How To Make A TikTok 60 Seconds & Longer

It only takes a few moments to get to the top of the TikTok charts, just a few moments of video time can explode in popularity and make you the next big viral meme.

One of the best features of TikTok is its pretty robust set of video editing tools.

The tools can be used to cut and splice videos however you want.

The most successful videos tend to fall right in the 15-second mark.

But, you have a lot of flexibility besides that.

Finding the right video length is the key to getting a lot of attention on your channel.

Depending on what you do on your page, longer or shorter videos may be a better choice.

How to Make a 60 Second TikTok Video

The default setting of TikTok is to record for 15 seconds.

That used to be the maximum limit, but TikTok recently changed things.

Now you can make videos up to 60 seconds long.

That is a lot longer than Snapchat and Instagram videos.

There are 3 main ways you can make a Tik Tok 60 seconds long.

1. Swipe Near The Bottom

Here is how to change the length of your video

• First, make sure you have the most recent TikTok update (v.16.5.1)
• Hit the + button on the main toolbar
• Swipe the bar on the bottom from ’15’ to ’60’

You can then start recording by pressing the red circle.

Now your TikTok video will record for a maximum of 60 seconds.

Obviously, you can record for less time than this.

This method just changes the limit from 15 to 60 seconds, you can press the record button again to stop recording at whatever time you want.

2. Use the Stopwatch Icon

The previous method is not your only option.

You can also define exactly how long the video records for, right down to the tenth of a second.

• Press the + button to create a video.
• On the right-hand column, press the stopwatch icon
• Drag the bar to the appropriate video time
• Press Start countdown once you have the time set
• The video will start recording in 3 seconds

This method allows you to set exactly how long you want to record.

The recording time slider is really useful if you want an exact video length and don’t want to worry about pressing the ‘Record” button again to stop the video.

3. Upload a Longer Video

There is one other method to make a TikTok 60 seconds or longer.

With this method, you upload a video you shot on an app other than TikTok.

This particular method is unique because you can actually upload videos longer than 60 seconds.

The previous 2 methods had 60-second maximum limits.

Here is how to upload a video to TikTok:

• Press the + button on the dashboard to create a new video
• Click ‘Upload’ next to the ‘Record’ button

You will then be prompted to select a video.

Highlight the video that you want and click the red ‘Next’ button in the bottom right corner.

You can actually select multiple videos and splice them together in the next part.

You will then be able to cut the video to the desired length.

This feature uses the same slider mechanisms as the previous method.

Once you have the right length set, hit the red ‘Next’ button in the top right corner.

Once you cut the video time, you can add special effects and other filters before you post, just like you would for a normal video.

Can I Make a Video Longer than 60 Seconds?

The first two methods can only make TikToks up to 60 seconds long.

If you record your video using the TikTok app then you will only be able to record for 60 seconds.

However, if you upload a video from another source, then the video can be longer than 60 seconds long.

Technically, there is no time limit to how long an uploaded video can be, as long as it does not exceed the allotted file size for TikTok videos.

You can also make ‘videos’ longer than 60 seconds by creating multiple TikToks that follow after one another.

Technically, this is not a single video but multiple posts placed consecutively.

However, if you watch them in order all in one go, it’s kind of like watching a single longer video.

TikTok Video Limits

As we said earlier, you can upload a video of whatever length you want, provided it does not exceed the maximum file limit.

Here are some quick specs for TikTok video limitations:

• File Size: Videos can be up to 287 MB for iOS devices and 72 MB for Android. Ads can be up to 500 MB.
• Orientation: TikTok is designed for showcasing vertical video, but you can change it to horizontal if you want.
• Dimensions: TikTok can handle up to standard HD dimensions (1080 x 1920)
• Aspect Ratio: TikTok videos are normally formatted in standard smartphone aspect ratio (9:16). You can also make 1:1 videos but these are less common and won’t fir the entire screen.
• File type: User can upload .mp4 and .mov file types. Ads support .avi and .gif files

Is There a Minimum TikTok Video Length?

Yes, there is a minimum length for TikTok videos. TikTok videos can be as short as 3 seconds long.

If you try to record and upload a video for less than 3 seconds, you will get a message asking you to record a longer video.

Music Limitations

One of the more unique features of TikTok is that it allows you to set your videos to music directly in the app.

There is one problem here though: Most of the time, you can only choose a clip of the song, not the entire thing.

Generally, the longest music clips you can find are 60 seconds long or less.

That means if you want to make a video 60 seconds or longer, then you won’t be able to add music to the whole thing using the TikTok app.

Can I Use a Third-Party App to Make TikTok Videos?

Yes, you can make a video with a third-party app and put it on TikTok.

First, create and edit the video in whatever app you want.

Next, all you have to do is upload the video to your TikTok page (see method #3).

You can then set the time of the video and post it as normal.

Since the uploaded video is from another app, it will have all your edits and effects.

Here is a nifty list of some of the best video editing apps for TikTok.

What Is the Ideal TikTok Length?

So you are probably wondering: What is the perfect length for a TikTok?

That is a tough question to answer.

TikTok does not publish official video stats so there is little to no hard data on video lengths and views.

We did find some sources though.

According to this website, based on data from the top 100 videos of 2019, here are some interesting stats about TikTok video lengths:

• The average length of the top 100 videos was a comfortable 15.6 seconds
• 80% of all the videos were between 11-20 seconds
• 60% of the top videos were under 20 seconds
• Only 2% of the top videos were a full 60 seconds
• Only about 8% of the most popular videos were between 0-10 seconds.

So if we are just going by the data here, it seems that 15-16 seconds is the perfect length for a TikTok.

This actually fits what we know about human attention spans.

According to marketing research, the average adult attention span on the internet is about 8-12 seconds.

In fact, videos longer than 60 seconds have a nearly 50% abandon rate.

That means 1 out of 2 viewers won’t make it through a full 60-second video.

Now in full transparency, these stats were observed specifically for marketing videos, not necessarily just random videos on TikTok.

The actual stats for non-marketing videos could be different.

It could also be true that different kinds of videos have different optimal lengths.

For example, it’s plausible to think that dance videos can be a bit longer than sketch or comedy videos.

Summary

Let’s recap what we covered really quickly.

There are 3 major methods to make a TikTok 60 seconds or longer.

1. You can swipe near the bottom of the screen and change the default timer from 15 to 60 seconds
2. If you press the stopwatch icon on the right-hand side you can set the exact video length you want using the slider
3. You can upload a video longer than 60 seconds that you recorded with another app

So there you have it: a comprehensive guide on how to make TikTok videos 60 seconds or longer.

To be honest, most people on the app do not use the entire 60-second allotment as people’s attention span is just too short.

However, TikTok gives some good options if you want to try your hand at a longer video.

Alex

Alex Bolano is a tech writer based out of St. Louis. He holds a Masters from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis and regularly writes on topics relating to technology, science, and internet culture. He enjoys playing video games and researching the latest trends in science and technology.