How to get the TED Talk filter on TikTok

Georgina Smith
2 TED talk filter screenshots

The TED Talk filter is a new viral filter that allows you to film your own animated segment of a TED-style speech, and TikTok users have been using it to produce some hilarious videos. Here’s how you can try it out for yourself.

If there’s one thing that TikTok loves, it’s filters, and users have made the most of the ones provided natively by the app itself, using them to create and popularize trends that sweep the internet.

However, occasionally users are left scratching their heads when trying to figure out how to access certain filters, as some of the whackiest ones out there tend to be user-created, meaning that they’re more likely to originate from apps like Instagram and Snapchat.

The TikTok logo on a black screen
TikTok has become a hub for all sorts of viral trends.

The TED talk filter (or TOD Talk filter as it’s actually called) features a short snippet of an animated speech that allows you to put your head on the body of a little person. Once you’ve ended your ‘speech’ using the echo voice effect, there is an automatic zoom-out showing an audience of cheering animated people.

The filter has endless comedic potential, and TikTok users have been using it to share slightly questionable dating advice in rhyming couplets, and share their hot takes on internet culture.

https://www.tiktok.com/@iamshalco/video/6922628509294759173?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowufE6rhGLDNYHWMuy1%2Bo1XUtD3w0oeQ0zYEyMR7pDVmR2A%2FvvfFJPKCUg%2BCLdNQOyGgA%3D&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAnEzepZPJq-vfa8DXK6LYJXEVhws-eZKfq-nQ2ZXRSHL6ZW_SerPhZbNl0SbysPuk&share_item_id=6922628509294759173&share_link_id=0DD1A82F-678C-4381-8E5D-717F7281201D&timestamp=1612185794&tt_from=copy&u_code=d33l8bc591jd18&user_id=6621960276778024965&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&source=h5_m&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6853094046220240389

But in order to join other TikTokers in using the filter on the app, you first need to go through a few steps on Instagram to acquire the video of the filter.

How to do a TED Talk on TikTok

  1. Open up Instagram and click on the ‘Your Story’ icon.
  2. Scroll through the filters contained within circles until you reach the end, where there will be a ‘Browse Effects’ option.
  3. Type “TOD talk” into the search bar.
  4. Click on the filter of the same name created by slimshader__, and then select ‘Try It’ to film your video.
  5. Click the save icon at the top to save the video to your camera roll.

But in order to join in with the TikTok trends, you have to then upload your video to the app separately.

Thankfully, once you have the video in your camera roll, uploading your video onto TikTok is super simple.

  1. Open TikTok, and press the plus button at the bottom to launch the video creation tab.
  2. Click the icon in the bottom right that says ‘Uploads.’
  3. Select your TED talk video, and click next.
  4. If you want to trim the video you can, and afterward, click next again.
  5. Some may choose to add captions at this stage or add other editing effects.
  6. Finally, click next again, add your description and any tags you want to put, and press ‘Post’ to upload.

Now you’ll be able to use the bizarre but hilarious Instagram filter on TikTok and join in with the countless trends that utilize it.