How to Use CapCut on TikTok

Using CapCut to edit your TikToks can completely change the quality and impact of your content, taking it from basic to pro-level without spending a dime. This guide breaks down exactly how to use CapCut for TikTok, from your very first edit to using more advanced features that will help your videos stand out. We'll cover everything step-by-step, so you can start creating amazing content right away.

What Is CapCut (And Why You Should Be Using It)?

CapCut is a free, all-in-one video editing app designed specifically for mobile, and it just so happens to be owned by ByteDance, the same parent company as TikTok. Think of it as TikTok’s powerful, full-featured older sibling. While TikTok’s built-in editor is great for quick, on-the-fly edits, CapCut gives you the control and creative tools typically found in desktop editing software - all from your phone.

Here’s why so many creators are making CapCut their go-to editor:

• It's Completely Free: All of its most powerful features are available without any cost or watermarks.
• Advanced Editing Tools: CapCut offers multi-track editing, keyframing, speed ramping, automatic captions, and green screen effects that simply aren't available in the TikTok app.
• Trending Templates: It’s home to a massive library of ready-to-use templates that let you drop in your clips and instantly recreate the latest viral video trends.
• Royalty-Free Music and Sounds: It has a huge library of commercial-use sounds and music, which is a lifesaver for brand and business accounts trying to avoid copyright issues.
• Seamless TikTok Integration: Once your edit is done, you can send it directly to TikTok with a single tap, making the workflow incredibly smooth.

If you're serious about growing your TikTok presence, mastering CapCut is no longer optional. It's the standard for creating the kind of high-quality, engaging content that the algorithm and your audience love.

Step-by-Step Guide: Creating Your First TikTok Video in CapCut

Ready to make your first video? The process is surprisingly straightforward. Follow these steps to get comfortable with the editor's layout and core functions.

Step 1: Start a New Project and Import Your Clips

When you open CapCut, the first thing you'll see is a big blue button that says “New project.” Tap it.

This will open your phone’s camera roll. Select all the video clips and photos you want to use in your video. Don't worry about getting them in the perfect order, you can easily rearrange them later. Once you've selected your media, tap the “Add” button to import it into the editing timeline.

Step 2: Get Familiar with the Timeline

The timeline is where all the construction happens. It's the long strip at the bottom of the screen showing your clips laid out in sequence. You can pinch to zoom in for detailed cuts or zoom out to see your whole project. Tap and hold any clip to drag it to a new position in the sequence.

Trimming and Splitting Clips

• To Trim: Tap on a clip in the timeline. A white frame will appear around it. Drag the white handles at the beginning or end of the clip to shorten it.
• To Split: Drag the white playhead (the vertical line) to the exact spot where you want to make a cut. Tap the clip to select it, then find the “Split” option in the bottom toolbar. This will break the clip into two separate pieces. You can then delete any unwanted sections.

Step 3: Add Text and Auto Captions

Text is a huge part of TikTok culture. From storytelling overlays to call-to-actions, clear text can make your videos more engaging and accessible.

In the main toolbar at the bottom, tap the “Text” icon. Here you’ll find several options:

• Add text: This lets you type out custom messages. You can choose from hundreds of fonts, styles, and "Text to Speech" voices. You can even animate your text to make it pop.
• Auto captions: This is a game-changer. CapCut will automatically listen to the audio in your video and generate synchronized captions. This not only saves you a lot of time but also makes your content accessible to people watching without sound - a huge portion of your audience.
• Text templates: Want trendy, pre-designed text graphics? Browse the library of text templates to find something that fits your video’s vibe.

Step 4: Add Music and Sound Effects

Audio is central to TikTok. In CapCut, tap the “Audio” icon in the main toolbar. You have a few choices:

• Sounds: Browse CapCut's extensive library of music and sound effects. There’s a "TikTok" section that often features trending commercial-use songs.
• Extracted: This incredible feature lets you pull the audio from another video saved on your phone. See a sound you like in someone else’s TikTok? Screen record it, and use this feature to borrow the audio.
• Voiceover: Tap this to record your own audio directly over the video, perfect for explanations, tutorials, or storytelling.

