How do I make a Discord emoji?

1. Resize to 128×128. Discord scales every emoji to a 128×128 square anyway, so start there. For GIFs, use the Resize GIF to 128×128 tool — it center-crops to a square without stretching. For still images, the image resizer does the same.
2. Get animated emoji under 256 KB. Animated emoji must be 256 KB or smaller or Discord rejects the upload. Run the resized GIF through Compress GIF to 256 KB — it trims colors and frame rate only as much as needed to fit.
3. Upload it to your server. In Discord: Server Settings → Emoji → Upload Emoji. You need the "Manage Expressions" permission. The name becomes the :shortcode: people type.

The whole process takes about a minute. Static emoji rarely hit any limit once resized; animated ones almost always need the compression step.

What are the exact Discord emoji rules?

Emoji display at 128×128 pixels (48×48 in chat, 128×128 when enlarged). The upload limit is 256 KB per emoji. Regular servers get 50 static and 50 animated emoji slots; server boosts raise that. Stickers are a different asset: 512×512 pixels and 512 KB, with APNG preferred for animation.

Why does my GIF emoji look blurry or choppy?

Blurriness usually means the source was smaller than 128×128 and got upscaled — start from a bigger source if you can. Choppiness comes from aggressive frame-rate reduction during compression: shorten the loop (fewer frames over less time) before compressing and the tool will not need to drop as many frames.