Transparent PNG · 112 / 56 / 28 px · reaction faces and mascots
Twitch emote maker — AI emotes that still read at 28 pixels
Describe the reaction — hype, laugh, love, rage — and get a bold, square emote on a transparent background, drawn to stay readable when Twitch shrinks it to 28 pixels in chat.
- Transparent PNG
- Square, bold, readable small
- Sized for Twitch's rules
- No watermark
Updated by the Kenerate AI team
On this page
Quick answer
How do you make Twitch emotes with AI?
A Twitch emote maker draws the small square images viewers use in your chat. Twitch wants a square PNG up to 1 MB: either one image from 112 × 112 to 4096 × 4096 px that Twitch resizes, or three files at 112, 56 and 28 px, ideally on a transparent background. On Kenerate AI, GPT Image 1.5 with Transparent background switched on, or the AI Sticker tool in Edit Studio, makes a 1024 px transparent emote; shrink it to 112 px and upload it in your Creator Dashboard.
Key facts
- Format
- PNG, square, 1 MB max
- Auto-resize upload
- One image, 112 to 4096 px
- Manual upload
- 112 × 112, 56 × 56, 28 × 28 px
- Background
- Transparent
- Transparent on Kenerate
- GPT Image 1.5 switch · AI Sticker · Remove BG
- Animated emotes
- GIF, 60 frames max — not made here
- Who can upload
- Twitch Affiliates and Partners
- Watermark
- None
File rules
What size are Twitch emotes, and what does Twitch accept?
From Twitch Help's emote formatting and animated emote pages, checked 20 Oct 2026. Twitch can change these, so check the upload screen too.
| Rule | Static emote | Animated emote |
|---|---|---|
| File type | PNG | GIF |
| Shape | Square (same width and height) | Square |
| Auto-resize upload | One image, 112 × 112 to 4096 × 4096 px, up to 1 MB | One GIF, up to 1 MB |
| Manual upload | Three images: 112 × 112, 56 × 56 and 28 × 28 px, each up to 1 MB | Three sizes, each up to 512 KB |
| Background | Transparent recommended | Transparent recommended |
| Frames | — | 60 at most; no flashing more than 3 times a second |
| Review | Checked by Twitch before viewers see it; eligible creators get instant upload | Same |
Prompts
Twitch emote prompts to copy
Switch on Transparent background in Image Studio first. The last prompt needs your mascot uploaded as a reference; the rest work from text alone.
- Who
- One character or face
- Feeling
- One big, exaggerated emotion
- Style
- Thick outline, flat colours
- Frame
- Fill the square, no text
Hype face
Twitch emote of a cartoon cat with huge shocked eyes and an open mouth, hype reaction, thick black outline, flat bright colours, head only, fills the square, simple shapes readable at 28 pixels, no text.
Laughing
Twitch emote of a round yellow blob character laughing so hard it cries, tears flying, eyes squeezed shut, thick dark outline, flat colours, head only filling the square, readable at tiny size, no text.
Love
Twitch emote of a small red panda hugging a big pink heart, happy closed eyes, thick outline, two or three flat colours, centred and filling the square, simple enough to read at 28 pixels, no text.
Rage
Twitch emote of a cartoon frog with a red angry face and steam puffs from its ears, exaggerated frown, thick black outline, flat colours, head only, fills the square, no text.
More prompts (3)
GG sign
Twitch emote of a cute ghost holding up a sign with the letters "GG" in big bold white capitals on a purple sign, thick outline, flat colours, centred, readable at small size, no other text.
Pixel wave
Pixel art Twitch emote of a knight in a helmet waving hello, 28x28 sprite look scaled up, limited 8-colour palette, crisp pixels, bold silhouette, centred, no text.
Your mascot
Using the attached mascot as the reference, draw it as a Twitch emote giving a thumbs up: same colours, outfit and face, head and one hand filling the square, thick outline, flat colours, no text.
How to
How to use the twitch emote maker
- Time needed
- Steps
- 4 steps
Step 1
Open Image Studio
Press “Make an emote”. Image Studio opens on GPT Image 1.5. Pick the square size and switch on Transparent background in the settings. Sign in free for starter credits.
Step 2
Describe one reaction
One character, one emotion, “thick outline, flat colours, head only, no text”. Upload your mascot as a reference to keep a set consistent.
Step 3
Clean up
Made it on another model or a plain background? Run it through Remove BG for a transparent PNG. Regenerate until it reads when you squint.
Step 4
Resize and upload
Shrink the PNG to 112 × 112 (and 56 and 28 for manual mode) in any image editor, keep it under 1 MB, then upload in Twitch's Creator Dashboard under Emotes.
See it in the app
Open Image Studio and type what you want to see — subject, style, lighting and mood.
Watch the tour · 1:23
Prompts, styles, references, edit, Arena & chat
Chapters
Tips
Emotes that read at 28 pixels
Most viewers see your emote tiny, in the middle of a fast chat.
