How to Edit TikTok Videos on CapCut

If you're making TikToks, you need to be editing in CapCut. This free, powerful video editor - made by the same parent company as TikTok - is packed with all the tools, trending sounds, and special effects you need to create content that stops the scroll. This guide walks you through everything from the absolute basics to the pro-level tricks that will elevate your videos, transforming you from a beginner to a confident CapCut editor.

Why CapCut is the Perfect Editor for TikTok

While there are plenty of video editing apps out there, CapCut stands out for a few reasons that make it the undisputed choice for TikTok creators. First and foremost, its integration with TikTok is seamless. Because they are owned by the same company, ByteDance, all the viral sounds, fonts, and effects you see on TikTok often appear in CapCut first. You can even link your TikTok account to directly access saved sounds.

More importantly, CapCut is built with the vertical video format in mind. It defaults to the 9:16 aspect ratio and provides tools perfectly suited for the quick cuts, animated text, and engaging effects that perform best on the platform. It's user-friendly for beginners but has an impressive depth of features, like keyframing and chroma key, that more advanced creators love - and it’s all completely free without watermarks.

Getting Started: Your First Project in CapCut

Before you get into the creative stuff, you need to understand the basic layout. Firing up the app for the first time is straightforward, and your editing journey begins in just a few taps.

Follow these initial steps to set up your project:

1. Start a New Project: Open the CapCut app and tap the big blue + New Project button at the top of the screen.
2. Grant Access &, Select Media: You'll be prompted to give CapCut access to your photos and videos. Allow it, and your phone's media library will appear. Tap on the videos and photos you want to include in your edit. You can select multiple clips at once, and they will appear in the order you select them.
3. Add to Project: Once you've selected your clips, tap the Add button at the bottom right. This will take you to the main editing interface, also known as the timeline.

You're now looking at your project timeline. Here's a quick tour of what you see:

• The Preview Window: The top half of your screen where you can watch your video playback.
• The Timeline: The bottom half of your screen where your video clips, audio tracks, and text layers are arranged chronologically. This is where you'll do most of your work.
• The Toolbar: The row of icons at the very bottom (Edit, Audio, Text, etc.). Tapping one of these opens up a new set of specific tools for that function.

The Foundations of a Great Edit: Core Tools You'll Use Constantly

Every polished edit, no matter how complex it looks, is built on a few core actions. Master these first, and you’ll be able to assemble any kind of video you want.

Trimming and Splitting Clips

Rarely will you use an entire video clip as-is. Trimming cuts off the beginning or end of a clip, while splitting cuts a clip into two separate pieces.

• To Trim: Tap on a clip in the timeline. It will be highlighted with a white border. Press and hold on the thick white bar at the beginning or end of the clip, and drag it inward to trim the unwanted parts.
• To Split: Drag the white playhead (the vertical white line that shows your current position in the video) to the exact spot where you want to make a cut. Tap on the clip to select it, then find and tap the Split button in the bottom toolbar. The clip will instantly be divided into two.

Rearranging and Deleting Clips

Once you’ve split your clips into the key actions or scenes, you'll need to put them in the right order.

• To Rearrange: Simply tap and hold on any clip in the timeline until you feel a brief vibration. Without lifting your finger, drag the clip to the left or right and drop it into its new position.
• To Delete: Tap the clip you want to remove, then find and tap the Delete button in the toolbar (it looks like a trash can). Don't forget to delete the default CapCut outro clip at the end of the timeline if you don't want it in your final video!

Setting the Correct Format (Aspect Ratio)

TikTok is a vertical platform, so your video should be too. CapCut usually defaults to this, but it’s always good to check.

1. In the main toolbar at the bottom, swipe left until you see the Format button.
2. Tap it, and you’ll see several options. Select 9:16. This is the standard vertical aspect ratio for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts.
3. If your video clip doesn't fill the full screen, you can use two fingers to pinch and zoom in on the clip in the preview window to make it fit the frame.

Adding Popular TikTok Elements: Text, Sound, and Effects

This is where you infuse your video with personality and lean into what's trending. High-performing TikToks layer text, audio, and visual effects to hold the viewer's attention.

Step 1: Adding and Animating Text

Kinetic text, or text that moves, is a signature of the TikTok style.

