How to Edit Photos on TikTok

TikTok might be famous for its short-form videos, but its photo editing features let you create eye-catching content without ever recording a clip. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about editing photos on TikTok, from creating a simple swipeable carousel to building a dynamic video slideshow.

Understanding TikTok's Two Main Photo Formats

Before you begin, it's helpful to know the two ways you can use photos in a TikTok post. You don't have to choose right away, but understanding the difference will help you decide which format best tells your story.

• Photo Mode: This creates a swipeable carousel of images, almost like an Instagram post. Users can manually swipe through your photos at their own pace. This format is great for showing off details, telling a sequential story, or showcasing a collection of high-quality images. It's clean, simple, and user-controlled.
• Video Mode: This format automatically turns your selected photos into a video clip. You can control how long each photo stays on screen, add transitions between them, and use more of TikTok's advanced video effects. This is perfect for creating fast-paced montages, Before & Afters, and syncing photos to the beat of a trending sound.

Don't worry, the creation process starts the same way for both. You choose which one you want after uploading your photos.

How to Create and Edit in TikTok's Photo Mode

Photo Mode is the most straightforward way to share your pictures. It focuses on crisp images and is super easy to assemble. It's perfect for lookbooks, photo dumps, step-by-step guides, or behind-the-scenes glimpses.

Step-by-Step Guide to Photo Mode:

1. Start a New TikTok

Open the app and tap the plus icon (+) at the bottom center of your screen to open the camera. Instead of recording, look to the bottom right and tap the "Upload" button.

2. Select Your Photos

You'll be taken to your phone's camera roll. On the upload screen, make sure you're in the "Photos" tab. You can select multiple pictures by tapping the small circles on the corner of each image thumbnail. TikTok allows you to add a generous number of photos, giving you plenty of room to tell a story. As you select them, they'll be numbered to show the order they'll appear in.

3. Switch to Photo Mode

Once you've selected your images and tapped "Next," TikTok might default to creating a video. Look at the bottom of the screen. You'll see two options: "Switch to video mode" or "Switch to photo mode". Make sure "Photo mode" is selected. You'll see your images appear in a horizontal, swipeable format.

Pro Tip: You can easily reorder your photos by holding your finger down on an image in the editing timeline at the bottom and dragging it to a new position.

4. Add Music or a Sound

Even though it's a photo carousel, a killer soundtrack is a must. Tap "Add sound" at the top of the screen. You can browse through TikTok's massive library of trending sounds, recommended songs, or search for something specific. Picking a popular or relevant sound can dramatically increase your content's reach.

5. Edit Individual Photos and Add Text

This is where you bring your carousel to life. On the right-hand side of the screen, you'll see the familiar editing toolbar.

• Text: Tap the "Aa" icon to add text. You can change fonts, colors, and add a background highlight. Drag your text box anywhere on the screen. Importantly, text added in Photo Mode will appear on every single photo in the carousel. If you want photo-specific text, you'll need to add it using a third-party app before you upload.
• Stickers: Tap the sticker icon to add GIFs, emojis, or interactive elements like polls and quizzes to engage your audience.
• Filters & Effects: Tap the "Effects" button on the left to browse visual enhancements. You can apply one effect across the entire carousel. You can also tap "Filters" on the right sidebar to change the color grading. Consistency is important, so try to choose one filter that works well across all your images.

6. Write Your Caption and Post

Once you're happy with your creation, tap "Next." Here, you'll write an engaging caption, add relevant hashtags, tag any accounts, and choose your cover image. When you're ready, hit "Post," and your photo carousel will go live.

How to Create a Video Slideshow with Photos

If you want more control, slicker transitions, and a more dynamic feel, turning your photos into a video is the way to go. This format treats each photo like a mini video clip, unlocking more powerful editing tools.

Step-by-Step Guide to Video Mode:

1. Upload and Choose Video Mode

Follow the same first two steps as above: tap the plus icon (+), select "Upload," and choose the photos you want from your camera roll. After tapping "Next," make sure you're in "Video mode." You will see your photos stitched together into a single video timeline at the bottom of the screen.

