TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. The app is best known for its short-form videos, but TikTok also offers robust photo and image search capabilities.
Users can search for photos and images on TikTok in a variety of ways, from browsing hashtags and sounds to locations and accounts. TikTok’s search engine and discovery pages also showcase trending and popular image content.
TikTok allows users to quickly find all sorts of visual content, from memes and graphics to scenic photography and artistic images. While it began as a video-first platform, TikTok has expanded to become a source for diverse photo and picture content as well.
Search by Hashtags
Hashtags are an essential tool for discovering content on TikTok. By searching for specific hashtags, you can find videos, photos, and other media related to that tag. To use a hashtag search on TikTok, simply type the # symbol followed by a tag or keyword into the search bar at the top of the app. For example, searching for #photography will bring up a feed of the most recent and popular videos tagged with that hashtag. TikTok hashtags work similarly to hashtags on other social platforms like Instagram or Twitter. You can include hashtags in your captions when posting to categorize the content and make it more discoverable. Some of the most popular hashtags for photos and pictures on TikTok include tags like #photography, #photooftheday, #photos, and niche tags like #landscapephotography, #portraitphotographer, #fashionphotography and so on. Using relevant niche hashtags is a great way to target a specific audience interested in that subject.
Trending photo hashtags like #photographer with 31 million views can help expose your content to a wide audience. At the same time, tailored tags like #portraitphotograhy with only 65K views reaches people interested specifically in portrait shots. Remember to use a mix of popular and niche hashtags to increase visibility. TikTok’s search algorithm also surfaces trending and unique hashtags, so checking out what’s currently popular can provide inspiration. Overall, strategically utilizing hashtags opens up possibilities for more eyes on your visual content.
Search by Sounds/Music
One way to find photos on TikTok is by searching for a specific sound or song. TikTok has an extensive library of sounds and music that creators add to their videos. To search by a sound:
1. Open the TikTok app and tap the discover icon on the bottom toolbar. This will bring you to the Discover page.
2. Tap the “Search” button at the top of the screen.
3. Tap the music note icon at the top left of the search bar. This will bring up the sound search option.
4. Type in the name of a sound, song, or lyrics. You’ll see results pop up as you type.
5. Tap the sound you want from the list of results.
6. This will pull up a page showing you all TikTok videos using that sound. Scroll through to browse photos and videos with the sound.
You can also find trending sounds on the Discover page by tapping the “Trending” tab at the top and scrolling through sounds.
Searching by sounds is a great way to find TikTok videos and photos set to your favorite music or with viral audio clips (according to Buffer). Give it a try next time you’re looking for TikTok images!
Search by Effects
TikTok has a variety of built-in video and photo effects that users can apply to their content to make it more creative and engaging. Some of the most popular TikTok effects include green screen, time warp, anime, glitch, and more. Users can search for specific effects on TikTok to find videos and photos that utilize them.
The green screen effect allows users to insert custom backgrounds behind themselves or objects in their videos 1. The time warp effect speeds up or slows down clips in videos for dramatic results. The anime effect adds animated filters like enlarged eyes and rosy cheeks to faces. The glitch effect applies distorted VHS-style overlays.
To search by effects on TikTok, tap the discover magnifying glass icon on the bottom toolbar. Then tap the effects tab at the top and browse or search for specific effects. This will show videos and photos using that effect. Users can also save effects they like to easily find them again later. Effects are a fun way for TikTok users to explore different styles and aesthetics.
Search by Location
TikTok allows users to search for videos based on location. This can be useful for finding location-specific photos and content. Here’s how to search by location on TikTok:
1. Open the TikTok app and tap the search icon at the bottom.
2. At the top of the search page, tap “Places” to open the locations tab.
3. You can search for a specific place by typing the name in the search bar, like “Paris” or “Disneyland.”
4. TikTok will show you top videos geo-tagged at that location. You can scroll through to find photos and videos taken in that area.
5. To explore more, tap “See All” under the location name. This will show you additional videos taken at that spot.
6. You can also tap the location pin icon in the bottom left when viewing an individual video to see more videos geo-tagged in the same place.
Using TikTok’s location search makes it easy to find photos and videos specific to landmarks, cities, restaurants, parks, and other places around the world. It’s a great way to get a local perspective and see popular photos from different locations.
Search by People/Accounts
You can search for photos from specific TikTok accounts to find images posted by particular creators. Here’s how:
- Tap the search icon at the top right of the home screen.
