The Issues That Can Cause TikTok Videos To Look Blurry

You’re never going to make a good impression on TikTok users who see your video if it looks blurry. You shouldn’t expect to pick up many likes, comments, or new TikTok followers unless you’re uploading high-quality video. You probably won’t even get many views, since surfers will scroll away from a blurry TikTok post almost immediately.

That’s obvious to even fledgling creators. If they’re not shooting their TikTok content directly in the app, they’ll almost certainly check its quality before posting it. And those recording with TikTok’s in-app tools should immediately notice if the video preview is blurry. Either way, the content creator will undoubtedly clean their camera lens and reshoot before they upload.

What if that doesn’t fix the issue, though?

Problems unrelated to smudges on camera lenses can also cause blurry video — and it goes without saying that those issues should be resolved before posting content that no one will want to watch.

Filming Issues That Can Make TikTok Videos Blurry

Once you’ve ruled out a dirty (or damaged) camera lens, you should check for several production variables that can hurt the quality of your video and make it unwatchable.

Lighting Problems

When there’s not enough light to film a clear, sharp video, the finished product may not only look dark. It can also appear grainy and blurry.

Try adding or repositioning light sources before recording another take. You may find that blurriness is no longer an issue.

Shaky Camerawork

Tripods aren’t always ideal for filming when you’re using a phone to record a TikTok video, since it’s difficult to pan and zoom with the small, inexpensive equipment that’s generally used to stabilize a smartphone.

Using a tripod could solve the problem, though, particularly if you’re not able to hold your phone steady while shooting. Shaky video can often appear blurry, and it’s unquestionably hard to watch.

Camera Settings

If you’re not shooting directly in the app, your camera settings could be an issue. TikTok compresses video before it’s posted to the platform, and videos recorded at low resolutions like 480p will often be distorted, pixelated, or blurry by the time the app’s finished processing them.

The best resolution for shooting TikTok content is 1080p, to avoid drastic changes in video quality in the final, posted product. (If you shoot directly in the app, it will automatically be recorded at 1080p unless you have a very old phone not capable of shooting at that resolution.)

App Issues That Can Make TikTok Videos Blurry

Internet Connection

This isn’t literally an app issue, but if your phone’s connection to the Internet isn’t strong and stable, uploads from your phone’s app to the TikTok platform could be briefly interrupted. That can cause problems with the system’s compression algorithm, creating blurry videos.

App Settings

Two TikTok settings can ensure that the best quality video is uploaded from your phone to the platform. If they’re not set properly, you could have problems.

• Data Saver: Many users have the app’s Data Saver activated because it reduces the phone’s data consumption, helpful for those with slow connections or limited data plans. However, it also compresses videos (the ones you watch and the ones you upload) significantly, potentially making them appear blurry. Turn Data Saver off from the “Settings and privacy” menu in your TikTok profile.
• High-Quality Uploads: Most people don’t even realize the existence of this setting when they’re recording and uploading videos. On the “Posting” screen (the one where you enter the post description), click on “More options” and scroll down to “Allow high-quality uploads.” Turn the toggle “on,” since having it set to “off” could result in a blurry video.

That’s all of the variables. Now that you know how to change your recording and uploading procedures — and assuming that you’re creating terrific, compelling content — your crystal-clear videos should deliver the viewership and engagement you expect.