Guides

How to make a ranking video, step by step

A ranking video plays a set of clips from the lowest rank up to #1, while a numbered list on screen fills in as each one plays. This guide walks through making one in RankingReel, from choosing clips to posting the finished video.

Updated October 23, 2026 · 7 minute read

What you need

• 3 to 10 short video clips saved on your computer. Footage you filmed yourself is the easiest and safest to use (our ranking video ideas explain why). MP4 files work in every browser.
• A recent version of Chrome, Edge or Safari on a laptop or desktop computer.
• A ranking title, such as "Top 5 saves of the season".
• Optionally, a music track to play under the whole video.

You don't need an account, and nothing is uploaded. The clips stay on your computer the whole time, and the finished video is saved straight to it.

1. Write the ranking title

Open the editor. The Ranking title card at the top holds the headline that stays above the video for the whole countdown. Keep it short enough to fit on two lines, and make it say exactly what is being ranked. "Top 5 goals from my Sunday league season" tells a viewer far more than "Best goals".

You can change the title's font, size, text color, outline color and outline width, and switch on ALL CAPS. To make one word stand out, click it in the word list below the title and give it its own color. A single colored word, such as the number in "Top 5", draws the eye without making the title harder to read.

2. Add your clips

A new project starts with three empty ranks. Drag your video files onto the Add clips area below them, or click it to choose files. Each file fills the next empty rank, and once those are full, every extra file adds a new rank. Add empty rank makes room for a clip you'll add later.

Each clip can be up to 500 MB. If a clip shows no thumbnail after you add it, your browser can't read that video format. Converting the file to MP4 (H.264) almost always fixes it.

3. Put the clips in order and label them

#1 is your top pick, the clip that plays last in a countdown. Use the up and down arrows on each clip to move it to a better or worse rank.

Then give each rank a label: a few words that name what happens in the clip, such as "The bicycle kick" or "Grandma's lasagna". The label appears next to the number in the on-screen list, so viewers can follow along and quote it in the comments. Two to four words is usually enough.

4. Trim each clip

Set a start and an end time on each clip so that only the moment that earns its rank is left. Three to six seconds per clip is plenty for most rankings, which puts a top-5 video at around 20 to 30 seconds. That is a comfortable length for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.

Use the play button on a clip to preview the video from that clip and check your cut. If a clip has loud background noise, lower its Clip volume.

5. Choose label animations and transitions

Each clip has two effects:

• Label animation controls how the clip's label appears in the list when the clip starts: Pop, Slide in, Fade in, Typewriter or None.
• Transition to next controls the cut into the following clip: Hard cut, Fade, Flash, Zoom, Slide or Blur.

Pick one style and use it for most of the video, so the effects don't distract from the clips. Save the most dramatic transition for the cut into #1, where it makes the reveal feel bigger.

6. Pick the playback order

The Playback order card has three options:

• Countdown plays the last rank first and #1 last. This is the classic format and the default.
• Count up plays #1 first. Use it when your top clip is the reason people will watch.
• Custom order lets you set any order with the arrows, or mix it up with Shuffle.

Not sure which to use? Our countdown video tips cover when each order works best.

7. Adjust the layout

The Layout & style card controls how the frame looks:

• Frame: the background color, the video's height, its zoom, and its fit. Fill crops the edges so the clip fills its area, and Fit shows the whole clip.
• Ranking list: fonts and colors for the numbers and labels, the outline, the list size and how fast labels are revealed. You can also add a colored number badge and highlight the rank that is playing.

You can also drag the title, the list or the video directly in the preview to move them. Keep text away from the bottom and the right edge of the frame, because TikTok, Reels and Shorts draw captions and buttons there. The video size guide shows where those areas are.

8. Add music (optional)

In Background music, add an audio file to loop under the whole video, and set its volume below the clips' own sound so you can still hear what happens in them. Use a track you have the rights to use. If you plan to add a sound from the TikTok or Instagram library after uploading, skip this step and keep the clips' original audio.

9. Save a draft

Save draft stores the whole project, clips included, in your browser, and Drafts opens it again later. Drafts stay in the browser you saved them in. They won't appear on another device, and clearing your browser's data for the site deletes them.

10. Export the video

Click Export video and choose a resolution: 1080 × 1920 (Full HD) for the sharpest result, or 720 × 1280 for a smaller file that records more smoothly on slower computers. Then click Start export.

The video is recorded in real time, so a 30-second ranking takes about 30 seconds. Keep the tab in the foreground while it records, because recording pauses if you switch to another tab. When it finishes, watch the result and click Download. You get an MP4 file if your browser can record one, and a WebM file otherwise.

11. Post it

Upload the file in the TikTok, Instagram or YouTube app, or on their websites. In the caption, ask viewers what they think of your order, for example "Would you swap #1 and #2?". People disagree about rankings, and those disagreements become comments.

If something goes wrong

The Export video button is greyed out

The project has no playable clips yet. Add at least one clip.

The export window says the format is "Not supported"

Your browser can't record video. Update it, or switch to a recent version of Chrome, Edge or Safari.

The exported video stutters

Export at 720 × 1280, close other tabs and apps, and keep the RankingReel tab visible until the recording finishes.

A clip has no thumbnail or won't play

Your browser can't decode that file. Convert it to MP4 (H.264), which every supported browser can play, and add it again.

Instagram won't accept the file

If your export is a WebM file, convert it to MP4 before posting to Reels. YouTube accepts WebM as it is.