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TikTok adds a Library tool to level up your GIF game

Nadeem Sarwar
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TikTok is adding a new editing tool that will allow content creators to add GIFs with sound into their videos to spice things up. The tool is called Library, and it can be accessed from the camera recording screen, where users will now see a dedicated reel icon for it in the vertical sidebar.

The Library section will be populated by content sourced from GIPHY, including GIPHY Clips. If that name sounds unfamiliar, well, GIPHY Clips is essentially a GIF with the original sound in the background. These are short videos of a few seconds in length, and are licensed from GIPHY’s content partners.

The new Library feature on TikTok.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

GIPHY Clips can be anything from viral reactions and memorable movie moments to influencer video snippets and famous quotes. On the Library page, users will be greeted by a feed of GIPHY Clips that they can clip according to their needs and add to their TikTok videos.

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At the moment, TikTok users will find GIPHY Clips sourced from content production partners such as HBO, Hulu, Xbox, and Roku among others. Down the road, GIPHY plans to expand Library’s content portfolio with more sounds, reactions, text templates, and creator content.

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How to add GIPHY Clips to your TikTok videos

  1. Fire up the TikTok app and go to the Camera screen.
  2. Tap on the Library option that appears at the bottom of the vertical sidebar.
  3. Slide upwards on the Library page to find a GIPHY Clip, or use the search field at the top for tailored results.
  4. Once you’ve zeroed down on a clip, you can trim it to use only the desired segment in your TikTok video.
  5. Once the clip has been trimmed, you can move ahead with recording your video and then post it.
How To Use GIPHY Clips in TikTok Library

The Library feature powered by GIPHY will be rolling out to TikTok users on Android this week. It will appear on the iOS client starting next week, with further expansion to follow soon after. GIPHY Clips integration joins a growing slate of creative video-editing features on TikTok to help users make more engaging content.

Boosting creativity, with Facebook’s help

TikTok already offers a Green Screen feature created in collaboration with GIPHY. It allows users to select a GIF as the background while recording videos. There is also a one-tap visual enhancement feature that can quickly fine-tune elements such as exposure and color correction before a video that has been recorded moments ago or pulled from their camera roll is shared.

@giphy

keep your 👀 peeled for the newest GIPHY integration on @TikTok rolling out today! 🎉🎉✨

♬ original sound – GIPHY

Another quality-related feature offered by TikTok is high-quality video uploads that allow users in select regions to share videos in 1080p resolution. And then there is the sound modulation trick, which can make a person’s voice sound like that of an animal or a musical instrument. GIPHY Clips integration via the new Library tool only adds to the fun aspect of making short-form videos on TikTok.

The announcement comes at a rather odd time. GIPHY was acquired by Facebook — now going by the name Meta — in 2020, with ambitious plans for Instagram integration. But last night, an investigation by The Washington Post revealed that Meta paid a political consulting firm to run a smear campaign against TikTok.

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Nadeem Sarwar
Nadeem Sarwar
Contributor
Nadeem is a tech journalist who started reading about cool smartphone tech out of curiosity and soon started writing…
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