TikTok's AutoCut feature might pop up here. This uses templates to automatically sync your photos to a trending sound. It's a great option if you're short on time, but for full creative control, tap "Back" or exit the AutoCut suggestion to edit manually.

2. Adjust Individual Clips and Timing

By default, TikTok makes each photo appear for a couple of seconds. To change this, tap "Edit" from the top right sidebar (or it might appear as "Adjust clips"). Now you're in the detailed video editor.

In this editor, you can:

• Trim Durations: Tap on an individual photo "clip" in the timeline. You can drag the white handles at either end of the clip to make it longer or shorter. This is excellent for syncing image changes to the beat of your music.
• Reorder Photos: Just like in photo mode, press and hold a clip to drag it to a new spot in the timeline.
• Split or Replace: Tapping on a clip also gives you options to split it into two or replace the photo entirely without starting over.

3. Add Dynamic Transitions

Between each photo clip in the timeline, you'll see a small white icon with a vertical line. Tap it! This opens the transitions menu. Here, you can add effects like a fade, zoom, slide, or glitch that play as one photo moves to the next. Adding smooth transitions makes your slideshow look polished and more professional. You can apply a single transition to all clips or pick different ones for each.

4. Layer on Text and Effects

Here's the biggest difference from Photo Mode: in Video Mode, text and effects can be timed to appear and disappear.

• Text: Add text just as before, but after you've written something, tap the text box. An option called "Set duration" will appear. Select this, and you'll be able to drag the ends of a highlight bar on the timeline to control precisely when that text appears and vanishes. This lets you add different captions or callouts for each photo.
• Effects: The "Effects" tab at the bottom of the main editing screen is incredibly powerful. You can add visual effects like sparkles, retro VHS filters, motion blurs, or green screen backgrounds. What's cool is that you can apply these to specific parts of your video by holding down the effect button over the section of the timeline you want it to appear on.

5. Include a Voiceover or Sound Adjustments

Since your photos are now a video, you can tap the "Voiceover" option in the right-hand editing menu. This is perfect for narrating a story, explaining steps in a tutorial, or adding personal commentary. You can also tap on "Sound" and then "Volume" to adjust the balance between the original audio (if any), the music you added, and your voiceover.

6. Finalize and Post

When your video slideshow is complete, tap "Next." Write your caption, add your hashtags, and publish it for the world to see.

Advanced Tips for Pro-Level Photo Content

Ready to level up? Here are a few extra tips to make your photo TikToks truly stand out.

• Edit Your Photos Before Uploading: For a cohesive and professional look, edit your photos in an app like Adobe Lightroom, VSCO, Snapseed, or Canva first. Create a custom preset or use a consistent filter to make sure all your images have the same vibe.
• Don't Forget the Hook: The first three seconds matter, even for photos. Make your first image the most interesting one, and use a bold text hook like "3 Mistakes You're Making..." or "You Won't Believe What I Found..." to stop people from scrolling.
• Tell a Mini-Story: The best photo content has a beginning, middle, and end. Think in terms of a narrative. Show a process (baking a cake), a transformation (before and after), or a recap (a photo dump from your vacation).
• Use Trending Audio Strategically: Don't just pick a song you like, find an audio trend that fits a photo format. Many trends are specifically designed for showing a series of pictures (e.g., "Show your pet, then show what you named them after").

Final Thoughts

Mastering TikTok's photo editing tools allows you to create engaging, scroll-stopping content in a fresh and compelling way, whether you prefer a clean swipeable carousel or a flashy video slideshow. By combining high-quality images with smart editing and trending sounds, you can tell powerful stories that resonate with your audience on the platform.

After crafting the perfect TikTok photo series, planning when it goes live is just as important. We built Postbase because we wanted one simple calendar to plan and schedule all our own social media content - including our TikToks, Reels, Stories, and photo posts. It helps us see our whole content strategy visually and trust that everything publishes on time, which gives us more freedom to focus on making great new content.