How to make a slideshow on TikTok, step by step

Choose a swipeable photo post or a timed video

A TikTok photo post lets the viewer swipe at their own pace. Use it for lists, comparisons, recipes, stories, or any idea people may want to pause and reread. A slideshow exported as a video controls the timing for the viewer and can use motion or timed narration. Use that version when the reveal depends on pace rather than reading.

Viraal currently creates the first kind: editable 9:16 image slides and a ZIP of numbered PNG files. It does not add TikTok audio, publish the post, or export an MP4 from the slideshow editor. Upload the numbered images to TikTok in order, then choose the sound, caption, cover, disclosure, and post settings inside TikTok.

Make the slideshow in TikTok

The exact labels vary by device, region, and app version. In the current creation flow, start a new post, open the upload picker, select multiple photos, and continue to the editing screen. If TikTok offers a choice between a photo post and a video, keep Photo Mode for a swipeable carousel. Review the order before you add sound or write the post caption.

TikTok lets creators add text, effects, sound, filters, and other edits before posting. Treat those tools as the final publishing layer. Put information that must remain attached to a particular image directly on that image; use TikTok text for a light annotation rather than rebuilding the entire slide.

1. Tap the add-post button, choose Upload, and allow photo access if TikTok asks.
2. Select the finished images in reading order and continue to the editor.
3. Keep the post in Photo Mode when you want viewers to swipe manually.
4. Preview every slide for order, cropping, covered text, and readability.
5. Add sound, caption, cover, audience, disclosure, and other post settings in TikTok.

Write the sequence before choosing the images

Start with one sentence that describes what the reader should understand by the final slide. Then give each frame one job. Five slides are enough for the worked example below, but five is not a platform rule. Combine steps when the idea feels padded; add a frame when one card is carrying two separate thoughts.

The real Viraal output opens with a question, then answers it with a day of meals. Slides two through five repeat one visual system—meal name, image, and nutrition card—so the reader learns how to scan the sequence. Before publishing nutrition, prices, product specifications, or any other factual claim, verify the value against its source.

1. Slide 1: state a specific question, result, or tension.
2. Slide 2: establish the pattern the remaining frames will follow.
3. Slides 3–4: add evidence, steps, or examples without changing the subject.
4. Final slide: answer the opening or give one useful next action.

Design every slide for a phone screen

Use a vertical 9:16 canvas and keep important text away from the edges, where interface controls and device cropping can cover it. Viraal uses a 1080 × 1920 canvas. TikTok also recommends vertical 9:16 creative and leaving space for its interface. Preview the finished post on a phone instead of judging type size on a desktop monitor.

Let the image establish context and let the caption make the point. If the picture already shows the result, shorten the words. If the slide contains a detailed instruction, choose a quieter image. Repeated type scale, caption position, and spacing help the reader recognize the pattern without relearning the layout on every swipe.

Build and export the image sequence in Viraal

In Studio, choose Slideshow, select an inspiration or enter a prompt, and generate a draft. Review the order before styling. Rewrite captions, replace images that obscure the point, and remove frames that only repeat an earlier sentence. The editor lets you adjust each text overlay instead of forcing one treatment across the whole sequence.

Export creates a ZIP containing numbered PNG slides. Open the ZIP and scan the files in order before uploading. Check that the first file is the intended cover, every image exists, factual claims match the source, and the final frame fulfills the promise on slide one.

Fix the four slideshow problems that make people stop swiping

A vague first card gives the sequence no direction. Repeated cards make the reader feel that nothing is changing. Tiny text turns a swipeable format into a zooming exercise. A final slide that introduces a new subject leaves the opening unanswered. These are story and editing problems, so transitions or more decoration will not repair them.

Read the sequence once with the images hidden and once with the text hidden. The text-only pass should still form a coherent outline. The image-only pass should show a recognizable visual progression. Finally, preview the combined slides at actual phone size and remove anything that needs a second reading.