How To Make a Slideshow on TikTok

To make a slideshow on TikTok, open the app, tap Add post, choose Photo and upload up to 35 photos in the order you want them to play. Add a sound and a little text, then post it. That gives you a photo post, which shows one image after another with music and lets viewers swipe through at their own pace.

There is a second kind of TikTok slideshow, and it helps to know about it before you start. You can also turn your photos into a regular video, where you decide how long each photo stays on screen and can talk over it. Most people want the swipeable photo post, so this guide starts there, and the video version follows straight after.

Photo Post or Video Slideshow?

A photo post keeps every picture as its own slide. TikTok plays them one after another with your chosen sound, and viewers can swipe to move through them at their own speed. Each photo stays full-size and still, which suits travel sets, recipes, outfit ideas and short step-by-step tips.

A video slideshow turns the same photos into one video with a timeline. You choose how long each photo stays on screen, when text appears and disappears, and whether you add a voiceover. Viewers watch it like any other video and can’t swipe between the photos. That makes it the better choice when the pace matters, such as a countdown, a story told in order or a before-and-after reveal.

If you’re not sure which one to make, ask yourself one question first. Do you want people to swipe? If you do, make a photo post. If you need transitions, exact timing or narration, make a video slideshow. If you need none of those things, a photo post is the simpler option and takes less time.

How To Make a Swipeable Photo Slideshow

These steps follow TikTok’s own photo post flow in the app. Pick your photos before you start, because the order you tap them in becomes the order of the slides.

1. Open TikTok and tap Add post (+) at the bottom of the screen. Then tap Photo and tap Upload.
2. Select up to 35 photos from your phone, tapping them in the order you want them to appear.
3. Tap Next. Swipe between the photos to add a filter, a sound, text or stickers, or to crop a photo.
4. Tap Next again to open the post details. If you’d rather share the slideshow to your Story, tap Your Story instead.
5. Tap Post to share it, or tap Drafts to save it and finish it later.

If you start from the regular upload screen instead, you may see a button that switches the post to photo mode. Tap it if it’s there and you want people to swipe. If it isn’t there, go back and start again from the Photo option, since that’s the path TikTok describes in its own help.

How To Make a Video Slideshow

A video slideshow takes a few more taps, but it gives you full control over the pace. There are two ways to build one. The editor works for everyone, while effect templates do some of the work for you but aren’t offered on every account.

Build It in the Editor

Tap Add post (+), tap Upload and choose your photos as a video, adding short clips too if you like. TikTok lets you add up to 35 photos and videos in one editing session. They play in the order you picked them, and you can add more later with the Add (+) button next to the video track.

To move a photo, press and hold it in the track, then drag it to a new spot. To make a photo stay on screen for a shorter or longer time, tap it and drag the arrow on either side. Text works the same way, so a caption can appear only on the slide it belongs to.

A video can hold one sound and up to eight overlays, which are extra photos or clips placed on top of the main track. To narrate it, tap Voice on the side panel, record your voiceover and save it. Keep the voiceover short and match it to the slides, because a long recording can make the photos feel rushed.

Use an Effect Template

Effect templates build the slideshow for you. They add the timing and motion, and you only choose the photos. To use one, tap Add post (+), then tap Create at the bottom. Pick or search for a template, tap Try this template, select your photos and follow the steps on screen.

Templates have two catches. TikTok says the feature isn’t available to everyone yet, so you may not see Create at all. If you have a Business Account, you can only use templates made with music that’s licensed for commercial use. Every template also turns your photos into a video, so people can’t swipe through it.

Add Text, Sound and Alt Text

Text on a slideshow works best when it’s short. Put one idea on each slide and keep it away from the edges, where buttons and your caption can cover it. If the slides tell a story in order, a small number or a single word on each one helps people follow along.

Choose the sound before you post. A photo post takes one sound for the whole set, so pick music that fits every slide, not just the first one. If you plan to talk over the photos, build a video slideshow instead, where the voiceover sits on the same timeline as the slides.

Alt text describes each photo for people who use screen readers. You can write up to 300 characters for each photo. On the post screen, tap More options, then Add alternative text, write the description and tap Done. You can also add it after posting by opening the post, tapping the More options (…) button, then Edit post and Add alternative text.

Before You Tap Post

The post screen is where a good slideshow gets finished. Tap Next after editing and you’ll see the options TikTok lists for every photo post. You can edit the cover, add a description and hashtags, tag people, add a location, add a link and choose who can see the post. The Add link option on this screen belongs to the post, not your profile, and our guide shows how to add a link to your TikTok bio once your account qualifies.

The cover is the first thing people see on your profile grid, so pick the slide that explains the set best. Check the privacy setting too, especially if you’ve been testing and left it on a narrower audience. If you’re not ready, tap Drafts. Drafts are visible only to you on your profile, so nobody else will see an unfinished slideshow.

When Your Slideshow Won’t Work

Most slideshow problems come down to starting in the wrong place. Here are the four that come up most, and what to try for each one.

There’s No Photo Option

Update the TikTok app first, then tap Add post (+) again and look for Photo among the options near the bottom of the screen. If you still can’t see it, restart your phone and try once more. If the missing option is Create, that’s the effect template feature, which TikTok hasn’t made available to everyone.

It Posted as a Video

This usually means the slideshow was built as a video. Effect templates always make a video, and so does adding photos through the regular editor. For a slideshow people can swipe, start again from Add post (+), then Photo and Upload. If you see a button to switch to photo mode before posting, use it.

The Photos Are in the Wrong Order

The order you tap your photos in is the order they play. In a photo post, go back to the selection screen, clear your choices and tap them again in the right order before you tap Next. In a video slideshow, press and hold a photo in the track and drag it to where it belongs.

You’re on a Computer

TikTok’s steps for posting from a web browser cover videos, and its photo post steps are written for the app. The simplest fix is to build a photo slideshow on your phone. If you have to use a computer, turn your photos into a short video first and upload that, knowing people won’t be able to swipe through it.

TikTok Slideshow Questions

How many photos can a TikTok slideshow have?
A photo post can hold up to 35 photos. The editor allows up to 35 photos and videos in one editing session, so a video slideshow has the same top limit. TikTok doesn’t state a minimum number, so the upper limit is the only one to plan around.

Can I make a TikTok slideshow on my computer?
TikTok’s photo post steps are for the app on your phone, and its browser steps cover uploading videos. If you need to work on a computer, make the slideshow as a video in another app and upload that file. Just remember that a video can’t be swiped like a photo post.

Can I add a voiceover to a slideshow?
Yes, if you make it as a video slideshow. In the editor, tap Voice on the side panel, tap Record and save your voiceover when you’re done. A photo post is built around one sound that plays across the slides, so use the video path when you want to narrate.

Can I change a slideshow after posting?
You can add alt text to each photo after posting through Edit post, which TikTok confirms. TikTok doesn’t confirm other changes after posting, so check your photos, order and sound before you tap Post. If you post the same set on Instagram, our guide to editing Instagram posts before and after posting covers which carousel changes it allows.

Pick the Format, Then the Photos

The one decision that saves the most time is the first one. If you want people to swipe, start from Photo and choose your slides in order. If you want timing, transitions or a voiceover, build a video in the editor or with a template.

After that, the work is simple. Keep the text short, pick one sound that fits every slide, add alt text and check the post screen before you share. If you want a new slideshow to reach more people from the start, you can also add TikTok views to that post.