Discord has become the go-to platform for online communities looking to hang out, chat, and connect over text, voice, and video. With over 150 million active users, it‘s no wonder Discord is so popular, especially among gamers!
One of the best parts of Discord is the ability to use emojis and GIFs to express yourself. Custom emoji packs let your personality shine and bring conversations to life with emotions, reactions and fun.
But did you know you can create your own custom emoji packs for your Discord server too?
In this beginner‘s guide, I‘ll compare the top tools and platforms for crafting awesome custom emoji designs from scratch. Whether you need animated emojis, specialized emoji packs, or options for installing emojis across various servers, we‘ve got you covered!
Why Custom Emojis Matter
Before diving into emoji creators, let‘s talk about why custom emoji matter:
Personalization – Add your community‘s unique touches, injokes, characters, trends etc.
Engagement – Emojis make conversations lively and interactive. React, reward users, facilitate role/assignment
Branding – Consistent emoji sets reinforce your server brand identity
Fun! – Well, emojis are fun! Expressions, emotions, humor and memes.
Now that you‘re sold on making emojis, let‘s explore the best creation options out there today.
Technical Requirements and Restrictions
Discord requires emoji files to adhere to some specific technical constraints:
Dimensions – Between 128×128 pixels and 256×256 pixels
File Size – Under 256 KB
File Types – PNG or GIF (for animated emojis)
Quantity Limits – Users can use 50 total custom emojis per server, while Nitro subscribers get access to use 200 emojis!
Keeping these limitations in mind will ensure your emoji creations are optimized for Discord‘s ecosystem. Now let‘s dive into the platforms.
Best Emoji Creation Platforms and Tools
1. Kapwing (Best Overall)
Kapwing is my top recommendation for most users to create custom Discord emoji packs.
Here‘s why it shines:
Easy and intuitive interface – Perfect for beginners
Templates – Remix ready emoji designs or start scratch
Formatting presets – Optimized emoji sizes for Discord
Fast exporting – Download quickly as PNG
Completely free! – No paid upgrades needed
With Kapwing, you can focus your creative juices on crafting the perfect emoji designs rather than dealing with technical constraints.
2. Zmoji (Best for Animated)
Zmoji is a unique emoji creation app allowing you to design animated cartoon avatars of yourself!
Facial recognition – Upload a selfie to auto-generate a custom avatar
Tons of customizations – Hairstyle, outfits, accessories, background etc.
Animated emojis – Export cute short video GIFs of your avatar‘s antics
So if you‘re looking to transpose your face into a lively cartoon-y emoji, Zmoji is the ultimate tool for making personal animated emoji stickers!
(Zmoji is currently only available as a mobile app.)
3. Fiverr (Best for Commissioning)
Don‘t have the time, skill or visual flair for crafting emoji designs? No worries! You can hire an expert freelance emoji designer on Fiverr to create a custom pack for your community.
Thousands of seasoned designers – Graphic pros skilled in emoji creation
Customizations – Provide reference photos or server brand guide
Animated emojis – Many sellers offer dynamic GIFs
Various packs and bundles – Individual emojis, genre/theme packs
Reasonable prices – Starting at $5 per emoji design
Hiring a pro designer on Fiverr allows you to outsource the heavy lifting so you can conveniently get quality custom emoji designs tailored to your specific needs.
Step-by-Step: Creating Emojis on Kapwing
As my top pick for beginner-friendly Discord emoji creation, let‘s walk through how to craft a custom emoji using Kapwing.
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Go to Kapwing‘s emoji maker
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Click the "Edit This Template" button to start customizing
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Upload any image or illustration you want for your emoji
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Resize and position the image within the 128×128 pixel template frame
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Enhance your image with Kapwing‘s filters, text overlays and other creative tools
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When done, click the "Export Image" button and download your emoji as PNG
And that‘s it! Kapwing makes emoji design easy as pie. Now upload your shiny new emoji to your Discord server‘s emoji library so your members can access it in chat!
Installing Emojis on Discord Servers
Wondering how to add your crafted emojis into your Discord servers? I‘ve got you covered.
On desktop:
- Go to Server Settings > Emoji
- Click Upload Emoji
- Select the emoji file from your computer
- Give it a fun name!
On mobile:
- Tap the server name to open Server Settings
- Tap Emoji
- Hit the plus icon to upload your new emoji
- Confirm the emoji name
Once uploaded to your emoji library, users can access the emoji via the emoji picker and use it in chat or reactions!
Extra Tips and Tricks
Here are some power user tips for leveling up your emoji game:
Use emojis for assigns roles – Grant special member roles when people use your custom emoji
Offer exclusive emoji packs – Special supporter/subscriber perks
Recurring emoji contests – Community members submit designs and vote
Holiday emoji packs – Festive emojis for seasons, events etc
Animated emoji rewards – GIFs for outstanding contributions and wins
With the right tools and a dash of creativity, you can take your community‘s conversations to the next level with custom emojis designed just for your members!
Start Crafting Your Emojis Today
I hope this guide has demystified Discord emoji creation and inspired you with ideas. With user-friendly platforms like Kapwing, Zmoji and Fiverr, anyone can design fun personalized emoji stickers.
So try your hand at emoji creation today – and bring your Discord community together with smiles, laughs and good vibes!
Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy emoji making!
