Introduction to TikTok video creation
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms with more than 1 billion monthly active users. It started as a place for younger users to create and exchange musical videos but has grown to accommodate users with wide variety of interests.
You’ve probably been a user for quite a while and now want to start sharing videos yourself. You’ve probably even tried a few already but think you can up your game.
We’re here to help! Check our quick starter guide of using the best features of TikToks video creation tool. If you feel like you need a little bit more help, feel free to join Swyvl and learn how to make a fantastic video from one of the other users.
Want to learn more about TikTok video editing? Swyvl is the skill sharing platform that helps you learn and trade your skills with others.
Creating a TikTok video
Recording a video
Tap Create on the menu, which will load up the camera screen for you to record.
Choose your video length
The available durations are at the bottom. You can record for 15 seconds, 60 seconds or 3 minutes. Your video automatically stops recording at the time you select, or you can stop recording before then by tapping the red button.
Flip to the front or back camera
Choose the front or back camera by tapping Flip on the top right corner of the camera screen.
Add beauty and video filters
You can beautify your video in real-time by tapping on Beauty on the right of the camera screen.
You can find filters to change your video’s appearance on the right of the camera screen.
There are cool green-screen effects (who doesn’t want to look like they’re on a tropical island?), disco lights, duplication, sparkles, double-screen, and many more to go through! The video shows the filter the user has selected.
Adding sound to your video
Tap Sounds at the top of the camera screen. Here you can search for specific sounds using the search bar or discover new ones. Preview the sound by pressing play, and you can bookmark them too. To add it to your video, tap the check icon.
Creating a good sound will help transform your TikTok videos from good to great. Check out the video to learn more about sounds from TikTok themselves.
Change the speed of your recording
You can select five different speeds: .3x, .5x, 1x, 2x or 3x. The .3x and .5x will slow your video down, 1x is normal speed, and 2x and 3x will speed your video up.
You can choose your speed by tapping Speed at the bottom of the camera screen.
Alternatively, you can choose a slow-motion effect in the preview screen through Effects > Time.
Timer
To delay before recording, tap the Timer button on the right of the camera screen. Choose your video length with the slider, select your delay, and then tap Start Countdown.
Record shorter clips to add to your total length
You may want to add extra videos to make the most of the full video time, which you can do by recording individual videos and then:
- Tap the +
- Tap Gallery
- Select your videos
- Tap next
You can also add multiple videos from the camera screen by tapping on the gallery icon.
Templates
You can find Templates at the bottom right of the camera screen. TikTok provides templates for you to swipe through. They show how many photos you can use with the template. Once you select your template, your gallery will pop up for you to choose your photos. It will show you how many images you can upload at the bottom left. Once TikTok has processed your photos and added them to the template, you can add effects.
Effects
Choose Effects in the bottom left.
You can scroll through to search for the effect you want, or you can select by category.
You can add effects on the editing screen after recording, but more effects are available before recording.
Want to learn more about TikTok video editing? Swyvl is the skill sharing platform that helps you learn and trade your skills with others.
Sections of the TikTok app
Before we start, we want to make sure we are all on the same page. So here are the main sections of the app in both Android and iOS:
- Home shows two different feeds, For You and Following.
- For You shows videos that TikTok’s algorithm thinks you’ll like.
- Following shows videos from the accounts you’re following.
- Discover is the way to jump on new trends as it mainly shows videos with trending hashtags. You can search on this page. A scan button next to the search bar allows you to scan other users’ QR codes. Yours is here as well, which lets you quickly find users.
- Create video is the obvious one! Here you can choose filters, the speed of your video, add a beauty effect and upload multiple photos and videos.
- Inbox shows all your notifications, which includes the activity on your publicly uploaded videos. You can access any direct messages through the envelope icon.
- Me shows your public profile that others can see. It’s visible to anyone, so you can add a bio and profile photo. You can make your liked videos private if you want to, otherwise they will be public. Your profile also shows who you follow, who follows you, favourited videos, number of likes, and any social media you have linked.