How to Edit a Video on TikTok from the Gallery

Got a great video sitting in your phone’s gallery that you know would be perfect for TikTok? You’re not alone. While TikTok is known for its in-the-moment recording, many of the most viral and polished videos are actually filmed outside the app and brought in for editing. This guide will walk you through every step of transforming your pre-recorded clips into a thumb-stopping TikTok, using only the tools available right inside the app.

Step 1: Uploading Your Video from the Gallery

First things first, you need to get your video from your camera roll into the TikTok editor. It's a simple process, but knowing exactly where to go is the launching point for all your creative work.

1. Open TikTok and tap the plus icon: Just like you’re about to record a new video, tap the + button at the bottom center of your screen. This takes you to the main camera interface.
2. Find the "Upload" button: Instead of hitting the red record button, look to the bottom right corner. You'll see a button labeled "Upload." Tap it.
3. Select your video(s): This will open your phone’s media gallery. You can switch between your "Videos" and "Photos" tabs. Tap on the video clip you want to edit. If your idea requires multiple clips, you can select them here in the order you want them to appear. Once selected, tap "Next."

Your video is now loaded into the primary TikTok editing timeline, and the real fun can begin.

Step 2: Basic Trimming and Assembling Your Clips

Once you’ve pressed "Next," you’ll land in the main video editor. The most fundamental part of editing is getting the timing right. If you’ve uploaded a longer video, you’ll want to trim it down to the best moments.

Adjusting Clip Length

The video clip appears on a timeline at the bottom of the screen, outlined in white. To shorten it, simply tap and hold one of the white handles at either end of the clip and drag it inwards.

• Dragging the left handle shortens the beginning of the clip.
• Dragging the right handle shortens the end of the clip.

Play the preview in the main window to check your work. Keep trimming until you’ve isolated the exact moment you want to feature. If you selected multiple clips, you can tap on each one in the timeline to trim it individually.

Reordering Clips

If you've uploaded more than one video, you can change their sequence. Just press and hold one of the clips in the timeline until it lifts slightly, then drag it to its new position among the other clips. Let go, and the timeline will update with the new order.

Using "Sync Sounds" for Automatic Edits

If you plan to use a trending song, TikTok has a clever feature called "Sound sync." After selecting your clips, you can choose a sound, and TikTok will automatically trim your clips to match the beat of the music. While it’s not perfect for every situation, it’s an incredible time-saver for fast-paced montages or trend-based videos. You can always fine-tune the edits manually afterward.

Step 3: Dive into the Full TikTok Editing Suite

After you’ve done your initial trimming and arranging, tap "Next" again. This is where you’ll find the more advanced creative tools that give TikTok its signature feel. These tools appear as icons on the right side of the screen and at the bottom.

Adding Sounds

Audio is arguably the most important element on TikTok. A video with the right trending sound has a much higher chance of being seen.

• Add a sound: Tap the "Add sound" button at the top of the editing screen. This brings up TikTok’s massive library of popular songs, viral audio clips, and original sounds. You can browse through playlists, search for a specific track, or explore what’s trending.
• Adjust the volume: Once you've chosen a sound, you need to balance it with your video's original audio. Tap the "Volume" icon on the right-hand menu. Two sliders will appear: one for "Original sound" and one for "Added sound." Maybe you want the music to be louder than your background noise, or you want the original audio completely muted. This is where you make those adjustments.

Crafting with Text

Text overlays are an awesome tool for providing context, telling a story, or just adding a humorous caption.

• Add text: Tap the "Text" icon (Aa) on the right side. Type your message, then customize it using the options for fonts, colors, borders, and backgrounds.
• Set the duration: This is a key part of effective editing. After adding your text, tap on it. An option will appear: "Set duration." Tapping this opens a timeline where you can drag the handles to define exactly when the text appears and disappears in your video. You can stack multiple text-boxes with different durations to create a dynamic text sequence that guides the viewer's attention.
• Use Text-to-Speech: After writing your text, you can tap the text-to-speech icon (a head with sound waves). This will have a synthetic voice read your text out loud, a very popular feature for storytelling and tutorials.

Using Stickers and Effects

Effects are what add personality and visual flair. TikTok splits these into a few different categories.

• Stickers: From the right-hand menu, you can add stickers. This includes GIFs, polls, emoji, and question boxes. Like text, you can set the duration for when each sticker appears.
• Filters: Located in the right-hand menu, filters offer color grading presets to change the mood of your video. You can adjust the intensity of any filter you apply. Think of these like Instagram filters.
• Effects: The real magic happens under the "Effects" button at the bottom. This opens up a huge library of AR effects, green screen backgrounds, transitions, and visual distortions. You can apply multiple effects to one video by dragging the timeline indicator to a new spot and selecting a different effect.

Recording a Voiceover

Perfect for tutorials, commentary, or telling a short story over a video montage. Tap the "Voiceover" button on the right-hand side. You’ll be able to watch your video play while you record audio over it. You can even choose to keep or remove the original audio while you record your voiceover.

Pro Tips for Making Your Video Pop

You’ve got the technical skills down. Now, here are a few strategies to make your edited videos even more effective and engaging.

Edit to the Beat

If you're using music, pay close attention to the rhythm. Time your scene changes, text reveals, or effects to happen right on the beat drops or major shifts in the music. This makes your video feel much more professional and satisfying to watch, which can significantly boost watch time.

Use Text Hooks Strategically

The first 1-2 seconds of your video are everything. Use a text overlay right at the start as a "hook." Something like "How to pack for a week in just a carry-on" or "The one mistake everyone makes when cooking pasta." This immediately tells the viewer what the video is about and gives them a reason to keep watching.

Find the Right Cover & Write a Strong Caption

Before you hit post, you'll be on the final screen. Don’t rush this part. Tap "Select cover" on the video thumbnail to choose the most eye-catching frame from your video. This is what people see on your profile page and in discovery. Finally, write a brief, engaging caption with a few relevant hashtags. A good caption can spark conversation in the comments and help TikTok's algorithm understand who to show your video to.

Final Thoughts

The journey from a random clip in your phone's gallery to a fully edited, perfectly timed TikTok is easier than it looks. By mastering the core tools of trimming, sound design, text overlays, and an effect or two, you can create engaging content without ever leaving the platform. Consistency is the next step to growing your audience.

Once you get into a nice rhythm of editing and creating content, the next challenge becomes planning and scheduling your posts. To keep our content strategy consistent across TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, we built Postbase. It was designed from the ground up for short-form video, so you can plan your content in a visual calendar, upload your clips once, and reliably schedule them across every platform without the headaches that older management tools cause.