# How to make a TikTok video > Film or resize to 9:16, open with your strongest moment, keep text and captions out of the bottom quarter and the right edge, cut every pause, and export at 1080×1920. - Page: https://cutluma.com/guides/how-to-make-a-tiktok-video - By the CutLuma team · Published 2026-10-10 · Updated 2026-10-10 · 5 min read - Try it: https://cutluma.com/templates/for/tiktok (Browse TikTok templates) ## Step by step 1. **Start in 9:16** — Create a 1080×1920 project, or drop a landscape clip and switch it with the [resize tool](https://cutluma.com/tools/resize-video). Drag the picture so the subject fills the tall frame. 2. **Put the hook first** — Find the strongest second of your footage and move it to the start. Trim the slow lead-in with the [trim tool](https://cutluma.com/tools/trim-video); nobody waits for an intro on TikTok. 3. **Cut the pauses** — Run [remove silence](https://cutluma.com/tools/remove-silence-from-video) to take out breaths and gaps, or split and delete by hand. Faster cuts keep people watching. 4. **Add captions** — Most people watch with the sound off at first. Type [subtitles](https://cutluma.com/tools/subtitle-editor) for free, or generate [AI captions](https://cutluma.com/tools/add-captions-to-video) on a paid plan, and keep them above the bottom quarter. 5. **Add music and text** — Drop a track from the stock library and lower it under your voice. Add a title in the top third, clear of the account name. 6. **Export** — Export MP4 at 1080×1920. Upload from your phone or computer and add the TikTok caption and hashtags in the app. ## The right size and length TikTok is a vertical app, so a video should be 9:16 at 1080×1920 pixels. Anything else gets black bars or a crop that may cut off faces and text. If you filmed horizontally, do not stretch it: switch the project to 9:16 and reframe, or put the wide clip in the middle with a blurred or coloured background behind it. Length is a trade-off. Short clips of 7–15 seconds get replayed, which the algorithm likes; 30–60 seconds suits tutorials and stories if every second earns its place. Decide what the video is for, then cut to the shortest version that still delivers it. The [sizes cheat sheet](https://cutluma.com/guides/social-media-video-sizes) has the numbers for every platform if you plan to post the same video elsewhere. ## Hook in the first second People decide to swipe within a second. Start on movement, a face talking, a result or a question, never on a logo or a slow fade in. Three patterns work consistently: show the end result first, then how you got there; ask the question the video answers; or start mid-sentence with the most surprising line. Reinforce the hook with a short on-screen title in the top third of the frame, three to six words, big and high-contrast. Text at the top is read even when the sound is off. Then deliver quickly: the second cut should land by the third second. Use the [speed changer](https://cutluma.com/tools/video-speed-changer) to speed up the boring middle of a process shot rather than cutting it entirely. ## Safe zones: where TikTok draws over your video The TikTok app lays its own interface on top of your video, and anything underneath it is hidden or hard to read. - **Bottom ~20%:** your caption, username and the music label sit here. Keep captions and calls to action above it. - **Right edge:** the like, comment, share and follow buttons run down the right side. Keep faces and text away from it. - **Top strip:** the Following / For You tabs and the search icon cover the top edge. Start titles a little lower. - **Centre is safe:** the middle 60% of the frame is where the eye goes and nothing covers it. ## Captions, sound and export Captions are not optional on TikTok: a large share of views start muted. Keep them to one or two short lines, bold, with an outline or box so they read over any footage. Word-by-word highlights add energy to talking-head clips. For music, use the library track at 10–20% under speech, or louder for a montage. Export MP4 at 1080×1920; on the free plan the export is 1080p with a small CutLuma badge, which paid plans remove. If you have a longer recording, the [shorts tool](https://cutluma.com/tools/video-to-shorts) finds the highlight moments and cuts them to 9:16 for you. ## FAQ **What size should a TikTok video be?** 1080×1920 pixels, aspect ratio 9:16. The same size works for Reels, Shorts and Stories. **How long should a TikTok be?** As short as it can be while delivering the point. 7–15 seconds for a single idea, 30–60 seconds for a tutorial or story. **Can I make a TikTok video on my computer?** Yes. Edit in the browser, export the MP4 and upload from tiktok.com or send the file to your phone. **Do I need to add captions?** Strongly recommended. Many viewers watch muted at first, and captions keep them from swiping. ## Tools used in this guide - [Resize video](https://cutluma.com/tools/resize-video) — Change any video to 9:16, 1:1, 4:5 or 16:9. Drag to reframe, add a background, export in HD. Free, no credit card. - [Trim & cut video](https://cutluma.com/tools/trim-video) — Cut the start, the end or the middle out of any video. Frame-accurate, in your browser, with nothing to install. Free. - [Subtitle editor](https://cutluma.com/tools/subtitle-editor) — Type and time subtitles yourself for free. Style them once, keep them in the safe zone and burn them into the video. AI captions are optional, in 17 languages. - [Auto captions](https://cutluma.com/tools/add-captions-to-video) — Drop in a video and get accurate, animated captions in seconds. Word-by-word highlights, 8 styles, 17 languages. Right in your browser. - [Remove silence](https://cutluma.com/tools/remove-silence-from-video) — Cut pauses and dead air out of any video with one click. Automatic jump cuts for talking-head videos, podcasts and tutorials. Free, no credit card. - [Long video to shorts](https://cutluma.com/tools/video-to-shorts) — Upload a podcast, webinar or interview and AI finds the best moments, cuts them to 9:16 and adds captions.