To make a TikTok video, open the app, tap Add post (the plus button), and either record in TikTok's camera or upload a video you have already edited. Then add a sound, text and captions, choose a cover, write the caption and post. The whole thing takes a few minutes; what takes longer is deciding which of the two routes the video needs.
Should you record in TikTok or upload an edited video?
| Record in the TikTok camera | Upload an edited video | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum length | 10 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Best for | Talking to camera, single takes, trends | Cuts to music, text-heavy videos, existing footage |
| Sounds | Full TikTok sound library | Your own audio, or a TikTok sound added on top |
| Editing | Trim, text, stickers, effects | Whatever your editor does |
| Reusable on Reels and Shorts | No, a saved copy carries the TikTok watermark | Yes, the same file |
Both limits come from TikTok Support's page on camera tools, the source to check if they change. They are ceilings; most videos that work are well under a minute.
A rough rule: if the video is one take of you talking, record it in the app. If it has more than about five cuts, edit it elsewhere, because trimming and timing on a phone camera screen is where the time goes.
Step 1: Pick the sound first
This matters more on TikTok than anywhere else, for two reasons. The sound is how many videos get found, and TikTok's help pages note that if you select a sound before recording or uploading, the video length is set by the sound length.
So choose it before you shoot. Trending audio covers what a popular sound buys and what it costs, and how long a video should be covers matching the length to the section of the track you actually want. Editing outside the app works the same way: in Easy Reels the length of every video is the window of the track you choose, up to 60 seconds.
Step 2: Record, or upload
To record: tap Add post, select a length, and tap the record button. Speed, timer, flash and zoom are on the side panel; the timer lets you record hands-free. Record in short segments rather than one long take, so a bad one is easy to drop.
To upload: tap Add post, then Upload, and pick the file from your phone. Export it at 1080 × 1920 first. If the footage is b-roll rather than you talking, filming b-roll on a phone that cuts well is worth a read before you shoot the next batch.
Step 3: Add text on screen
Tap Text on the side panel, type, pick a font and colour, and drag it into place. Multiple text boxes and stickers can go on one video.
Keep text clear of the bottom and right edges, where the caption and buttons sit. And decide the style once rather than per video. Text overlays that stay on brand covers why that matters more than which font.
The opening line matters most. What the first three seconds have to do applies to TikTok without changes.
Step 4: Turn on captions
Captions are separate from text overlays: they transcribe what is said. Many people watch with the sound off, and a video with speech and no captions loses them in the first second. TikTok can generate them automatically in the editor; check them before posting, because names and jargon come out wrong. Captions done properly covers the rest.
Step 5: Choose a cover
On the post screen, tap Select cover and drag to the frame you want. The cover is what appears on your profile grid and in search results, so pick a frame that shows the subject clearly, not the first frame by default.
Step 6: Write the caption, then post or save a draft
Write a short caption that says what the video is, in words people might search. Add a few specific hashtags rather than a wall of them: three to five specific ones do more than thirty generic ones. Reel hashtags covers why, and the reasoning holds on TikTok.
Then post, or tap Drafts to keep it for later. One thing TikTok's help pages are explicit about: drafts can disappear if the app is uninstalled and reinstalled, or the account moves to another device. A draft is not a backup. Keep the original file somewhere else.
Step 7: Post when your audience is there
Timing matters less than consistency, but it is not nothing. The best time to post covers finding your own window from your analytics rather than a generic chart.
How do you make a slideshow on TikTok?
There are two ways, and they look quite different.
- TikTok's own photo post. Tap Add post, go to upload, and select several photos instead of a video. TikTok builds a post from them with a sound, which viewers swipe through or watch play.
- An edited slideshow. Treat each photo as a clip, cut them to the beat of a track, and give each a slight movement so no frame sits completely still. You export it as a normal video and upload it.
The first is quicker; the second looks like a video rather than an album. Photo slideshows cut to a beat covers how many images you need and how to keep them moving. Easy Reels treats photos and clips the same way, so a folder of stills and a track becomes a finished 1080 × 1920 slideshow in one go.
What should you do before posting the same video elsewhere?
If you plan to put it on Reels or Shorts as well, do not save the TikTok and re-upload it: the watermark gets it down-ranked. Upload the original file to each app instead. Posting one video to Reels, TikTok and Shorts covers the details, and Reels, TikTok or Shorts covers which platform to take seriously. If YouTube is the one, how to make YouTube Shorts is the equivalent walkthrough.
Where Easy Reels fits
Recording in the app is fine for one video. Posting daily is a different problem: most of the time goes on the edit in Step 2 (trimming clips and placing each cut on the beat), repeated for every video.
Easy Reels does that part in batches. Pick a track, point it at a folder of clips, apply a template with your text and LUT, and it returns ten or twenty-five finished 1080 × 1920 videos, cut on the beat. You upload them to TikTok the way Step 2 describes, then add captions, cover and caption text in the app. Batch-creating from one folder is the full workflow.
Common questions
How long can a TikTok video be?
Up to 10 minutes if you record it in the TikTok camera, and up to 60 minutes if you upload it, according to TikTok Support. If you pick a sound first, the sound's length sets the video's length.
How do I make a TikTok video with pictures?
Tap Add post, go to upload, and select several photos. For something that looks more like a video, edit the photos into a slideshow cut to a beat and upload that instead.
Can I edit a TikTok after posting it?
Not the video itself. To fix the edit, delete it and post a corrected version. According to TikTok Support, deleted posts stay recoverable for 30 days.
Where are my TikTok drafts?
On the videos tab of your profile. They are removed if you reinstall the app or move the account to another device, so keep the original file.
Should I record in TikTok or upload?
Record in the app for single takes and trends. Upload an edited file for anything with several cuts, timed text, or music you want the cuts to land on.