TikTok Adds a Range of New Visual Effects that are Triggered by Sound

TikTok has added a range of new visual effects that are triggered by sound, providing new creative options within your TikTok clips.

As explained by TikTok:

“The new effects are powered by real-time and interactive music processing technologies. The result is visual movements and transitions that move synchronously to the beat of any song from TikTok’s sounds library.”

The first new addition is ‘Music Visualizer’, which provides an animated background that responds to the beat of the music track.

As per TikTok:

“The effect runs real-time beat tracking to animate an out-of-this-world, retro greenscreen landscape that will move right to the beat of your favorite space song (or any song you like from our sounds library)”

So you can record yourself moving over this digital landscape, with the sounds making the mountains rise and fall in time.

TikTok’s also adding a new option called ‘Music Machine’ which will ’empower creators to create music from different drumbeats and other sounds as they record video’.

Music Machine will provide an interactive set of tools on screen as you record, with users able to create whole new tracks from the sounds.

“Music Machine also features a BPM slider that allows for real-time BPM adjustment while preserving timbre and pitch. There are five, one-shot sound effects and dynamic visual responses that synchronize the visuals of your video with the music you create.”

TikTok’s also adding:

• Delayed Beats – Synchronize a series of still images to the beat of any song from TikTok’s sounds library
• Text Beats – Add animated text overlays that transition, in-synch, with the beat of any song
• Solid Beats – Adds vibrant, funky visual effects to your video that synchronize with the beat of any song
• Mirror Beats – Aligns display transitions with the beat of any song

​So, essentially, a range of different visual tools that interact with the music you select for your clip/s.

As noted, that could provide a whole range of new creative options, with more responsive, engaging tools that shift and move in time. That could also make your branded TikTok clips look more in-synch with the rest of the platform. A key benefit of more advanced video tools like this is that they up the quality of all content in the app, which makes it easier for anyone – including brands – to create similar without having to spend a lot of money.

Integrating your brand messages into the TikTok presentation style is key to resonance on the platform. As TikTok says: ‘Don’t make ads, make TikToks‘ – and more advanced, engaging tools like this can only work to your benefit in this respect.

It still takes a level of creativity to win out on the platform, and you still need to spend time in the app to get an understanding of what works best. But more advanced options like this will help – and TikTok also notes that it’s working on more creative, immersive effects using advanced tools (like Apple’s LiDAR scanner in the latest iPhone models).

The new effects are being rolled out now and will be available in a new, dedicated “Music” tab in the Creative Effects tray