TikTok is a short-form video sharing app that has exploded in popularity over the last few years. Originally launched in China in 2016 as Douyin, TikTok quickly caught on around the world, acquiring over 1 billion monthly active users by 2021 (source). The app allows users to create and share 15-60 second videos, often set to music or with creative effects added. TikTok’s algorithm is exceptionally good at figuring out users’ interests and serving them personalized content to keep them entertained for hours.
Thanks to its fun, irreverent style and emphasis on trends, memes, and challenges, TikTok has become ingrained in youth culture and amassed a very engaged userbase. The app provides creators easy video creation tools to make content, while its “For You” feed hooks viewers with an endless stream of entertaining videos. This winning formula has cemented TikTok’s position as one of the most popular social platforms in the world.
TikTok App
The core TikTok app allows users to create and edit videos directly within the app [1]. Users can access the camera feature to record new videos or upload existing videos from their device gallery. TikTok provides basic editing tools to trim video clips, add filters and music, and insert text overlays or stickers. The multi-clip feature allows combining multiple videos into one TikTok video.
Within the TikTok app, users can add effects and sounds before posting the final video. Basic editing features like trimming video length, adding text captions, and applying filters can be done without needing third-party apps. More advanced editing may require external video editing apps.
Popular Video Editing Apps
Many TikTokers use specialized video editing apps to add effects, transitions, filters, text, and more to their videos before uploading them. Some of the most popular and highly-rated video editing apps used by TikTok creators are:
CapCut – This free app developed by ByteDance (the company behind TikTok) is one of the most commonly used editing apps for TikTok videos. It provides easy-to-use tools to trim, splice, and duplicate clips, add voiceovers and music, apply filters and effects, include creative transitions, add text overlays, and more. CapCut is designed specifically with TikTok creators in mind. Source
VintaCam – VintaCam allows for editing multi-clip videos by splicing clips together, applying filters, adding stickers and text, and using transitions. It has themed editing templates tailored for TikTok and integrates directly with TikTok for easy exporting. VintaCam also includes tools to stabilize shaky videos and enhance video quality. Source
InShot – This full-featured editing app has pro tools like trimming, splicing, filters, music, voiceovers, transitions, text, and more. InShot is popular for its range of aspect ratios optimized for social media platforms, including TikTok’s 9:16 vertical videos. The app allows for changes to be previewed in real time. Source
Visual Effects Apps
Visual effects apps allow TikTokers to easily add cool effects, filters, and transitions to make their videos stand out. Some popular visual effects apps used by TikTok creators include:
Vizmato is an intuitive video editing app with a wide selection of filters, effects, transitions, and more for adding visual flair to TikTok videos. It has options like glitch effects, retro VHS effects, and 3D transitions. Vizmato makes it simple to stylize videos in just a few taps.
VLLO has a massive library of unique video effects and filters not found in other apps. TikTokers can get very creative with special effects like pixelation, distorted VHS, neon, and surreal dreamy effects. VLLO also has handy tools for trimming, cropping, and merging clips.
VSCO is better known as a photo editing app but also includes a decent selection of video filters and effects. Especially popular among TikTokers are its vintage, faded film look filters. VSCO members also gain access to advanced editing tools like HSL and granular control over certain effects parameters.
Audio Editing Apps
Several audio editing apps allow TikTokers to enhance the sound of their videos. Popular options include WavePad, AudioLab, and Garageband.
WavePad from NCH Software is a full-featured professional audio editing program for iOS and Android. It provides powerful tools to record, edit, and add effects to audio clips. TikTok creators can use WavePad to clean up audio, remove background noise, adjust volume, merge tracks, and more.
Another top pick is AudioLab from Apprefx, which enables mixing audio, applying sound effects, adjusting volume, trimming, duplicating, and reversing clips. The app also includes a library of high-quality music and sound effects to elevate TikTok videos.
For Apple users, Garageband is a go-to option that comes pre-installed on iOS devices. Garageband makes it easy to record or import sounds then edit, tweak, and enhance audio tracks. The app’s advanced editing features like flex time allow beat-matching and pitch correction.
No matter which app they choose, TikTokers can use audio editing tools to help make sure their videos have clear, balanced sound that draws in viewers.
