TikTok Basics: How to Use TikTok Filters and Effects

TikTok Basics: How to Use TikTok Filters and Effects

Published on 7th of March 2023

The most successful TikTok users get consistent engagement by producing creative content. TikTok strongly encourages trends and creativity to go with funny and cute filters and effects.

If you’re new to TikTok or looking for ways to jazz up your content, it’s time to explore TikTok’s filters and effects. These tools can help you with the TikTok algorithms and provide accessible ways to keep your audience entertained and attentive. And best of all, the effects and filters are easy to use even if you have no experience editing a video.

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If you’re new to TikTok or looking to begin creating your own content, keep reading.

Effects and Filters Fundamentals

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The most important thing to know is that TikTok Effects and Filters are not the same things. So what exactly are they, and how are they different?

    • Filters

      The four Filters categories are Food, Landscape, Portrait, and Vibe, each loaded with presets. Filters help you modify the aesthetic of your video, and it’s worth taking time to play around with different Filters to see how they can affect the mood. When you are adding a Filter, you are using a preset edit that changes the saturation, lighting, exposure, and contrast of your video. You can take a regular video and make it seem like it happened long ago or give it dreamlike qualities.

    • Effects

      Effects tools can help you create specific changes within the video. You can change the contours of your face or run your video in reverse, for example. With Effects, you can split the screen, incorporate time-lapse, and change your voice. Two of the most popular Effects are the Green Screen and the suite of Beauty Effects.

You can use Filters and Effects on the same video to create something totally unique!

Know Where to Find Filters and Effects

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While TikTok makes it easy to use effects and filters, it doesn’t place them in the same location on the app. To see the Filters, you must be in Create mode. After starting the TikTok app, look for the plus (+) button at the bottom. The Filters button will be on the right side of your screen. You can browse the options to see which look you like the best. Try adjusting the intensity of the Filters by moving the slider.

However, you aren’t going to find the Effects in the same place as your Filters. When you launch the app, you’ll need to hit record by touching the plus (+) icon to find the Effects, so make sure you’re ready to go with your content idea.

You can try Effects first with a throwaway video just for practice. After you start recording, you’ll see the Effects button at the bottom left of your screen. Some of the Effects you choose might ask you to interact, while others are ready as soon as you select them. If you decide you don’t like the Effect, you can touch Stop to remove it.

When to Use Effects and Filters

Another key point to consider is when to apply Effects and Filters. You can add a Filter when you begin recording or add or change it afterward if you have changed your mind. To use a Filter for brand-new content, choose your Filter and begin recording. To add a Filter to a prerecorded video, go to Filters, find the one you want, and select Next to go through the posting process.

You can incorporate a second Filter into your video. To use more than one Filter, choose your Filter and begin recording. When you have finished, you can go into Filters again and choose another to layer onto the video.

If you are uploading a prerecorded video, keep in mind that you will only be able to apply some of the Effects—many can only be applied to a video you record in the app.

When applying Effects, you have a lot of creative choices. You can use some Effects on your entire video, or you might want to apply a specific Effect to a small portion of the video. If you wish to apply the Effect over the whole video, leave the white marker in place.

However, if you want to use an Effect at a specific moment, drag the white marker to the place you want the Effect to start, then long-tap the Effect you want. You can repeat this process for each Effect you want and even layer Effects. However, some effects like the Sticker Effects are a little bit different: you can only use one Effect from this category, but you can layer other Effects along with a Sticker Effect.

When you’re happy, touch Save, and then you can continue by touching Next and finishing the content with a caption and hashtags.

How to Keep Track of Your Filters and Effects

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You can choose from over a dozen Effects categories, and each category can have dozens or even hundreds of Effects. As you can imagine, having so many choices is useful but potentially challenging since you might get lost in an Effects quagmire. There are also tons of Filters at your disposal. Fortunately, TikTok gives you a way to save the ones you like and use the most so you won’t have to search constantly. Over time as you discover more, or if a particular Effect starts trending, you can add to your preferences.

The Effects you have used will live in your Favorites tab, allowing you to locate them again quickly next time without having to search through the hundreds of other Effects.

Another nifty feature lets you save an Effect in someone else’s video that you love. Just look for the Effect type in the bottom right of the video. Tap to save it, and you can also get in on the trend. This method is a great way to tap into current trends and add them to your own content for a better chance at getting impressions. To find the Favorites tab, touch Effects and look to the left of the categories.

Have fun experimenting—and create some entertaining content!

Published by Celebian.com

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