For months I uploaded videos that looked perfect on my computer and blurry on TikTok. I tried everything: exporting in 4K, pushing absurd bitrates, switching editors. Nothing. Until I understood how TikTok processes files and tuned my export to what the platform actually wants. Since then my videos look the same in the app as on my screen. These are the specs I use and why.

1. Resolution and Aspect Ratio

TikTok is vertical. The standard resolution is 1080 x 1920 pixels, 9:16 aspect ratio. That's what fills a phone screen with no black bars.

Ratio	Resolution	Result on TikTok
9:16	1080 x 1920	Full screen (recommended)
1:1	1080 x 1080	Bars top and bottom
16:9	1920 x 1080	Small video in the center
4:5	1080 x 1350	Thin bars

What about uploading in 4K (2160 x 3840)? TikTok accepts it, but downscales it to 1080p for most users. All you get is a bigger file and a longer upload. I always export at 1080 x 1920.

Mind the safe zone: the like, comment buttons and the caption text cover the bottom and the right side. Leave roughly 250 pixels free at the bottom and 120 on the right for important text.

2. Frames per Second

TikTok supports 23 to 60 fps. In my experience:

30 fps: enough for talking to camera, tutorials, vlogs.
60 fps: better for sports, dance, gameplay or anything with fast motion.

The important thing is not to mix them. If you shoot at 60 and export at 30, the editor drops frames and motion looks choppy. Shoot and export at the same rate.

3. Codecs: H.264 vs. H.265

The codec is how the video gets compressed. TikTok accepts the two main ones:

H.264 (AVC): the universal standard. Compatible with everything. Slightly larger files.
H.265 (HEVC): more efficient compression, files 30-40% smaller at the same quality. It's what iPhones use by default.

My recommendation: H.264. TikTok is going to recompress the video anyway, and H.264 causes fewer compatibility issues on upload. I've had HEVC files the app rejected or that uploaded with washed-out colors. With H.264, never.

For audio: AAC, 128-320 kbps, 44.1 or 48 kHz. Stereo.

4. Bitrate: The Setting That Matters Most

Bitrate is the amount of data per second of video. More bitrate, more quality and more size. Here's the mistake I was making: thinking more is always better.

TikTok recompresses every video to a bitrate of around 2-5 Mbps depending on the viewer's device. If you upload at 50 Mbps, the platform has to do a brutal compression and the result can be worse than uploading something closer to its target.

What works for me:

1080p at 30 fps: 8-12 Mbps.
1080p at 60 fps: 12-16 Mbps.

It's enough for the source file to have headroom, but not so much that recompression wrecks the details.

5. Maximum Size and Length

Max file size: 287 MB from iOS, 72 MB from Android in the app, and up to 10 GB uploading from the web.
Length: from 1 second up to 60 minutes for uploaded videos; recorded in the app, up to 10 minutes.

At 12 Mbps, a 60-second video is about 90 MB. If you upload from Android and hit the limit, use TikTok's web version, which is far more permissive.

6. Why TikTok Recompresses Your Videos

This is what nobody explains. TikTok serves video to hundreds of millions of devices on very different connections. To make it load instantly on a low-end phone over 4G, it generates several versions of each video at different qualities and picks the right one based on the connection.

That's why:

Your video looks worse in the first minutes after uploading (the HD version takes time to process).
It looks different depending on the viewer's phone and network.
It never looks exactly like the original file.

You can enable "Allow high-quality uploads" in the posting menu (More options). It guarantees nothing, but it raises the priority of HD processing. I always turn it on.

7. How to Export from CapCut

CapCut is what I use on mobile. The settings that work:

Tap the export icon (top right).
Resolution: 1080p.
Frame rate: 30 or 60 depending on how you shot.
Bitrate: "Recommended" or high. Avoid "Highest" if the video is heavy.
Codec: H.264.
Turn off "Export in HDR" unless all your footage is HDR.

8. How to Export from Premiere Pro

In Premiere I use this preset:

Format: H.264.
Preset: Match Source - High bitrate, then adjust.
Resolution: 1080 x 1920.
Frame rate: same as the sequence.
Profile: High. Level: 4.2.
Bitrate encoding: VBR, 2 pass.
Target bitrate: 10 Mbps. Maximum: 16 Mbps.
Audio: AAC, 320 kbps, 48 kHz.
Check "Use Maximum Render Quality".

Exporting at 2 passes takes twice as long but distributes bitrate better across scenes with motion.

9. MP4 vs. MOV

Both are containers, not codecs. A MOV can carry H.264 inside just like an MP4. TikTok accepts both, but:

MP4 is lighter, universal and what TikTok processes with fewer surprises.
MOV is Apple's native format. It works fine from iPhone, but sometimes carries rotation metadata that makes the video upload sideways.

Export to MP4 whenever you can. If you're starting from a MOV shot on iPhone, CapCut itself converts it with no noticeable loss.

10. Checking the Result

My routine before publishing: I upload the video as private, wait 10-15 minutes for the HD version to process and review it on my phone with a good connection. If it looks good, I make it public. If not, I re-export at a slightly lower bitrate. Almost always the problem is a file that's too heavy, not too light.

If you want to compare what TikTok did to your video, download your own post with TikSnap and compare the resulting file with the original: it's the fastest way to see how much was lost in recompression and adjust your next export.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my video look blurry right after uploading? TikTok processes a low-quality version first. HD takes a few minutes.

Does uploading in 4K improve quality? No. It's downscaled to 1080p. It only adds weight.

What bitrate does TikTok end up using? It varies, but it's around 2-5 Mbps depending on device and connection.

Can I upload horizontal videos? Yes, but they look small with black bars. Crop them to 9:16.

Does H.265 give better quality than H.264? At the same bitrate, slightly. But TikTok recompresses and the difference disappears. H.264 is safer.

Conclusion

The formula that works for me: 1080 x 1920, 9:16, 30 or 60 fps depending on the content, H.264 in MP4, 10-12 Mbps, AAC audio at 320 kbps and the high-quality option turned on. There's no magic. TikTok is going to recompress your video no matter what; your job is to hand it a clean, reasonable file so that recompression hurts as little as possible.

TikTok Video Formats Explained: Resolution, Codecs, Bitrate and Export Settings