- In the search bar, type @ followed by the full username of the account you want to search. For example, @tiktok.
- Tap the username from the dropdown list of accounts.
- This will open the account’s profile page. Tap on the “Videos” tab to see all videos and photos posted by that user.
- You can scroll through their content to find photos. Tap on any video thumbnail to open it.
- Within a video, you can pause on a specific frame to see the photo full screen. Tap and hold on the photo to save or share it.
Searching by a user’s @ handle is the easiest way to compile and discover photos posted by a particular TikTok creator. Check out the accounts of photographers, artists, influencers, and others who frequently post high-quality photos.
Search Trends Page
TikTok’s Trends page highlights the most popular and emerging trends on the platform. This page shows the top trending hashtags, effects, and sounds that are frequently used in videos at the moment. For photos and pictures, the Trends page highlights popular visuals and memes that are going viral across TikTok.
You can access the Trends page by tapping the search icon and selecting “Trends” at the top. The Trends feed shows curated sections like “Top”, “Music”, and “Effects”, with each section displaying the trending photos or memes in that category. Tapping any trending visual expands it to showcase a feed of videos using that meme or image. This makes it easy to see examples of how top trending pictures are being used in creative and engaging videos.
Monitoring the Trends page is a great way to find viral photo trends before they explode in popularity. You can also get inspiration for new content ideas by seeing which types of visuals are resonating most with the TikTok community. The Trends page provides a real-time snapshot of the platform’s collective creative consciousness when it comes to photos and pictures.
Discover Page Search
The Discover page on TikTok is a great way to search for photos and pictures. To access the Discover page, tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the app. This will take you to the Discover feed.
At the top of the Discover page is a search bar. You can use this to search for specific hashtags, sounds, or effects that are commonly used with the types of photos you want to find. For example, searching “#landscapephotography” or “#foodpics” will bring up results full of relevant photos.
You can also scroll through the Discover feed which shows you trending and popular content. TikTok’s algorithm will learn what you like and show you more of that type of content the more you interact with photos you enjoy.
Tapping on any of the photos or videos in the Discover feed will bring up similar content as well. So engaging with travel or pet photos that you like will lead to more of that content appearing in your feed over time. This makes the Discover page a customizable search tool for finding photos.
Overall, using the Discover page and search bar is an easy way to dive into the photos and pictures shared by the TikTok community based on your interests. It allows you to continuously discover new photo content just by liking, sharing, and searching for relevant hashtags and sounds (source).
Challenges Search
One way to discover fun new photo ideas on TikTok is by searching for viral photo challenges. TikTok challenges often encourage users to take creative pictures and videos based on popular prompts or themes. By searching challenge hashtags and browsing the challenge pages, you can get inspiration for unique photos to take.
For example, searching for #20PhotoChallenge brings up a page dedicated to the viral “20 Photo Challenge” where users post 20 creative photos using different prompts. Each photo has a prompt like “a photo with no filter” or “a photo with someone you love.” Browsing the photos gives tons of fun photo concepts to recreate.
Other popular photo challenges on TikTok include outfit challenges like the “5 Days 5 Outfits” challenge where users style different looks. There are also challenges like the “Album Cover Challenge” where users pose for mock music album covers. Even silly challenges like the “Flip the Switch” challenge can inspire creative photos.
In the Discover section, you can enter “photo challenge” to surface ongoing viral challenges focused on pictures. TikTok makes it easy to discover new photo ideas from its endless creative challenges. Just search for challenges using relevant hashtags or keywords to find unique photos to recreate.
For example, see: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/20-photo-challenge?lang=en
Conclusion
In summary, TikTok offers a variety of ways to search for photos and pictures beyond just using keywords. By leveraging hashtags, sounds, effects, locations, accounts, trends, the Discover page, and challenges, you can find all sorts of visual content on TikTok. When searching hashtags, look beyond just the obvious and try niche or unique ones that aren’t as crowded. Listen for background music or sounds that you like, then search for that audio to find associated visuals. Effects can completely transform a photo or video, so search for your favorites to see how creators are using them. Search by location to find geotagged content from around the world. Follow photographers, artists, and other visual creators and check their profiles for their best work. Stay on top of the latest viral memes, trends and challenges that often feature fun photos. And don’t forget to explore the Discover page and dive into topics you’re interested in to uncover all kinds of engaging, immersive visual content. With these tips, you can truly maximize TikTok as a platform for discovering amazing photos and pictures.
