TikTok slideshow terms: a plain-English glossary for slideshow and carousel makers

What do slideshow, photo post and carousel mean?

The names overlap, which causes most of the confusion online. Short versions first; the deeper comparison is in slideshow, carousel and photo mode.

• Slideshow. A post made of still images that a viewer swipes through. People also use the word for a video built from photos, which is a different file type.
• Photo post. TikTok's own name for a post of images. The Creator Academy (opens in a new tab) says it can hold up to 35.
• Photo Mode. The feature TikTok announced on 6 October 2022 (TikTok Newsroom (opens in a new tab)). Everyday speech often uses it for the posts it makes.
• Carousel. Instagram's name for a post of several photos or videos, up to 20 items (Instagram Help Center (opens in a new tab)). Some vendors also call TikTok photo posts carousels. See the Instagram carousel guide.
• Video slideshow. A video file made from photos with set timing, such as one exported from a video editor. Viewers do not swipe it.
• Photo dump. An informal carousel of loosely related photos with no structured message.
• Faceless account. An account that never shows the creator's face. Slideshows are a common format for them.

Which words describe the parts of a slideshow?

• Hook. The first slide's line, whose job is to give a reason to keep swiping. See slideshow hooks.
• Curiosity hook. A hook that opens a question the later slides answer. More in curiosity hooks.
• Cover. The image shown first in a feed or on a profile. TikTok lets you choose which photo is the cover. On Instagram the feed shows the first item with a row of dots.
• Body slide. A middle slide that carries one idea or one list item.
• Call to action (CTA). A line, usually on the last slide, that asks for one action such as saving or replying.
• Swipe. The gesture that moves to the next slide.
• Outline. A plan of what each slide does, written before any text.
• Format. A repeatable structure for a post. Ideas for formats are in slideshow ideas.
• Listicle. A format where each slide is one numbered item. See the listicle format.
• Would you rather. A format that offers two options per slide and ends with a vote. See would-you-rather slideshows.
• Template. A reusable layout or a reusable caption skeleton. TikTok slideshow templates shows both kinds.
• Series. A run of posts that share a format and a look.

Which terms cover text and design?

• Safe zone. The part of the frame that stays clear of buttons and captions. TikTok publishes downloadable safe-zone templates for ads and says the zone shrinks as the caption grows, but no pixel margins for organic posts (TikTok for Business (opens in a new tab)). See the safe zone page.
• Interface overlay. The buttons, username and caption the app draws on top of a slide.
• Text in the image. Text that is part of the picture rather than typed into the platform's text tool. A screen reader normally skips it unless the alt text repeats it (a general accessibility point).
• Contrast ratio. How different text and background are in brightness. WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for text on the web (W3C (opens in a new tab)). For slides it is a benchmark, not a platform rule.
• Alt text. A description that screen readers read aloud. TikTok said in May 2025 that photo posts can have it (TikTok Newsroom (opens in a new tab)). Instagram generates it automatically and lets you replace it (Instagram Help Center (opens in a new tab)).
• Words per slide. How much text a slide carries. Words per slide looks at the limits of phone-sized slides.
• Cutout. A subject lifted out of its photo with the background removed. Fyslide does this on Mac with Apple Vision, locally. The Windows Beta does not have it.
• Design. In Fyslide, a saved look (fonts, colors, layout) reused across posts. You can start from the built-in ones, make your own or build one from screenshots with a vision-capable AI. The design guide covers the visual choices.
• Character. In Fyslide, a recurring figure with a base picture, poses and scenes used across posts.

Which words describe sizes, files and limits?

• Aspect ratio. Width compared with height, such as 9:16 for a tall phone screen.
• 9:16. The shape of a full phone screen. TikTok publishes no pixel spec for photo posts, only advice to use one ratio throughout. See TikTok slideshow size.
• 4:5. A slightly taller-than-square shape, 1080x1350 at full width. It sits inside Instagram's supported range.
• 3:4. The tallest ratio Instagram supports for photos, 1080x1440. Instagram carousel size has the details.
• Resolution. The pixel dimensions of an image. Instagram uploads photos at up to 1,080 pixels wide.
• JPG or JPEG. A compressed photo format. TikTok's posting API lists it.
• PNG. A lossless format, good for sharp text. TikTok's API guide does not list it, so a tool may convert it. If you use a posting tool, JPG is the safe choice.
• WebP. A modern web image format that TikTok's posting API also lists.
• Export. Saving finished slides as image files. Fyslide exports PNG or JPG with the caption and a zip.
• Caption. The text under a post. TikTok allows up to 4,000 characters. See TikTok slideshow captions.
• Title. A short headline field on a TikTok photo post. The API limits it to 90 UTF-16 runes, and the Creator Academy advises a hook title.
• Hashtag. A word with a # that groups posts by topic. Instagram's Help Center now says five.

Which terms describe reach and measurement?

• For You feed. TikTok's recommendation feed. The Help Center (opens in a new tab) says it is shaped by interactions, content information and user information.
• Reach. Usually the number of different accounts that saw a post, as opposed to views, which can count repeats. Platforms define both differently, so check each one's own definition.
• Engagement rate. Engagements divided by a base. The base changes the answer: Buffer (opens in a new tab) divides by reach, Socialinsider (opens in a new tab) by followers. Never compare rates from different bases. See what makes slideshows perform.
• Save. A bookmark a viewer keeps to return to. Instagram names saves among its main Explore signals (Instagram (opens in a new tab)).
• Vendor dataset. Numbers published by a company that sells social tools. They are not peer reviewed, and their definitions differ.
• Median. The middle value in a list. Buffer (opens in a new tab) reports medians, which stop one huge post from skewing the picture.
• One-variable test. Comparing two versions of a post that differ in one thing only.
• Unsupported claim. A statement no official page or reliable dataset backs. Slideshow myths sorts common ones.

Which words come up with AI and automation?

• Content Posting API. TikTok's interface that lets approved tools post for you. Content from clients that have not passed TikTok's audit is limited to private viewing (TikTok for Developers (opens in a new tab)).
• Direct post and upload mode. Two ways a tool can send a photo post. In upload mode you finish the post in TikTok's editor.
• Scheduler. A tool that publishes a post at a set time. See schedulers for photo carousels.
• Batch. Making many posts in one sitting. See batch-creating slideshows.
• Bring your own AI. The app uses an AI account, key or local model that you supply. Fyslide works with Claude Code CLI, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Ollama and Anthropic or OpenAI API keys.
• Ollama. A free app that runs AI models on your own computer. See Ollama slideshow generator.
• MCP. A standard that lets an AI assistant use tools in another program. Fyslide's local MCP server lets Claude Code, Codex or Cursor create and edit slideshows while the app runs. See Claude Code and TikTok slideshows.
• Prompt. The instruction you give an AI. For wording that does not read as machine-written, see making AI slide text sound human.
• Vision-capable model. An AI that can read images. It is what turns screenshots into a design.
• Lifetime license. A one-time payment instead of a subscription. Lifetime license versus subscription compares the two.

Which limits sit behind these terms?

As of November 2026. A row marked "reference" is documentation that may lag.

If a term here does not match what you see in an app, check the linked page. Platforms change these numbers, so check the date on any source before you rely on one. If something looks broken rather than unfamiliar, start at slideshow troubleshooting. The Fyslide terms above are explained in the FAQ.