Pro Tip: If you want to use a viral trending sound from TikTok's main library (not the commercial one), it's often best to edit your video without music in CapCut, export it, and then add the trending sound within the TikTok app itself. This ensures you’re officially part of the trend.

Step 5: Apply Effects, Filters, and Transitions

This is where the visual magic happens. These three options allow you to polish your video's look and feel.

• Transitions: Tap the small white square between any two clips in your timeline. This will open the transitions menu. Here you'll find everything from simple fades to dynamic camera pans and glitches. Adding smooth transitions makes your video flow better and feel more professional.
• Effects: Found in the main toolbar, this tab contains eye-catching visual effects. “Video Effects” apply to the clip itself (like retro film grain or shaky cams), while “Body Effects” use AI to add effects that follow your movement (like halos or electric auras).
• Filters: Just like on Instagram, you can apply color filters to change the mood of your entire video. Tap the “Filters” tab to browse through different styles, from cinematic to vintage to natural.

Step 6: Export and Share to TikTok

Once you’re happy with your edit, it’s time to export. Before you do, make sure your project is formatted correctly for TikTok by tapping “Format” and choosing the 9:16 aspect ratio.

Next, tap the resolution setting at the top right of the screen (it usually defaults to 1080p). For the best quality, set the resolution to 1080p and the frame rate to 30 or 60 fps. Then, just tap the arrow icon to export the video to your phone.

After exporting, you'll see a screen with a prominent “Share to TikTok” button. Tapping this will automatically send your video project over to the TikTok app. You can then proceed with adding your caption, hashtags, a trending sound (if you haven’t already), and posting it.

Level Up: Advanced CapCut Features to Try Next

Once you've nailed the basics, you can start playing with some of CapCut's more advanced features to truly elevate your content.

Using Keyframes for Animation

Keyframes allow you to animate almost anything - a clip, a piece of text, or a sticker. Essentially, you set a starting point and an ending point for an element, and CapCut smoothly animates the movement between them.

For example, to create a slow zoom-in effect:

1. Select a clip in the timeline.

2. At the place you want the zoom to start, tap the keyframe icon (it looks like a diamond with a plus sign).

3. Move the playhead to where you want the zoom to end.

4. With your fingers, physically zoom in on the video preview screen. CapCut will automatically add a second keyframe. Now, when you play it back, the video will slowly zoom in between those two points.

Chroma Key (Green Screen)

Want to place yourself in a different background? The green screen effect, known as Chroma Key, makes it easy.

1. Place a video or image of your desired background on the main track of your timeline.

2. Tap “Overlay” in the main toolbar and add the clip of yourself filmed in front of a green screen (or any solid color).

3. With the overlay clip selected, scroll through the bottom toolbar to find “Remove BG” and then select “Chroma Key”.

4. Use the color picker to select the green color, then adjust the Intensity and Shadow sliders until the background vanishes.

Harnessing the Power of Templates

If you're short on time or inspiration, CapCut templates are the answer. From the home screen, tap the “Templates” tab at the bottom. You can scroll through a feed of trending templates that are already formatted with music, text, and effects. Just find one you like, tap “Use template,” select your photos and videos, and CapCut will do all the work.

Final Thoughts

CapCut gives you a full editing suite in your pocket, eliminating any barrier between you and the polished, high-quality video content that performs best on TikTok. By moving beyond the native TikTok editor and investing a little time in learning CapCut, you're not just making better videos, you're building a more professional brand and giving your content a greater chance to connect with a wider audience.

Once you've mastered creating attention-grabbing TikToks, the next step is building a consistent content strategy. We all know how tough it can be to keep up with planning, scheduling, and engaging across multiple platforms. That’s why we built Postbase - to give creators and small teams a clean, modern tool designed for today's video-first world. With a visual content calendar to see a bird's-eye view of your strategy and reliable scheduling that just works, it helps you get your amazing content out there without the headache.