The timeline would then
consist of the beginning clip,
a transition clip and the end
clip. Since you shot the end clip
together with the beginning, the
transition should be pretty seam-
less; they used to be one single
clip. As for the transition shot, it
should be a different shot with a
clear cut in the video. It could be
something like a cut to another
subject responding to the person
in the looped clip.
You can see this done in action
in Josh Martin’s “How to Make a
Loop Video” tutorial. In the per-
fect loop tutorial, Martin is only
using two clips: a video clip that

SHORT

How to make a perfect loop for TikTok

The best way to ensure your video is a perfect loop is to make the be-

ginning and the end of the video part of the same clip.

contains his ending and beginning and a clip that

acts as a transition.

SHOOTING A LOOP WITHOUT A TRANSI-

TION SHOT

You don’t necessarily need a transition shot to make a

loop. It really depends on the kind of video that you’re

shooting. There are a lot of looping TikToks where the

subject walks, jumps, or falls out of the frame, only to

inhumanly reappear from a different side of the cam-

era in an instant. The concept here is the same as the

previous section. Making the loop is going to require

an editing app that has a timeline where you can trim

and move clips. You’re also going to want to shoot the

ending first and transition it into what will become

the beginning.

Circling back to our falling out of frame example,

the way you would achieve this kind of loop is by first

starting the video with you walking into frame and

looking around. Then you suddenly fall out of the

frame. To loop this, in post, split the ending of your

video (the part where you walk into frame and right

before you’re about to look around). Move this clip to

the back of the video.

Video courtesy: Josh Martin

SHOOT THE

ENDING

FIRST AND

TRANSITION

IT INTO WHAT

WILL BECOME

THE BEGINNING

“