TikTok slideshow size and specs: how many photos, what dimensions

What are the specs for an organic TikTok photo post?

An organic photo post holds up to 35 photos, and TikTok sets no pixel size for them. The Help Center’s posting steps say “You can add up to 35 photos” and that you can “add a filter, sound, text, stickers, or crop your photos.”^[1] Its editing page adds: “You can upload up to 35 items in a single editing session, which can include photos and videos. For overlays, you can add up to 8 items. You can add one sound to your post.”^[2]

The only file limits TikTok publishes are in its developer documentation. The Content Posting API, which scheduling tools use to post photos, accepts WebP and JPEG at “Maximum 1080p” and “Maximum of 20MB for each image”, with “up to 35 photo content URLs” per post.^[3][4]

How do TikTok carousel ad specs differ?

Carousel ads, built in Ads Manager, have a tighter spec sheet. TikTok’s Specifications for Carousel Ads gives a Standard Carousel “min 2 - max 35 images”, “JPG/.JPEG or .PNG”, “File size ≤100 KB suggested” and resolutions of “Horizontal 1200*628px | Square 640*640px | Vertical 720*1280px”.^[5] Music is not optional: “Music is a must (will play loop playback)”, at least two seconds long, as an MP3 of up to 10 MB or a licensed library track.^[5] The ad “Only allows one ad caption and call-to-action for all images” and “One URL for all images”.^[5]

The catalog version, VSA Carousel, shows 2 to 20 product images pulled automatically, each able to link to its own product page.^[5] TikTok’s playbook adds that Spark Ads are not supported on a Standard Carousel.^[6]

Where are TikTok’s safe zones?

TikTok draws its interface over the bottom and right of every slide, and asks you to keep text and logos out of those areas. Its Creative Center says: “there’s a number of fixed elements in the UI that can potentially block your creative ads. Always keep your product or important elements of your creative ads in the safe zone.”^[9] On a 9:16 slide that means the account name, caption and music line at the bottom left, the column of like, comment, save and share buttons down the right edge, and on ads the call-to-action button.

TikTok does not publish the safe zone as percentages, and we have not invented any. Its in-feed ad specs say “The safe zone size is determined by the dimension (vertical, horizontal, or square), ad caption length, and any additional formats used”, and the reservation specs add “the longer the caption, the smaller the safe zone will be.”^[7][8] Ads Manager offers downloadable safe-zone overlay files to lay over your artwork.^[7]

Two more rules from TikTok’s pages. For carousel images, do not place text “in the lower left portion of the carousel image”.^[10] Avoid white or transparent backgrounds, because “the text color and UI icons on the TikTok app are white”.^[8] Captions show four lines before “See more”; TikTok suggests staying within 100 characters outside Chinese, Japanese and Korean.^[8]

How many slides should a TikTok slideshow have?

TikTok allows 35; TikTok’s own ad research and most practitioners land far lower. The carousel playbook says: “Use 3 or 7-9 images for one carousel ad, since it’s found that these image number usually have better CTR and CVR compared than other number”, then adds “But keep testing to identify what works best for your products”.^[6] That is TikTok’s finding for paid carousels, not for organic posts.

For organic slideshows the common practitioner advice is 5 to 10 slides. Socialinsider, for example, writes that “While TikTok allows up to 35 slides in a carousel, it’s best to limit your carousels to 5-10 slides.”^[11] That figure comes from agencies and tool makers, not from TikTok, and we found no TikTok page that recommends a slide count for organic posts. Treat it as a starting range and read your own retention by slide.

Whatever the count, TikTok’s structure advice holds: open with “a visually compelling or eye-catching first image”, “tell a continuous story” across the slides, and “Show CTA after introducing key benefits”.^[6]

What aspect ratio should TikTok slideshow photos be?

Vertical 9:16, at 1080 by 1920 pixels. TikTok says this directly for carousel ads: “Vertical, horizontal and square images are all supported, but vertical ones are most recommended for TikTok. (Other aspect ratios may result in black cut-off in feed.)”^[6] The same playbook asks for “high resolution 720P+”, and TikTok’s small-business video guide says to “Export at 1080×1920 or higher for crisp playback”.^[6][12]

For organic photo posts TikTok publishes no ratio, so the 1080 by 1920 figure that circulates is practitioner guidance that follows from the screen: Socialinsider calls 1080 by 1920 at 9:16 the recommended carousel size and notes that 4:5 images “also work”.^[11] A square or 4:5 photo is accepted, but it sits inside the 9:16 frame with empty space above and below. If you must use a square product shot, place it on a 1080 by 1920 canvas yourself and choose the background.

