The Comprehensive Guide to Editing Text and Graphics in TikTok Videos

Emerging as a social media phenomenon, TikTok has solidified its place in the hearts of creators and consumers alike. Its ability to merge sound, movement, and individuality has given rise to a new wave of content creation. Part of TikTok’s charm lies in the power of its user-friendly editing tools that enable you to incorporate text and graphics into your videos with ease.

At Video Genie Works, we do TikTok editing for a lot of our clients, who rely on text and graphics to make their videos stand out. We have taken our expertise with these editing elements and put it together into this blog! This comprehensive guide will take you on a detailed journey, exploring these capabilities and teaching you how to enhance your TikTok content with a professional touch.

Understanding the TikTok Interface

Before you embark on your editing journey, it’s crucial to understand the landscape you’ll be working in – the TikTok interface. Here’s a step-by-step walk through:

1. Recording/Uploading Your Video: You can either record a video directly in the app by holding down the red button or upload a pre-recorded video by pressing the ‘Upload’ button.
2. The Editing Screen: After recording or uploading, click on the check mark. You’ll be taken to the editing screen, where you can add sounds, effects, text, and stickers to your video.

A Detailed Look into Adding and Editing Text

Text is a powerful tool to communicate more than what the video displays. It adds context, provides explanations, humour, and more. Let’s deep dive into how to incorporate and manipulate text in your TikTok videos:

1. Adding Text: Tap on the ‘Text’ button on the lower portion of the editing screen. You can type in any message or context you wish to add. While the app doesn’t limit the amount of text you can input, remember that less is often more to avoid overwhelming the viewer.
2. Customising Text: After entering your text, a whole array of formatting options become available. From the colour of your text to the choice of font, there’s a lot to experiment with. You can also add a background to your text box to make it stand out. Familiarise yourself with these options and choose the style that matches your video’s vibe best.
3. Positioning Text: By dragging your text box, you can position it anywhere you like on the screen. Adjust its size by pinching or expanding the text box on your touch screen.
4. Timing Text: TikTok allows you to time your text to appear and disappear at specific moments in your video, enhancing the viewer’s experience. After adding your text, tap ‘Done’, then tap on your text. Select ‘Set Duration’ and adjust the slider to set the appearance and disappearance of your text.

Here’s a Video Genie Works Example

A lot of our clients request text/captions to be added over their footage, so we’ve gotten pretty good at it. The example below is taken from our portfolio, which show cases work across all of our services.

Exploring the World of Graphics on TikTok

Graphics add a visual element to your videos that can elevate your storytelling, clarify points, or simply add an entertaining touch. Here’s how you can master this:

1. Adding Stickers/GIFs: Tap on the ‘Stickers’ button, represented by a square smiley face. Here, you’ll discover a variety of stickers, emojis, and GIFs. Use the search function or browse through the categories to find the perfect graphic for your video.
2. Adding Animated Effects: If you wish to add a layer of creativity to your video, animated effects might be your go-to. Located under the ‘Effects’ button, these include changing filters or visual themes. Categories like ‘Trending’, ‘New’, ‘Interactive’, and more offer a plethora of creative possibilities.
3. Customising and Positioning Graphics: Similar to text, graphics can be resized and positioned anywhere on the screen. The duration of appearance and disappearance can be adjusted as well, allowing you to dictate the exact moments your graphics make their entrance and exit.

Honing Your TikTok Editing Skills: Tips and Tricks

Now that you understand the fundamentals, let’s delve into some advanced tips to help you perfect your text and graphics editing skills:

• Layering: Layering text and graphics creates depth and a visually appealing effect. However, overcrowding can detract from your content. Striking a balance between the number of elements and the actual video content is vital.
• Consistent Fonts and Colours: Consistency is key in establishing your brand. Choose a consistent font and colour scheme for your text across videos. This builds a visual identity for your content and makes it recognisable to your followers.
• Simplicity: While the plethora of editing options can be exciting, remember that often, simplicity is key. Too many text boxes or graphics can distract viewers from your content. Use them to enhance your video, not overshadow it.
• Utilising Trending Effects and Stickers: TikTok thrives on trends. Keeping up with trending effects and stickers and incorporating them into your videos can help increase their reach and engagement.
• Storytelling: Use text and graphics to aid your storytelling. They can provide context, add humour, or drive home a point. A well-placed graphic or a timely piece of text can significantly enhance the impact of your video.
• Practice: Practice makes perfect. The more you experiment with different text styles, graphics, and effects, the more comfortable you will become with these tools, and the better your videos will be.
• Explore: Lastly, always keep exploring. TikTok regularly updates its features, introducing new stickers, effects, and editing tools. Stay updated with these features to keep your content fresh and engaging.

Conclusion

The world of TikTok offers limitless possibilities for creativity. With the right knowledge and a bit of practice, you can utilise its editing tools to make your videos stand out. This comprehensive guide to editing text and graphics in your TikTok videos will hopefully set you on the right path. Remember, TikTok is all about creativity, expression, and most importantly, fun. So, don’t be afraid to experiment and let your individuality shine through. Happy TikToking!

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