TikTok is one of the most popular video creation apps. It has many different features designed to help you express your creativity. If you’re new to the app, it’s easy to get confused or overwhelmed with so many video editing options.
The app allows you to quickly create videos and share them with your friends and family. But, if you want to create something special, you’ll have to master the use of visual effects. You can do it in different ways.
In this article, we will explain how to add visual effects to your TikTok videos.
Effects in the TikTok application
TikTok is great because it’s free and gives you lots of customization options. Creating engaging videos that are unique and entertaining is your ultimate goal when publishing content. If you’re wondering what the effect options are, there are several. Let’s do a quick overview of the options available to you.
To start you have the ‘Beauty’ effect that softens the lines and imperfections on your face. While recording, you can change filters – this is similar to Instagram filters and changes the color effects of your entire video.
- 9 camera – It basically shows 9 separate views of your camera and is similar to a collage.
- Triple screen – Three views listed vertically
- Long Face – Change the shape of faces in your video.
- Contact lenses -Brighten your eyes and soften your face.
- black students – This one is pretty creepy in some ways, but it’s still fun, it gives you a whole black eye.
These are pretty basic effects if you’re familiar with the options available on Snapchat, but they make things more fun. There are options to add more effects using third-party apps and we’ll go over those in a moment. Let’s first talk about how you can add these effects to your TikTok videos.
The TikTok app: two ways to add effects
TikTok allows you to add visual effects to your videos in two different ways. You can add effects before making a video or after it’s already recorded. The available effects that you can use are different in both cases, so it is essential to know how things work.
Add effects before recording
If you add visual effects before recording a video, you can see them in real time while you film. This is how you do it:
- If it isn’t already, open the TikTok app on your device.

- Touch the little one + icon at the bottom of the screen to open the camera.
- Tap on the Effects button in the lower left corner.
- Choose one of the many available effects that the app provides. You can use all kinds of filters, dog and cat effects, fashion effects, all kinds of fun seasonal effects, etc. Tap the effect you want to add and it will appear on the screen.
- Proceed to record the video.
Add effects after recording
TikTok allows you to add effects to an already recorded video. This is what you have to do:
- If it isn’t already, open the TikTok app on your device.

- Tap on the + icon at the bottom of the screen to open your camera.
- Record a video.
- When the preview window opens, tap the Special effects button in the lower left corner. The available effects will appear on the screen. You can choose one of many filters, stickers and other effects.
- Select filters or time effects at the bottom of the screen.
- Press and hold the effect you want to add to the video. Keep holding it while the video plays. The moment you release it, the effect will stop. Then you can add another effect until the end of the video. TikTok allows you to combine multiple effects in a single video, so you can create fun moments.
- When you are finished editing, tap the Save in the lower right corner of the screen. The effects you selected will be applied to your video and you can then share it with friends and family.
TikTok has many built-in effects that you can use, but if you don’t find one you like, you can always use other apps to express yourself properly. If that’s your case, here are the best free video effects apps that complement TikTok.
Other video editing tools
Although TikTok has many great effects and video editing capabilities, there are other programs you can use to make your TikTok videos even better. We’ll list a few to get you started on your video editing journey.
bee cut

TikTok is great for editing videos, but bee cut offers you many other options that you can’t find on TikTok. It is free to download and works on both Android and iOS devices.
BeeCut provides a more detailed way to edit videos. You can do everything with the app, so there is no need to further edit the videos on your PC. You can trim, pide, cut and rotate the video as you want, and you can also add all kinds of filters and transitions.
If you are using an iOS device, you will get the “Advanced Editing” feature that allows you to add a title to your videos. So if you want to get really creative, using BeeCut after you’ve edited the video on TikTok will expand your video editing options.
Video store

You can use Video store to trim, merge files, adjust video speed and much more. The tool also allows you to add animated text and music to videos, as well as all kinds of filters, duplicate effects, transitions, etc.
You can download Videoshop from Google Play Store or the App Store free. All you have to do to edit your videos is run the app and upload the video you want. Then the editor panel will open and all the options will appear on the screen. The app is easy to use and you will be able to master the video editing process in no time.
Show the world how you see things
Now that you know how to edit videos on TikTok, you can show the rest of the world how creative and talented you are. Get the right effects and your work could go viral!
Do you know of any other editing apps that work great in combination with TikTok? Share your favorites in the comments below!