What is a transparent animated GIF?
A transparent GIF has a see-through background, so only the subject shows, like a sticker. What that means, where to use one, and how to make your own.
A normal GIF is a rectangle: every pixel has a colour, including the background. A transparent GIF marks the background pixels as see-through, so whatever is behind it — a chat, a photo, a web page — shows through. Only the person, pet or object remains. That's what makes it a sticker.
Where can you use a transparent GIF?
- Chats: WhatsApp stickers, Discord stickers and emoji, Slack emoji, Telegram, iMessage.
- Social stories: Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat stickers via GIPHY.
- Presentations and documents: Google Slides, Keynote and PowerPoint show animated GIFs on top of your slide.
- Websites, emails and streams: reactions, mascots, overlays and product animations.
GIF, WebP and APNG
GIF is the classic format and works everywhere, but its pixels are either fully see-through or fully solid. WebP and APNG can be partly see-through, which gives softer edges and shadows. GifNoBg makes all three — see which format to choose.
How do you make one?
Traditionally you'd film in front of a green screen, or trace the subject frame by frame in video software. GifNoBg does it automatically: open a video and the AI removes the background from every frame, in your browser. Follow the step-by-step guide: How to make a transparent animated GIF from a video.
