In an unexpected move, TikTok is beginning to introduce Photo Mode, a new photo slideshow editing tool similar to that of Instagram. This is accompanied by a few other new video editing features, such as enhanced editing abilities and longer captions.

The launch from the social media giant came following an announcement in a blogpost centred around Photo Mode, a new carousel format created specifically for sharing still images on the app. However, unlike Instagram, you can accompany your still photos with music.

Using Photo Mode to post content is still similar to publishing regular video content in the app. 

How Do You Use TikTok Photo Mode?

When creating content in Photo Mode, you first need to hit the “+” at the bottom of your For You page. 

Proceed by clicking the ‘Upload’ button in the bottom right corner to open up your photo gallery. You next want to choose the photos you wish to add to the carousel and click “next’.

Similar to TikTok’s video posting features, the content editing page will then appear. From here you can add your chosen music and any effects.

A small CTA will also appear at the bottom of the screen that reads “Switch to Video Mode”

TikTok Vs Instagram: Social Media Rivalry 

Social media users will notice that this concept is highly similar to Instagram. For over a decade, Instagram has been known for allowing content creators to post still image carousel posts on their grid and stories, and TikTok seems to have mimicked this motion.

But this is just one of the many examples of social media platforms mirroring one another’s features in recent times.

Since its launch, TikTok has inspired various new features across today’s popular social media platforms, the most famous being Instagram Reels. This was shortly followed by the introduction of YouTube Shorts, and then most recently Twitter’s short new videos feature, so it was only so long before TikTok began to make notes from other app features.

What are TikTok’s New Enhanced Editing Tools?

Alongside the new TikTok Photo Mode feature, the company has rolled out some new enhanced editing features too.

In a recent blog post, they announced:

“TikTok’s enhanced editing tools allow you to easily adjust clips, sounds, images, and text in a new editing environment, all within TikTok’s creation flow. You’ll be able to:

• Edit clips: Stack, trim, and split video clips.

• Edit sounds:Cut, trim, and set the duration for sounds.

• Edit and position text: More easily edit, position, and set the duration for text.

• Add overlays: Add photo and video overlays for picture-in-picture (or video-in-video) stacking.

• Adjust video speed: Speed or slow the pace of video clips.

• Frame content: Rotate or zoom in and out of the frame of individual clips.

• Add sound effects”

It was also announced that longer descriptions for content would be available, with a character limit of up to 2,200 for each post. This is a striking jump from the previous 300-character limitation. 

TikTok’s new features, including Photo Mode, are currently available in the UK alongside most global regions. 

Thanks for reading,

Myk Baxter, eCommerce Consultant