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Writer's pictureBailee Carpenter

How to Edit TikTok Videos Like a Pro Using In-App Features

Information in this blog post was obtained from Sprout Social, Hubspot, and Hootsuite.

Unidentifiable person filming and editing TikTok video on phone
Photo courtesy of Unsplash

Creating social media video content can sound daunting – let’s face it, most social media managers aren’t professionally trained video editors as well. Thankfully apps like Instagram (Reels) and TikTok have made it easier for the everyday person to learn to edit like a pro and create compelling and successful video content.

 

Creating a TikTok Video

Before you can learn how to edit TikTok videos, you first have to know the basics of creating them. In the TikTok app, you have two options for uploading video content. The first option is to film directly in the app. If doable, this is the best option as you would have additional tools available to enhance your videos like the use of greenscreens and filters. The second option is to film on your phone or camera and upload the clips onto the app secondarily.

 

The Basics of Editing

Trimming and splicing together video clips

One of the biggest components of editing a video for social media is knowing how to trim your video clips and splice them together to make one cohesive video. After filming or uploading video content in the TikTok app, the editor tool makes it extremely easy to adjust the length of clips, trim out parts you don’t need and even reorder clips. Simply click the clip you want to adjust and drag the bars on either side to remove parts of the video you don’t want. You can also use the split action at the bottom of the editing tool to cut the video exactly where you have paused it!



Adding transitions

If you have multiple clips of smaller videos that make up a full video, you might consider adding transitions between each clip. Transitions are a huge trend for TikTok videos and can help make your videos feel more seamless and fun to watch. Hootsuite goes into really good detail on how to create transitions in your videos organically while filming through jump cuts, but you can also use the TikTok app transitions to add pans, dissolve effects, and more.

 

Adding captions 

If someone is speaking in your TikTok videos, it is best practice to add captions to the videos. This allows people to read the words rather than listen to the video, making it more accessible to many users. Captioning a one-minute or longer video would take a long time if you tried to do it on your own, but luckily TikTok has a built-in caption generator!

 

After hitting ‘Text’ and then ‘Captions’ you can adjust the auto-generated copy to ensure it is accurate and add it to your video!




Adding on-screen text

Like adding captions makes it easier for users to watch your videos, adding text can make your video more entertaining to watch. You can add text in the same area as you added captions, but instead of hitting ‘Captions’ hit ‘Text’. You can even have an AI-generated voice speak out the text you added to add another layer to your video!



Adding sounds 

Honestly, what’s TikTok without the music or sounds? Adding sound to your video will highly enhance your final product and help it perform better. You can pick a sound from the start and record the video with the sound, or click the ‘Add Sound’ button when in the editing phase. From there you can search for a specific sound you are looking for or filter by trending sounds, genres, etc., until you find the perfect sound for your video!



 

Duets and stitching videos 

If you aren’t sure where to start on creating your own video content, HubSpot has some really great suggestions on how to duet and stitch other creators' videos and add your own spin to them. Whether you’re adding your expert opinion in a stitch or dueting a video with your own dance, these options can be great ways to push content that fits your niche!

 

So next time you’re needing to create and edit a TikTok video, don’t forget about the great features built into the TikTok app. You don’t have to be a professionally trained video editor or pay any additional app fees to create engaging and compelling video content!



Resources

Hootsuite. (n.d.). How to Edit Videos on TikTok. Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-edit-videos-on-tiktok/


HubSpot. (n.d.). 15 of the Best TikTok Ideas to Boost Your Creative Marketing Campaigns. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/tiktok-ideas


Sprout Social. (n.d.). How to Edit TikTok Videos: A Simple Guide for Beginners. Retrieved from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/how-to-edit-tiktok-videos/

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