How to Edit TikTok Videos

TikTok has made becoming a popular content creator easier than ever thanks to its feature-rich platform. There is a massive number of niches that creators are competing in, however, which makes an increasingly-crowded field requiring creators stand out. Knowing how to edit TikTok videos is vital to creating highly engaging content.

You want to capture the attention of as many people as possible, while captivating them with your videos so they become avid fans. The user-friendly editing features TikTok provides mean that it is very easy to become a professional content creator on one of the world’s most popular social media platforms.

How to Edit TikTok Videos Easily

Whether you are just starting out on TikTok as a creator or have a brand you want to build out, this guide will show you everything you need to know to get started editing videos like a pro.

How to Record Your Video

The first step you will need to take before any editing is involved is recording your video. This is as easy as doing the following:

1. Open the TikTok app
2. Tap on the + icon to begin recording your video
3. Choose how long your video will be by selecting from the available options
4. Tap and hold the record button to begin filming

Note: You can record more than one video clip by releasing your finger from the record button and then tapping and holding it once more.

How to Edit Your Recorded Video With Effects

Once you are done recording your video, you can move onto editing it. This is where you can start getting creative with special effects and other elements.

To start editing your video, do the following:

1. Tap on the Edit icon to begin cutting out the parts of your video you want to discard, and rearrange the final clips into the order you want them in
2. Head to the Effects tap to browse through the special effects and filters available
3. Experiment with the Speed tool to adjust the playback speed of your video clips
4. Apply the Text tool if you want to include text in the form of captions, annotations, or other text styles, all while customizing the fonts, colors, and locations used
5. Once you have done all of the above, tap on Next to preview your edits
6. Include a captivating post caption, including the most relevant hashtags, as well as location and other tagged accounts if desired
7. Go through the advanced settings within the same editing area where you can auto-generate captions
8. Pick a cover for the video from the templates provided

Protip: Whenever possible, enable auto-generated captions in order to make your videos more engaging and get picked up by the algorithm more readily.

Best Practices for Editing TikTok Videos

Now that you know how to edit TikTok videos, you can continue experimenting and playing around with all of the different options TikTok provides.

Sometimes, a video can be edited very quickly while other times you will find you need or want to spend more time on it. However, creators often share how their most spontaneous videos perform the best. You can play around with what works best for you.

The following are some helpful tips for your TikTok video editing process:

Prepare and Plan Out Your Content Ahead of Time

Before you record your video, you may want to do some prep work first. This is when you will visualize how the video will look. It involves putting together the basic scaffolding of your creation.

Some steps here you can take include:

• Write a script that will help you in creating the captions during the video editing process.
• Determine how long your video should be, with the low end limit being 15 seconds and the longest being 10 minutes.
• Make sure your recording equipment is functioning well so that you avoid any frustrating hiccups (this includes checking the settings are the way you want them).

Protip: Most creators aim for making their videos around 30 seconds for fast videos where helpful tips are shared, and upwards of 3 minutes if the video is an in-depth tutorial.

Master Your Recording Style

More goes into recording a video than pressing the Record button. You also want to make sure you have the proper technique down so that your videos go from being OK to being outstanding.

Here are helpful tips for how you can master your recording style:

• Have a timer going so that you can avoid using your hands to start and stop recording
• Play around with different recording angles to show off greater visual variety
• Record vertically for the best video aspect ratio that TikTok’s algorithm prefers
• Insert B-roll footage if your video style becomes richer because of it
• Use your back-facing camera instead of the front-facing camera for higher quality

Add Extra Enhancements

After you record a video and are in the editing stage, you want to make sure you do more than just the bare minimum if you want to make your content as captivating and engaging as possible.

Here are some helpful tips and tricks you can incorporate into your videos during the editing process

• Remove as much unnecessary video as possible to keep your video as gripping as possible to viewers, especially if there are long periods of silence or a lack of action
• Insert trending sounds from TikTok’s library so that the algorithm picks up your video and pushes it to more users and is displayed under specific trending sounds
• Add special effects and TikTok filters to add greater personality and creative elements to your video
• Include eye-catching text so potential viewers know what your video is about before watching the video, as this will increase the chances they will watch it
• Collaborate with other TikTok creators via the Duet and Stitch features the app provides, thereby extending your audience to beyond who would regularly see your content
• Create a video voiceover with your voice or use the built-in text-to-speech option that uses one of TikTok’s AI-voices
• Add a Call to Action to incentivize viewers to stay on your video and take an action like following your page to receive something
• Use a Green Screen effect so that you can replace your background with anything else, since this will add extra creativity to your video and make it more interesting

Fine-tune Your Video in Post-Production

Although not the most exciting part of the video editing process, post-production is essential and you will want to give it the time and attention it deserves. This is a stage where you are adding any finishing touches and conduct the analysis needed to make your content as engaging and viral as possible.

Do the following as part of your post-production phase of video editing:

• Select the most engaging thumbnail possible because there is a lot of content fighting for the attention of TikTok users, so make the thumbnail as compelling as possible.
• Leverage TikTok’s analytics to determine how well your video is performing, which can help you understand what is working and what could use improvement.
• Respond to as many comments as possible in the comments section to develop a sense of community and connection between you, your followers, and your followers with one another.
• Share your video on other social media platforms to amplify and expand its reach, engagement, and popularity.

Once you have taken these steps, you can continue to adjust and refine your editing techniques until you have mastered your content creation and editing skills. As you improve, you will notice your engagement and reach start to grow significantly.

Conclusion

Being successful on Tiktok involves more than just recording a video and hoping for the best. Knowing how to edit a video and make it as engaging, interesting, and exciting as possible is vital. Now that you know how to edit TikTok videos, you can start your journey to become a viral content creator on one of the world’s most popular video content platforms.