How to Trim TikTok Videos – Quick Guide

TikTok is a popular platform for taking or uploading videos, and editing them. TikTok has quite a range of video editing tools available, some of which include enhancements, stickers, filters, effects, captions, and more.

TikTok also allows you to trim video footage to your liking until you get the right video dimensions. In this article, we’ll explain how you can trim videos on TikTok.

How to Trim TikTok Videos

There are a few ways you can trim TikTok videos. You can use the app’s default trim tool, or you can use an external video editor to trim the videos.

The easiest way is to edit videos directly within the TikTok app itself. Though, it’s not an advanced video trimmer tool, and if you want the ability to add background music or merge multiple videos together, a professional editor may be better.

Using the App

Firstly, we’ll go through how you can use the TikTok app to trim different types of TikTok videos.

These different types of videos include videos recorded using the app, uploaded videos, and Stitched/Duet videos.

Recorded Videos

You can record TiKTok videos from within the TikTok app. In order to trim these recorded videos, you must first record one.

Open up the TikTok app and press the plus icon near the bottom of the screen.

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This should open up the recording page. Press the red button to begin recording your TiKTok. When you’re done recording the video, press the red button once more to stop the process.

Make sure that you’ve recorded at least 3 seconds of content first, otherwise you won’t be able to post the TikTok.

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Once you’ve stopped the recording, a checkmark should appear in the bottom right of the screen. Press on the checkmark to move on.

You should now see a list of editing tools on the right side of the screen.

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Locate the ‘adjust clips’ option and press on it. This should take you to the trim tool.

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The video should automatically start looping itself. If you wish to stop the process, simply press on the video to pause it.

This may make the trimming process easier. Or, if you want the video to play whilst you trim it, you can resume the looping process by pressing on the video once more.

In order to trim the video, press and hold the left or ride side of the rectangle. Then, drag the side left or right to trim the footage as you see fit. Then, you can play the video to see if it’s to your liking.

You can also adjust the speed of the footage by pressing the clock icon. A row of speed options should appear. It should be set to 1x by default.

If you want to make the footage faster, select a higher speed. If you want the footage to play slower, select a lower speed.

Furthermore, you can alter the orientation of the video. Press the square icon in the lower left to rotate the video 90 degrees clockwise. When you’re satisfied with everything, press the save option in the top right corner to apply the changes.

Or, if you wish to erase all the editing you did, press the ‘cancel’ option in the top left corner.

Uploaded Videos

For uploaded videos, the trimming process is very similar to trimming recorded videos. To upload a video to TikTok, open the app and press the plus icon. Then, select the ‘upload’ option and choose a video to upload.

Once you’ve uploaded the video, you should be taken immediately to the editing screen.

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Look for the ‘adjust clips’ option and select it. It should be located on the right side of the screen. You should now be able to access the trim tool.

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Move the sides of the rectangle left and right to trim the video. You can also change the playing speed by pressing the clock symbol, or rotate the video by pressing the square symbol.

When you’re done with the trim tool, press the ‘save’ option to save the changes made.

Or, you can discard the edits you made by pressing the ‘cancel’ option. A pop-up should appear asking you for confirmation. Press the ‘discard edits’ option to finalise the process.

Stitched Videos

You can Stitch TikTok videos, which basically means adding your own footage to the end of the existing video.

You can do this to your own TikToks, or TikToks that belong to other people. Just remember that you can only Stitch videos that have have the Stitch option enabled.

To trim a Stitched TikTok, you must first make one. Launch the TikTok app and locate a TikTok you want to Stitch. Press on the TikTok to view it. If the video is your own private TikTok, press the three dots.

Or, if the video is public, press the share icon. A set of options should appear. Select the ‘stitch’ option.

stitch-option

You should now be taken to the trim tool. This is a more basic trim tool compared to the one available from the editing screen.

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Here, you can only trim the footage by moving the sides of the rectangle left and right. When you’re done, press the ‘next’ option. This will take you to the recording screen.

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Now, you can press the red button and record your own footage. This will appear after the existing footage you trimmed. When you’re done, press the checkmark.

Using External Editors

You can also trim TikTok videos outside of the TikTok app. In order to do this, you must first have a video to trim. You can record a video using your phone, or download a TikTok from the app.

To download a TikTok, go on the relevant TikTok and press the share icon. Or, if the video is private, press the three dots. Then, select the ‘save video’ option to download the video.

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Now, you can use the default video editor on your phone to trim the video, or use a video-editing site to trim the video. Afterwards, upload the video onto TikTok.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you can trim TikTok videos using the trim tool available on the app. For Stitched TikToks, you can trim them after selecting the ‘stitch’ option. For Duets, there is no trim option available.

You can usually use the Photos app or your phone library to upload your videos into the TikTok app. You can also check out a video editing tool, which can give you more control.

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Author

Jenny

I love reading, writing, drawing, and other creative pursuits. I wish to travel more and do extreme activities, such as bungee-jumping and skydiving. I'm a casual gamer with an affinity for narrative-driven games and unique art styles. I like watching a variety of different media, but I particularly enjoy animations and musicals. My favourite genre, for both books and visual media, is psychological-thriller.

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