If you’re a TikTok maker, you’re well aware of how rapidly those minutes of video pass. Using transitions between clips is one of the techniques to carry the plot along.
While TikTok has a few styles that seem like slideshow presentation transitions, they don’t appear to be particularly popular. Instead, many users prefer to employ manual transitions to make their video flow from one clip to the next. Some of these transitions are straightforward and just involve a few steps, while others require some forethought.
All of the transitions, however, serve a purpose: to drive the video ahead and stay up with the music or what the person is saying.
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Transitions can also be used to reveal something new, such as a change in the speaker’s look, or to indicate that the speaker is shifting to the next topic.
Here’s how to do a simple TikTok transition:
- Use one hand to hold your phone.
- Turn your camera so it’s on selfie mode.
- Press and hold the record button.
- Say or do whatever you would like to say or do.
- Once you’re finished talking, use your free hand to cover the phone’s camera.
- Stop recording.
- Set up your next shot by moving elsewhere or getting ready to start speaking again.
- With your hand still on the camera, start recording again.
- As you start speaking, move your hand away from the camera.
- Finish the clip and stop recording.
- Play the clip back on the next screen to make sure the transition looks smooth.
- Either continue recording or publish the video!
Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can begin experimenting. Making transitions convincing really comes down to the placement of the camera and timing. Some combinations require your phone, body, or both to stay in the same place for each frame. Other transitions, especially with objects or body movements, need the right timing when you’re editing the clips. Matching up the previous movement to the next movement is what makes a transition feel seamless.