How To Use Filters on TikTok for Your Brand

Dec 12, 2023
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How To Use Filters on TikTok and Take Your Marketing Strategy to the Next Level

As content creators and brands are looking for ways to go viral on the platform and get more followers, TikTok is gaining more and more popularity. TikTok now allows three-minute videos, rewards the best creators through the TikTok Creator Fund, and gives anonymous users a chance to rise to global fame (like in the case of Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae Easterling). Brands that use TikTok for marketing try to present their services and products in a lighthearted yet clever way and match the feel and format of TikTok’s regular content. Whether you’re using TikTok for business or just for fun, the platform abounds with options to give your videos a visual boost. The app offers a rich selection of different visual elements you can add to your videos and images, ranging from simple, preset color adjustments to more dynamic effects. You don’t even have to be a professional to know how to use filters on TikTok—they are fun and easy to use for everybody, but there are certain tips that can get your brand to the TikTok For You page more quickly.

What Kinds of Filters Are There on TikTok?

Source: Josh RoseFilters are extremely popular on TikTok because they allow users to showcase their personality and serve brands to present their lighter, more humorous side. They can help your brand stand out with unique content, and using certain filters can even become a proper TikTok trend. TikTok filters can be classified into two categories:

  • Traditional filters
  • Effects

Traditional Filters

Before you start shooting a video, TikTok allows you to choose among four different filter categories: Portrait, Landscape, Food, and Vibe. All of these categories have a large number of filters that can enhance whatever type of content you’re sharing. Whether you want the food in your photos to look fresher or to add a pinkish shade to your sunset photos, you can achieve all that by using filters.

Effects

If you’re more into applying drastic or, at least, more dynamic and fun changes to your videos, you can use Effect filters instead. These filters can turn a person into a hologram, replace one’s face with an animal’s, change facial features entirely, put makeup on your face, add a pair of dog ears, and much more.They can help you change the concept of your video in its entirety. Effects, just like traditional filters, can be applied before recording a video, but some of them aren’t visible until you start recording.

How To Use Traditional Filters on TikTok

Source: TikTokHere’s how to add TikTok filters to your videos:

  1. Tap the + button to start a new video
  2. Tap on the Filters icon on the right side of your screen
  3. Select the category you’re interested in (Portrait, Landscape, Food, or Vibe) to see all available filters
  4. Choose the filter that you like, and then tap anywhere on the camera screen to hide the Filters tab

You’re ready to start recording! In case you want to change the filter or completely remove it, open the Filters tab again and tap the small block icon in the upper left corner to go back to your default camera settings.You can also record your video first without adding any filters and then add them in the preview by opening the Filters tab and following the instructions above.

How To Use Effects On TikTok

Source: TikTokTo add an effect to your video, follow these instructions:

  1. Open the app and tap the + button on the home screen to film a new video
  2. Tap on the Effects tab on the left side of the Record button.
  3. Browse through various categories of effects, including Trending, New, Interactive, etc.
  4. Tap on any effect—it will immediately be applied to your screen or show you further instructions
  5. Touch the screen to exit the Effects tab and start recording your video

How To Search for Filters and Effects on TikTok

If you’re not familiar with any effects and just want to experiment, you can browse through different effect categories and find those that you like. You can even save them to your favorites so you can find them faster the next time. The Effect tab has a search option that you can use if you already know the name of the effect you want to use or just want to try different keywords. It is good to know that you don’t have to look manually for an effect that catches your eye in a video on your For You page. TikTok shows what effects were used in each video, and you can access them directly from the For You page by tapping on the yellow star button and hitting the Try this effect option.

Source: TikTokThe Discover page is another option for looking for interesting effects for your next video by using specific names or general keywords.

How To Add Two Effects on TikTok

TikTok allows you to combine multiple effects when you’re recording a new video. Here’s how you can add more than one effect to your post:

  1. Open your TikTok camera
  2. Select the effect that you want to use first
  3. Adjust the video duration according to your needs and tap on the red Record button
  4. Stop recording when you want to change the effect
  5. Go back to Effects and select another one
  6. Continue filming with the new effect

You can repeat this process as many times as you need before your predetermined recording time runs out.

