How To Make a Photo Collage

(And the Top 9 Reasons You Would Want To)

What Exactly Is a Photo Collage?

Since it is easier to show a holiday photo collage than it is to explain it, here is a sample.

If I was forced into providing a definition by a crazed scrapbooker, I would provide this over-simplistic definition:

"The creation of one photograph from the creative arrangement of many photographs."

However, that would be like describing a famous painting as "The applied colors of different paint to a canvas."

For all you purists, this is the technical definition of a Digital Collage:

Thanks to photo collage software, ordinary photographers can create masterpieces in minutes instead of hours. And that is just one reason why as a photographer, you might want to learn how to make a photo collage.

Part of the "magic" is -- you can often begin with five relatively average photographs...

and wind up with a truly impressive result when you know how to make a photo collage.

This is easily accomplished because most photo collage software applications contain hundreds of digital effects such as background templates, masks, frames, drop shadows, etc.

By applying just a handful of the available effects, it is fairly easy to produce dazzling keepsakes that will always stand apart from your more traditional photographs.

It Seems That Learning How to Make a Photo Collage Is Complicated. Is It?

The quick answer is an emphatic NO, it is not difficult to learn how to make a photo collage.

And it is because of this simplicity that learning how to make a photo collage has experienced such a tremendous rise in popularity during the last five years.

On the other hand, if you want to know how to make a photo collage by hand, be prepared to consume several weekends for the project.

However if you want to discover how to make a photo collage using software designed specifically for the job, you have a rare treat in store for you.

How Many Options Are There to Learn How to Make a Photo Collage?

1. Find some tutorials and scripts that could be used with your current photo-editing program
   
   
2. Use a photo collage making software application

• You can use the photo editing software packages you currently have, so no additional expenditures are required (we are talking financial, not time)
  
  
• Tutorials/instructions for how to make a photo collage are often available at no charge on the Internet

• Using tutorials and/or scripts is a very labor intensive process
  
  
• You need to be relatively knowledgeable in your photo-editing software, in order to use the scripts
  
  
• Templates are typically not included. And since having templates is a huge time-saver, this is a major drawback.
  
  
• Discouragement - by needing to do everything from scratch, creating a photo collage becomes so time-consuming (and potentially overwhelming) that people have a tendency to quit doing so

• Photo collage software is easy to use, and gives you the ability to build photo collages relatively quickly and easily
  
  
• Most collage software packages provide several photo collage templates which will save you an enormous amount of time and wasted effort
  
  
• There is usually a shorter learning curve with photo collage software than collage-making scripts
  
  
• Selecting, inserting, moving, and positioning photos is quicker and easier with the new software applications because they are specifically made for that purpose
  
  
• Support is available from the manufacturer (it is rarely available for free scripts or tutorials)

• The better photo collage software applications are not free (although most companies will allow you to play with a trial version of the software to see if you like it before purchasing it).

The Benefits of Knowing How to Make a Photo Collage

1. Photo collages are a wonderful way to commemorative any kind of event, especially special occasions such as these:
   
   

   Wedding Anniversary Parties	Birthday Party	Graduation Celebrations
   Vacations	Family Reunions	Bridal or Baby Showers
   Weddings	Holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.)	Baby Memories (first month, trip to grandma's, etc.)

   
   
   
2. Photo collages make great gifts because they are unique creations that have a very high perceived value (It is not uncommon to be charged in excess of $75 by professional photographers to construct a photo collage as little as an 8 x 10 size.)
   
   
3. Photo collages are unique and dramatic, and bring out the creativity of the designer much more so than individual photographs
   
   
4. Digital photo collages are easily made, shared, printed, framed and displayed
   
   
5. The opportunity to present this kind of photographic gift is only limited by your imagination. For example, you can create a photographic keepsake for...



Prom Night	Children's Sporting Events (ex: Little League games)	Halloween
New Year's Eve	Recital	Dinner Parties

Key Points to Consider When Making a Photo Collage

1. First, you need to be clear on the reason you are making the photo collage. Is it to commemorate a certain event or to honor a specific person?
   
   
2. Then decide which photos you want to have in your collage. This usually depends on the reason you are making your collage.
   
   Are you creating a gift? Commemorating an event? Or, maybe you are just doing it for fun.

   When you first start making photo collages, you will probably find yourself selecting either too few or too many images. Don't be concerned about this.
   
   A lot depends on which template you use. And after making two or three collages, you will start to develop a sense for how many pictures are needed for any collage.
   
   

3. Once you have all the images placed on your background (or, template), the next step is to position them so they create just the impression you are looking for.

   One of the unique things you discover about how to make a photo collage is that it is totally acceptable for your images to overlap.
   
   Take a look at the samples on this page. In time, you will get a feel for how much overlap there should be to create an artistic or 3-dimensional effect.

Summary

Realize that there is no right or wrong approach for how to make a photo collage. In fact, one of the nice things about creating photo collages is that if you don't like the way one component (an image, for example) looks, you can simply:

• Replace that picture with another one
  
  
• Move the picture to a different part of the collage
  
  
• Place a different frame on the picture
  
  
• Use a different mask for the image
  
  
• Partially cover the picture by placing another object over it
  
  
• Zoom the image in or out
  
  
• Reposition the image within the frame in order to focus on a different area

When you know how to make a photo collage, you'll begin to understand how exhilarating (and simple) it is to express your own unique creativity.

There are hundreds of different photo collage software applications on the market today.

Now that you know more about how to make a photo collage, you can begin looking for one that will best meet your needs.

Speaking as a photographer who has used over one dozen different photo collage applications, my experience is that most of them are pretty good, and a few are outstanding.

I am currently reviewing different photo collage software packages, with the objective being to identify two different collage applications that I could recommend.

One category will address the needs of your typical novice through advanced photographer; while the other category will focus more on those seeking professional-level applications. Currently, I've completed reviewing photo collage software more geared towards the Novice - Advanced Photographer.

And the winner is...

Read my review for the winner of the Novice - Advanced Photographer category.