Expert: Glen Demers - 7/23/2009

Question
Hi,

I would like to make a simple photo collage with five pictures. I want all the pictures to be sized the same so they are uniform, like a 2x2, so I can add a frame around each one.

I am having trouble knowing how to do this. Some of my pictures are vertical, some horizontal, and others are perfectly square. I don't mind cropping them to make them fit, I am having trouble getting them into the frames to look right.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Autumn


Answer
Hi Autumn,

The easiest way I've found to create collages is to start with one large document. You can increase canvas size under Images>Canvas size...

For each new image create a new layer and drag or copy/paste the new image on the new layer. It really helps to rename the layer to avoid confusion.

Then use the move and transform tools on each image. In the layers palette, you can drag the layers to change the stacking order.

If you Control/command click on an image, Photoshop will select it and you can add a border to create a frame around it.

Save the layered file as a tif or psd (Photoshop) document and then make a copy and go to Layers>Flatten Image to make a composite. You can always go back to the layered file for editing.

Hope this helps,
Glen Demers
Adobe Certified Expert, Photoshop 7
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

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