Popular Filters and Effects on TikTok for 2022

Source: TikTokUsing filters and effects is one of the fundamentals of TikTok, and this trend is not going anywhere any time soon.Some of the filters are particularly popular for enhancing video quality, lighting, or the appearance of the subject. While each of the filter categories was designed for a specific intent, there are no limitations to using them for other purposes. For instance, you can experiment with using landscape filters to enhance faces in videos focusing on people. You can also opt for more striking changes to your videos for fun by applying an effect such as Bling Bling or Long Face. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most popular pre-set filters and special effects, so you can have fun with the editing process and post visually stunning content that will bring you more popularity on the platform.

Caramel

TikTok filters from the Portrait category are primarily aimed at enhancing facial features. They are supposed to mimic the effects of lighting changes. While this category has many different filters that should give a face that perfect look, Caramel is one of the most famous filters from this tab. It raises saturation and increases contrast, especially deepening warm colors like red and orange. Apart from making warm colors more vivid, this filter is commonly used to make videos appear as if they were made during the golden hour.

Tonal

Vibe filters can upscale the visual impact of your videos by making people and the surroundings look a certain way or adding a mood-related color. The Tonal filter is one of the most famous TikTok filters in the category, and its goal is to make your videos look retro, almost black and white. This filter gives videos a unique dark hue, and it is perfect for those who would like their videos to appear as scenes from vintage movies or give off a darker vibe.

Brew

Brew, formerly known as Food G6, is one of the most used filters from the Food category. The filters from this category are usually applied to food-related videos, but you can use them any way you like and for any type of content. For instance, you can find many videos that aren’t related to food using this filter if you search “glow up” on TikTok. Applying this filter gives videos depth by making them appear a bit grimy and slightly retro, but at the same time flamboyant and bright.

Color Customizer Effect

https://www.tiktok.com/@gabrielughngela/video/6949297229735791873?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7056720794054985222Source: GabThe Color Customizer effect, also known as the Color Selector effect, allows you to change the saturation of your videos to such an extent that the color of clothing, skin, hair, or any other element turns completely different. It is a great option for significantly altering the natural look of your video without complicated video editing tools or software.

Expressify Effect

https://www.tiktok.com/@nobosart/video/6954374836030426373Source: NoboExpressify is a hilarious effect that exaggerates facial expressions by magnifying the selected facial features, resulting in huge eyes or extremely expressive eyebrows. These overemphasized expressions can make your content more humorous and show that you know how to have fun. In the end, that’s why TikTok is so popular.

How To Make Your Videos Look Even Better on TikTok

As a brand planning your next TikTok marketing campaign, you should always search for the best editing tools in order to make your videos outshine other TikTok content and rise to popularity. Unlike regular TikTok users, brands who create TikTok marketing campaigns usually have access to various types of more advanced editing software. If you are looking for more filters than those that TikTok offers, you’ve probably heard of software such as Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, CyberLink PowerDirector 365, and others. Professional video programs offer many more editing tools than TikTok itself and have advanced features that can help you customize your videos in more detail.

How Can Proper Filter Use Contribute to Your Marketing Efforts on TikTok?

If you are using TikTok for business, you want to present your brand in the best possible light as you attempt to become famous on the platform, improve conversion rates, and ultimately increase profit. While TikTok audiences want content that’s lighthearted and different from what they see on other socials and more traditional marketing channels, you still have to pay attention to the essence of any marketing campaign—making your brand stand out. Luckily, TikTok is full of features that provide marketers with an opportunity to create eye-catching and entertaining videos. Apart from various editing options and new or updated features, such as Duet and Stitch, which became trends in a flash, a more traditional way to highlight your content is using filters and effects. Since popular effects that attract views also become trends, by monitoring the Discover page and your For You feed, you will be able to find those that fit your content niche the most and create thumb-stopping videos.