1. In the main toolbar, tap Text.
2. Select Add text. A text box will appear on the preview screen and a corresponding text layer will appear on your timeline.
3. Type your message. Below the preview window, you can customize the Font, Style (color, stroke, shadow, etc.), and Effects (pre-made styles like neon or multicolor text).
4. To make it move, tap Animation. You can choose from In, Out, and Loop animations to control how your text appears, disappears, and behaves while on screen.
5. Finally, go back to the timeline. You can drag the ends of the text layer to change its duration, or drag the entire layer to change when it appears.

Quick Tip: Use Text-to-Speech

The "Siri" voice is incredibly popular on TikTok. To use it, add your text, tap on the text layer in the timeline, and in the bottom toolbar, select Text-to-Speech. You can choose from a wide variety of voices.

Step 2: Syncing with Trending Audio

Sound is non-negotiable on TikTok. Using a trending audio track can massively boost your video's visibility.

1. In the main toolbar, select Audio. You have a few options here:
   • Sounds: This pulls up CapCut's library of licensed music and sound effects. You can also tap the TikTok logo to log in and access sounds you've favorited directly on TikTok.
   • Extracted: This clever feature lets you pull the audio from another video saved in your phone. Perfect for using sounds not found in the library.
   • Voiceover: Tap and hold this to record your own audio directly into the project.
2. Once you've added an audio track, it appears as a new layer in your timeline. You can trim, split, and adjust its volume just like a video clip. Aligning the visual cuts to the beat of the music (beat-syncing) is a powerful editing technique to make your video more dynamic.

Step 3: Applying Effects and Filters

Visual effects can add mood, humor, or a professional polish to your edit.

1. Select Effects from the main toolbar.
2. Choose between Video Effects (which apply to the entire scene) or Body Effects (which apply only to people detected in the video).
3. Browse through the trending categories and tap one to preview it. Once you find one you like, tap the checkmark to apply it.
4. An effects layer will appear on your timeline, and just like text or audio, you can drag its ends to control how long it stays on screen. You can stack multiple effects on top of each other!

Level Up Your Edits: Pro Tools Made Simple

Think features like smooth zooms, automated captions, and green screen are too complicated? In CapCut, they're surprisingly simple to use.

Automated Captions

Captions are vital. Many people watch videos with the sound off, and they improve accessibility. Manually typing them is tedious, but CapCut’s auto-captioning is excellent.

1. From the main toolbar, tap Text.
2. Choose Auto captions.
3. Select the sound source (from the video or voiceover) and tap Start. CapCut will listen to the audio and generate timed captions automatically.
4. The captions will appear as individual text layers on your timeline. You can tap on any one of them to correct typos or use the Batch edit feature to change the style and font of all of them at once.

Green Screen (Chroma Key)

The green screen effect lets you remove a specific color (usually green) from one video so you can place another video or image behind it. Here's a common example: putting yourself in front of a background video.

1. First, add the clip you want as your background to the main timeline.
2. From the main menu, select Overlay, then Add overlay. Choose your "green screen" clip (the one you want to appear on top). This will create a new video layer above your main timeline track.
3. With the overlay clip selected, swipe through the bottom toolbar to find Remove BG.
4. Tap Chroma key. Use the color picker to select the green color from your video. Adjust the Intensity and Shadow a bit until the background completely disappears. Now your foreground video plays over your background clip!

The Final Step: Exporting Your Masterpiece for TikTok

You’re done editing, and your video looks great. Now it’s time to save it in high quality and get it on TikTok.

1. At the very top right of the editing screen, you’ll see a resolution number (like 1080p). Tap it to open the export settings.
2. For the best quality on TikTok, set the Resolution to 1080p and the Frame rate to 30. You can crank these higher, but 1080p at 30fps is the sweet spot for crisp quality without an enormous file size.
3. Tap the upward-facing arrow icon to the right of the resolution setting. Your video will now begin exporting.
4. Once it's finished, you'll see a screen with options to share directly to various platforms. Tap the Share to TikTok button to send your finished video straight to the TikTok app, where you can add a caption, hashtags, and hit post.

Final Thoughts

Mastering CapCut is one of the single best investments you can make in your TikTok content strategy. By learning how to combine core editing functions with viral elements like trending audio, animated text, and effects, you gain full creative control and can produce videos that perfectly match your brand and capture attention.

Once your editing process is dialed in, the next step is making your publishing workflow just as efficient. This is where we come in. With Postbase, you can take that polished video and schedule it not just to TikTok, but to Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and elsewhere, all from one place. Because our platform was built for the reality of short-form video, you can plan your content calendar visually, upload your video once, and trust it will post reliably everywhere without a fuss.