How to Use Filters on TikTok: A Beginner’s Guide

tiktok filters

Highlights

Learn what TikTok Filters are and the difference between Filters and Effects
Get a list of the best filters on Tiktok
Step-by-step guide for using filters on your TikToks
Table of Contents
Explore article topics

If you want to become a successful TikToker, you need to be creative and original. Luckily, TikTok offers a wide range of filters and effects that will help you in your pursuit. So if you want to learn how to edit TikTok videos, you must use filters.

In this guide, you will learn:

  1. What are TikTok filters
  2. The difference between filters and effects
  3. How to use TikTok filters

Let’s learn how to use filters on TikTok!

songs for tiktok

What Are TikTok Filters?

Do you remember when black and white and sepia photos were all over social media? Well, a filter on TikTok is just about the same as that.

A filter on TikTok is a filter you put over your video to change its look and feel, primarily affecting the color.

@artlist.io nOoO bUt iT’s aRtIsTiC 🫠#filmmaker #orangeandteal #luts #colorgrading ♬ original sound – Charlie Mosey


They are separated into 4 categories: 

  • Food
  • Vibe
  • Portrait
  • Landscape

If becoming a content creator, and a serious one at that, is something you want, you can’t skip using filters in your videos.

@artlist.ioPlot twist: He only exported “Final Final 1.mp4” 🥲♬ Nutcase22 Captain RestrictedRemix – i c e t u t ❄️

TikTok Filters vs. TikTok Effects

Unlike filters that just change the color and the feel of your videos, TikTok effects and TikTok voice effects can do much more. 

Next to TikTok hashtags, these might be the most popular TikTok feature that makes the app stand out.

With TikTok effects, you can transport yourself to a different location, change the color of your hair or add makeup on your face, add tattoos and piercings and much more. 

In the Effects section, you can also use stickers, transitions, split the video into sections, reverse time, etc.

Read on to learn in detail how to use a filter on TikTok.

Best TikTok filters

Before we go into the details of how to use filters on TikTok, let’s first take a look at some of the most popular filters.

Beauty Mode

@tikcoach.baiden Beauty mode got you covered #greenscreenvideo #beautymode #foryoupage ♬ Steven Universe – L.Dre


This just might be one of the most used filters of all time, and it’s no wonder!

While there are millions of filters that change the shape of your face completely and make you look like someone else, with this beauty, you keep your face. However, it still does some minor changes that might boost your confidence.

  • It evens your skin tone
  • It adds a bit of color to your lips and cheeks.
  • It gives you longer lashes.

But again – it keeps you, you! So, for this reason alone, it is worth trying.

Get all you need to create the perfect video

V11

@emxlydavisignore my acne♬ original sound – 𝐕𝐞𝐞 🪐


If you have ever used any photo editing app, you probably noticed that most filters have names of letters and numbers. 

It is no different on TikTok, and V11 is one of the most popular filters.

This filter changes the color of your video to rosier hues. 

The pink glow this preset gives your videos makes everything look a bit more fantastic, a bit more romantic. 

And if you’re filming something calming or relaxing that can use a dash of rosy colors, this is the filter you should go for.

G6

@miryyyh Whoa 📈🤩 #foryou #hack #tutorial #foru #4you #fyp #g6filter #playlistlive #viral #lookbetter #sun #zoom #woah #catfish ♬ My Heart Went Oops – Tiagz


G6 is mainly used for filming food, but you can use it for just about anything!

It makes the colors of your videos more vibrant and gives them depth. So even if your phone camera is not great, with this filter, your videos will look almost profesh.

songs for tiktok

Bling Filter

@kyleighconnell¡¡¡How to get the bling filter!!!♬ original sound – kyleigh 🙂


Bling is another crazy popular filter that found its place among different brands. It is perfect for highlighting parts of the video you want to make stand out.

Inverted filter

@bambilaura My nose is definitely broken #invertedfilter #foryoupage ♬ talking to the moon sickmix – Sickickmusic


This one doesn’t play around with color like the previous few, but it inverts the picture like in a mirror, so it is fun to see how you look inverted too.

Expresify

@lisafiitt I don’t know what’s going on here #expressify #foryoupage ♬ Originalton – just kimbrly


This one changes your facial features and gives you a whole new, scary-ish look!

California

@annie..llifestyle my day! first time the california filter! 💕🌅 @.ellasvlogz1 @bridieslifestyle ♬ original sound – xxtristanxo


And one more filter that plays with color. California makes everything brighter, shinier and more colorful like you’re under the hot, hot sun.

How to use TikTok filters: A step-by-step guide

The first thing you want to learn is how to get filters on TikTok.

It is actually very simple, and you can access this feature in just a few clicks. 

First, open your app, then click on the + sign to create a new video, and then in the Filter card, you can search for the filter you like. Once you click on it, it will “download,” and you will be able to use it as many times as you want.

Okay, now you know how to get filters on TikTok, but do you know how to use filters on TikTok?

All you actually need to do is pick a filter from the 4 categories: Food, Portrait, Landscape and Vibe, then adjust the filter’s intensity and shoot a video.

Once you’re done, you can add more effect to your creation, stickers, letters, etc.

In all honestly, the TikTok format is extremely simple, and you can do anything in just a few clicks.

To summarize how to use filters on TikTok, assuming that you already have an account:

  1. Open the app
  2. Click on the + sign
  3. Click on the Filters card
  4. Choose a filter you like
  5. Adjust the intensity of the filter
  6. Film a video
  7. You can now also add effects

Additionally, if you haven’t picked out a filter before shooting a video and want to know if and how to add filters on TikTok after filming, know that it is also possible.

Once your video is done and without a filter, you can click on the filters or effects card and add a filter post-filming just as easily!

Wrap Up

If your idea is to become one of the best TikTokers and make money on TikTok, you will indeed need to stand out!

With the help of TikTok effects and TikTok filters, making original and unique videos is easier than ever before. 

We hope that the matters of how to use a filter on TikTok and how to get filters on TikTok are a bit clearer now and that we’ll be watching your next viral video very soon!

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Frequently asked questions

Here's how to get to the trending filters 1. Open the TikTok app and be ready to create a new video. 2. Click on the + sign in the middle of your home screen 3. Click on the Filters icon 4. On the bottom of the screen, you will be able to choose a trending filter on TikTok to your liking.

TikTok filters and their popularity change every single day. But here are some that are currently highly popular: 1. Beauty mode 2. Fantasy filter 3. Bling filter 4. Clown filter 5. Inverted filter Choose any of these filters for your videos, and you will already have a head start.

If you see a video that uses a filter you like, and you just want to save the filter and use it for a future video of yours, you can do it as well. 1. Click on the share icon (the arrow) 2. Choose the "Use this Effect" option 3. You will be taken to the page where you can create a new video. This is how to add filters on TikTok for future use.

Stefan Mitrovic is a tech geek and one of the founders of
streammentor.com. He's been trying to teach people how to stream, become popular and make a living out of it for a few years now. Even if one reader finds his writings useful, it's enough horsepower to make him write 2-3 guides daily.

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