Using Filters on TikTok Is Easy, But It Has To Be Done Strategically

Source: Mourizal ZativaWhile you won’t have to rack your brains over how to find filters on TikTok and apply them properly, some of them might be more beneficial for your content performance than others. Identifying the best filters, effects, and other elements that could contribute to your marketing strategy before you start your TikTok campaign is of great importance for achieving your business goals on this platform. In spite of brands dedicating time and investing resources in determining their objectives beforehand, some of the strategies don’t bring the desired outcome, and the videos end up not getting enough views.

Behind Failed TikTok Marketing Campaigns

Why do some TikTok marketing strategies fail even though the platform is user-friendly and brands set clear objectives? Here are the most common reasons we identified:

  • Not being familiar enough with their target audience—To create a successful TikTok business strategy, you need to keep track of your TikTok analytics and find answers to several important questions: who your target audience is, what their online habits are, what kind of content they usually like, how to make the content that will attract likes, when they are active the most, etc.
  • Failing at the execution level—Regardless of how many video ideas you might have for your TikTok content, it’s necessary to have knowledge on how to execute them as well. For instance, you may be aware that partnering with influencers is great but aren’t sure which ones you should reach out to. Also, you may know that following trends is important, but you keep hopping on the wrong ones
  • Being unaware of the fleeting nature of trends—TikTok trends and user behavior are prone to frequent changes, and such shifts and new trends need to be monitored continuously. The approach that works perfectly today might become something nobody cares about in a few months or even weeks
  • Relying on a single person or a small team—Many brands rely on small teams consisting of only one or a couple of social media managers to conceptualize and execute their social media strategy. Effective social media marketing requires the expertise of many professionals, including video directors, data analysts, graphic designers, content strategists, and more

Kubbco Can Help You Enrich Your Brand’s TikTok Presence

Using specific TikTok features smartly is important, and, thanks to our experience, we know how your brand can benefit from them. Kubbco is a social media agency with a special focus on TikTok, and we will gladly show you how to use TikTok filters for your brand to make more interesting content. Our help goes beyond this tiny aspect of using TikTok for business, though. Experienced in all segments of social media marketing, we can create all-encompassing TikTok strategies that go from helping you define your specific goals to providing detailed reports on executed campaigns and everything in between:

  • Target audience analysis—We monitor your target audience and their social media habits to determine what captures their interest the most and what their common opinions are. Based on this data, we come up with ideas for content that will ensure their active engagement
  • Content production—Our team consists of professionals from various fields, such as writing, video editing, photography, graphic design, and many others, who have already created thousands of high-performing TikTok videos for brands from different industries
  • Community management—We also handle all other aspects of growing your TikTok business account and getting your brand into important conversations that help share your brand’s values with the right audience
  • Paid advertisement—Kubbco can advise you on all aspects of paid advertising on TikTok, including opting for the right ad types, monitoring the performance of paid campaigns, and coming up with necessary tweaks to your ad campaigns based on our in-depth insights

Our Clients’ Success Stories

We approach each client differently based on their specific business needs, but we never fail to listen to their requests and adjust them to what is trending at the moment. This is what we did for Matas, the brand that reached out to us in 2021, wishing to improve their TikTok performance stats. Here’s what we accomplished together in just eight weeks:Total Views5.6 millionTotal Interactions209,000New Followers13,500

Source: MatasOur other clients have seen similar results, thanks to our joint efforts:ClientTimespanVideos PostedViral VideosTotal ViewsFollowers GainedNATURLI’ Foods23 weeks112206.2 million5,200essence cosmetics2 years 2 months5561273 million386,000OLAPLEX5 weeks2825.1 million22,000If you want similar success for your brand, reach out to our team of experts anytime. For more tips on creating better social media strategies and staying on top of the most important social media news, sign up for our newsletter and get expert insights directly in your inbox.

Caroline Dan
TikTok Specialist & Content Creator

I create viral TikToks for brands.

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