One idea per emote: one face, one feeling. Two things in one square turn to mush at 28 px.
Exaggerate: huge eyes, a giant grin, big tears. Subtle expressions disappear when small.
Thick outlines and flat colours. Ask for “thick outline, flat colours, simple shapes”.
Fill the square — crop to the head, or head and hands. Empty space wastes the few pixels you have.
Skip text, or use two or three bold letters (“GG”, “W”) at most.
Shrink it to 28 px and look at it on a dark and a light background before you upload.
Models
Models and tools for Twitch emotes
What each model is good at. Open any one straight in the generator.
OpenAI
GPT Image 1.5
- Reference images
- Up to 10
- Output
- 1024 px square
Open GPT Image 1.5Best for
Default here · Transparent background switch · PNG out
OpenAI
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
- Reference images
- Up to 16
- Output
- 1K to 4K
Open GPT Image 2.5 SunburstBest for
Matching emote sets from your mascot · then Remove BG
Google
Nano Banana 2.1
- Reference images
- Up to 14
- Output
- Up to 4K
Open Nano Banana 2.1Best for
Keeps one character the same across many emotes
- Free plan
Alibaba
Qwen Image 3.0
- Reference images
- Up to 3
- Output
- 1K or 2K
Open Qwen Image 3.0Best for
Free plan · simple faces on a plain background
FAQ
Twitch Emote Maker questions
8 questions
What size are Twitch emotes?
Twitch shows emotes at 28 × 28, 56 × 56 and 112 × 112 px. You can upload one square PNG between 112 × 112 and 4096 × 4096 px and let Twitch resize it, or upload all three sizes yourself in manual mode. Each file must be a square PNG of 1 MB or less.
Link to this answerDo Twitch emotes need a transparent background?
Twitch recommends it, and it looks far better: the emote sits cleanly on both the dark and the light chat theme. On Kenerate, switch on Transparent background with GPT Image 1.5, use the AI Sticker tool in Edit Studio, or run any image through Remove BG to get a transparent PNG.
Link to this answerHow do I make an emote readable at small sizes?
Draw one face with one exaggerated emotion, thick outlines, flat colours and almost no background, filling the whole square. Avoid fine detail and text. Then shrink your PNG to 28 px and look at it — if you can't tell the emotion, simplify the prompt and try again.
Link to this answerCan I make animated Twitch emotes here?
No. Kenerate makes still images, so you get static PNG emotes. Twitch's animated emotes are GIFs with at most 60 frames, up to 1 MB in auto-resize mode or 512 KB per size in manual mode, and they must not flash more than three times a second. Animate the still in a GIF tool if you need one.
Link to this answerIs the Twitch emote maker free?
Free to start. A new Kenerate account gets 25 free credits, and Qwen Image 3.0 is a free-plan model for simple faces; follow it with Remove BG for transparency. GPT Image 1.5, the AI Sticker tool and the other models use credits from one-time packs with no subscription. Downloads have no watermark.
Link to this answerHow do I resize my emote to 112, 56 and 28 px?
Kenerate gives you a 1024 px square or larger. For Twitch's auto-resize mode you can upload a 112 px or bigger square directly if the file is under 1 MB. For manual mode, scale the PNG down to 112, 56 and 28 px in any image editor, keeping the transparency.
Link to this answerWho can upload emotes on Twitch?
Emotes are a feature for Twitch Affiliates and Partners, uploaded from the Creator Dashboard. Twitch reviews new emotes before viewers can use them; eligible creators in good standing get instant upload, so their emotes go live right away.
Link to this answerCan I use characters from games or shows in my emotes?
Keep them original. Twitch reviews emotes and can reject ones that use other people's characters, logos or likeness. Design your own mascot or a cartoon version of yourself, then use it as a reference so every emote in the set matches.
Link to this answerIn depth
Twitch Emote Maker, explained
What works, what to avoid, and how to pick a model.
On this page
Auto-resize or manual: which upload mode should you use?
Twitch offers two ways to upload a static emote:
- Auto-resize: one square PNG between 112 and 4096 px, under 1 MB. Twitch makes the 56 and 28 px versions. Easiest, and fine for bold designs.
- Manual: you upload 112, 56 and 28 px files yourself. Worth it when the small version needs its own tweaks — thicker lines, fewer details.
- Either way the image must be square and a PNG; a transparent background is recommended.
How do you make a matching emote set?
Design your mascot or cartoon self once. Then upload that image as a reference and ask for each new emote “with the same colours, outfit, face and outline weight”: a hype face, a laugh, a heart, a GG sign, a wave. GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst takes up to 16 references and Nano Banana 2.1 up to 14, which helps the set look like one family. Run each result through Remove BG if it wasn't made transparent.
Emote, emoji or sticker?
A Twitch emote is a tiny square reaction for a live chat, read at 28 px. A custom emoji for Slack or Discord is similar but follows those apps' rules — see the AI emoji generator. A sticker is bigger, die-cut and made for chat apps or print — see the AI sticker generator.