Export checklist

1. 1

   Set the canvas to 1080 × 1920

   A 9:16 frame fills the feed; other shapes risk black cut-off.^[6] Build every slide on the same canvas.
2. 2

   Export JPEG or PNG under 20 MB

   The Content Posting API takes JPEG or WebP at up to 1080p and 20 MB per image.^[3] For a carousel ad, use JPG or PNG at 100 KB or less.^[5]
3. 3

   Keep words out of the bottom and right

   Leave the caption area at the bottom left and the button column on the right free of text and logos; the zone grows with the caption.^[7][8]
4. 4

   Count the slides

   Up to 35 is allowed.^[1] TikTok’s carousel-ad data favors 3 or 7 to 9 images; practitioners suggest 5 to 10 for organic posts.^[6][11]
5. 5

   Budget the text

   TikTok’s carousel guidance is “no more than 10 words of text per image”, in a color that stands apart from its white interface text.^[10][8]
6. 6

   Pick the sound and the cover

   One sound per organic post; music is mandatory on a carousel ad.^[2][5]

Showfolk plans and renders photo slideshows at 1080 by 1920 with the text kept clear of TikTok’s caption and buttons. How the TikTok slideshow maker does it. Turning a static ad into slides? The eight layouts big brands use shows how much text each frame carries.

Questions people ask

How many photos can you put in a TikTok slideshow?

Up to 35. TikTok’s Help Center says you can add up to 35 photos to a photo post, and its Content Posting API accepts up to 35 photo URLs per post. The editing screen also caps a single session at 35 items, photos and videos combined.

What size should TikTok slideshow photos be?

1080 by 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical frame. TikTok publishes no pixel size for organic photos, but its Content Posting API caps images at 1080p and 20 MB, and TikTok’s carousel guidance says aspect ratios other than vertical may show black cut-off in the feed.

What are TikTok carousel ad specs?

A Standard Carousel ad takes 2 to 35 JPG or PNG images, with a suggested file size of 100 KB or less, at 720 by 1280 vertical, 640 by 640 square or 1200 by 628 horizontal. Music is required and loops, and all images share one caption, one call to action and one URL.

Does TikTok publish a safe zone for slideshows?

Not as percentages. TikTok says the safe zone depends on the image dimension, the caption length and any interactive add-ons, and that a longer caption means a smaller safe zone. In practice, keep text and logos away from the bottom left, where the name and caption sit, and the right edge, where the buttons are.

Can I use square or 4:5 photos in a TikTok slideshow?

You can upload them, but they will not fill the screen. TikTok accepts vertical, square and horizontal images and recommends vertical, warning that other aspect ratios may result in black cut-off in the feed. Placing a square photo on your own 1080 by 1920 canvas gives you control of the background and the text.

How many slides work best on TikTok?

TikTok allows 35, but its carousel-ad playbook found 3 or 7 to 9 images had better click-through and conversion rates, and told advertisers to keep testing. For organic posts, practitioners commonly recommend 5 to 10 slides; TikTok has not published a figure for organic slideshows.

Sources

Every figure above points at one of these. Facts were last checked on October 7, 2026.

1. [1]TikTok Help Center: Making a post. “You can add up to 35 photos” and the edits allowed on a photo post
2. [2]TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos. 35 items per editing session, 8 overlays, one sound
3. [3]TikTok for Developers: Content Posting API, Media Transfer Guide. Image restrictions: WebP and JPEG, maximum 1080p, maximum 20 MB per image
4. [4]TikTok for Developers: Content Posting API, Photo post reference. photo_images holds up to 35 URLs; title 90 and description 4,000 UTF-16 characters
5. [5]TikTok for Business: Specifications for Carousel Ads. Image, music and ad requirements for Standard and VSA Carousel
6. [6]TikTok for Business: Image Ads | Carousel Ads Playbook (PDF). 9:16 recommendation and black cut-off warning, 3 or 7-9 images, 720P+, safe zone, storytelling advice, unsupported features
7. [7]TikTok Ads Manager: TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads. What the safe zone depends on; downloadable safe-zone files; captions in white uniform font
8. [8]TikTok Ads Manager: Reservation in-feed ad specifications. “the longer the caption, the smaller the safe zone”; four caption lines then See more; the 100-character suggestion; white UI text warning
9. [9]TikTok Creative Center: Creative guidance (Creative Accelerator). The Safe Zone paragraph on fixed UI elements
10. [10]TikTok Ads Manager: Best practices for Travel Ads creatives. Carousel text guidance: avoid the lower-left text space; no more than 10 words per image
11. [11]Socialinsider: How to use TikTok carousels for successful storytelling. Practitioner advice: 5 to 10 slides, 1080 × 1920 at 9:16, 4:5 also works
12. [12]TikTok for Business: Video advertising guide for small businesses. “Export at 1080×1920 or higher”; keep text in safe zones so it is not blocked by buttons