Twitch dashboard.
2. Click on the settings icon and select the "Emotes" option.
3. Click on the "Add Emote" button to upload your custom emote.
4. Fill in the necessary information, such as the emote code and image.
5. Click the "Save" button to add the emote to your emotes panel.

Once your emote is uploaded and added to your emotes panel, it'll be available for your community to use in your channel's chat.

Here are some ways that Twitch users can access emotes:

• Subscribers. Your subscribers can access your custom emotes as part of their subscription benefits. The number of emotes available to them depends on their subscription tier.
• Bit badges. Viewers who cheer with bits may unlock exclusive emotes associated with bit milestones.
• Twitch Prime. Twitch Prime subscribers also gain access to special emotes provided by Twitch.
• Global emotes. All Twitch users have access to a set of global emotes provided by Twitch, which they can use in any channel.
• Third-party extensions. Viewers can use additional emotes from extensions like BetterTTV and FrankerFaceZ, which offer expanded emote libraries.

To encourage your community to use your emote, promote it in your channel's emotes panel and showcase it in your videos or streams.

Here are some strategies to promote emotes and engage the community:

• Showcase during streams. Use your emotes during your live streams to demonstrate their use and encourage viewers to do the same. Highlight specific emotes during key moments in your stream.
• Create emote-related content. Make videos or clips featuring your emotes. This could be a fun segment where you explain the meaning behind each emote or show them in action.
• Run emote contests. Host contests where viewers can submit ideas for new emotes. This not only engages your community but also gives them a sense of ownership and pride in the emotes they helped create.
• Incorporate emotes into alerts and overlays. Use your custom emotes in your stream alerts and overlays to reinforce their presence and make them more memorable for your viewers.
• Offer exclusive emote rewards. Use your custom emotes as rewards for participating in live events, giveaways, or achieving certain milestones in your channel. This can motivate viewers to engage more with your content.
• Encourage emote spam during hype moments. Prompt your viewers to spam specific emotes during exciting or significant moments in your stream, such as when you achieve a milestone or make a big play in a game.
• Highlight emotes in your subscriber perks. Clearly list the availability of custom emotes as a subscriber benefit in your channel's subscription perks. This can entice viewers to subscribe to gain access to your exclusive emotes.
• Promote emotes on social media. Share your emotes on your social media platforms. Create posts showcasing your emotes and encouraging your followers to join your Twitch channel to use them.

By effectively using and promoting your emotes, you can enhance viewer engagement and foster a strong sense of community within your channel.

Have a professional create custom emotes for you

Emotes are a powerful tool for expressing emotions and reactions. They can help create a sense of connection and community among viewers.

Having unique and engaging emotes can be crucial for building a solid brand and community on Twitch. However, creating custom emotes can be challenging, especially when you don't have design experience.

If you have a community on Twitch, consider hiring a graphic designer to complete your projects.

Emote designers can also visit Upwork Talent Marketplace™ to find recent job postings and available jobs. You can browse job postings, see which ones match your skill set, and respond to those that interest you.

To get started, create an account, set up a solid profile, and go to the Upwork job resource to find available jobs.