Animation Apps
Animation apps allow TikTokers to create animated effects and transitions in their videos. Some of the most popular animation apps used by TikTok creators are Mojo, FlipaClip, and Stop Motion Studio.
Mojo is an easy-to-use animation app with a range of powerful tools to create 2D animations. It has customizable templates, image libraries, and a keyframe editor. Mojo makes it simple for TikTokers to animate their videos and photos (source).
FlipaClip is another top choice for making frame-by-frame animations and cartoons. It has an intuitive interface and options like onion skinning to preview animations. FlipaClip is ideal for producing quick, quality animations for TikTok (source).
Stop Motion Studio enables users to create stop motion animations using photos or images from their camera roll. It has features like chroma key to overlay animations on custom backgrounds. Stop Motion Studio helps animate TikTok content in innovative ways (source).
Green Screen Apps
One of the most popular special effects on TikTok is using a green screen to overlay videos and photos into the background. There are several apps that make it easy to utilize green screen effects.
Green Screen by Do Ink (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/green-screen-by-do-ink/id730091131) is an iOS app specifically designed for green screen videos. It lets you choose backgrounds, add graphics, text, and more. The app has chroma key tools to seamlessly blend the foreground and background.
Chroma Key (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lemon.lv.chromakey2) is an Android app that provides professional-level green screen controls. You can adjust lighting, shadows, color spills, and edges for a clean overlay. The app supports 4K videos.
Both apps allow saving videos to the camera roll so they can be uploaded directly to TikTok. The simple interfaces make doing green screen videos easy without any prior video editing experience.
Collaging Apps
Collaging multiple photos or videos together into one frame is a popular creative technique on TikTok. There are several apps that make it easy to combine images and clips for these collage-style videos.
One of the most popular collaging apps for TikTok is Layout from Instagram. This app allows you to select from various grid layout templates and easily drop in photos or videos to create a collage. Layout includes options to customize your collage with shapes, stickers, text, and more. The finished collage can then be directly exported to TikTok (cite: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/best-collage-maker-app?lang=en).
Another top choice is Pic Collage, which offers similar collage templates and editing tools. Pic Collage is versatile for combining photos, text, doodles, and video clips all in one frame. The app makes it simple to adjust spacing, rotate, resize, and layer collage elements with precision (cite: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/collage-maker-app). The end result can be directly shared to TikTok.
Creative Effects Apps
Creative effects apps like PicsArt and YouCam Makeup allow TikTokers to add special effects to their videos. PicsArt is one of the most popular creative apps for TikTok, with features like artistic filters, text overlays, and the ability to layer images and videos. Using PicsArt, TikTokers can create unique collages and edits to make their content stand out. YouCam Makeup is specifically designed for AR beauty effects, letting users virtually apply makeup looks and hairstyles. The app has a dedicated TikTok mode with real-time beauty effects like smooth skin and teeth whitening to enhance selfie videos. Other top options for creative effects include Snapchat for lenses and Bitmoji for cartoon avatars.
Sources:
https://influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-video-editing-apps/
https://www.perfectcorp.com/consumer/blog/video-editing/Best-Free-Video-Editing-App-TikTok-2022
Conclusion
In summary, TikTok creators utilize a variety of specialized apps to enhance their videos. The most popular and effective apps allow creators to edit their videos in ways the native TikTok app does not.
For visual effects, CAPCUT, Vizmato, and Inshot provide powerful editing tools to apply filters, text overlays, stickers, and more. These help elevate production value and make videos stand out.
When it comes to audio, music and voiceover editing apps like Audiomack, Anchor, and WavePad give creators professional sound mixing capabilities. This allows them to achieve high-quality audio that complements the visuals.
Animation apps like FlipaClip, MotionLeap, and Stop Motion Studio provide tools to easily create engaging animated content. These expand the creative possibilities beyond traditional video.
Finally, collaging apps like PicPlayPost and Inframe allow compiling videos, images, effects and text into polished, magazine-style creations. This provides compelling visual storytelling.
By leveraging these specialized apps, TikTok creators are able to produce highly engaging, professional-grade content unmatched by the TikTok app alone. The most successful creators on the platform make use of these tools to maximize views, likes, shares, and popularity.