How to Make a Printable Photo Collage using PicMonkey ~ DIY Tutorial
on Dec 07, 2013, Updated Jan 13, 2022
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Here’s how to make a printable photo collage using PicMonkey!
The other day I made an awesome photo collage in PicMonkey. If you haven’t heard of PicMonkey but like photography and picture gifts, you’re in for a treat because it’s a mostly free, web-based editing software that’s super easy to use! I’ve been using it for blogging purposes almost since its inception and I love it.
After I made this collage, I thought some of you might be interested in making your own, too. So here’s a DIY tutorial you can follow to make your own photo collages! {Bear with me… it’s a long tutorial! But it’s really not hard.}
How to Make a Printable Photo Collage using PicMonkey ~ DIY Tutorial. Using this tutorial, you can create your own 4×6, 5×7, or 8×10 printable photo collage.
First, head on over to PicMonkey and click on Create a Collage. You should see it in the middle of the screen.
The Collage screen should pop up for you. Open photos you want to add to your collage and insert them from your computer by clicking on the top button on the left – the one that looks like a picture. If at any time you want to add more photos, just hit the photo button and add more. It’s easy peasy.Beneath the Photo button, you should see the Layout button. Click on that second button and browse through the different layout options. There are a lot of free options, but about 40% of PicMonkey’s features are accessed through a paid subscription only. I actually pay the $33 a year for this subscription because I love PicMonkey – but you don’t have to. You can stick to the free options, buy a year’s membership, or also pay $4.99 for a one month plan for a one time use.
I used the Tile Border layout to create my collage and added five pictures. To add pictures – just drag them to the cell and drop them. You should see a highighted area and that’s where the picture will drop. If you mess it up, a new cell will be created but don’t worry – they’re super easy to get rid of.
And to get my collage to look the way I want, I need to get rid of empty cells now. To delete a cell: Click on the empty box to get a X to appear. Do you see the tiny X in the middle cell? Click that X and the photo box will disappear. Do that to 4 of the remaining empty boxes. I also need to make my middle picture bigger. To resize photos within your collage: just grab the edge you want to change and drag. You can also edit the picture if you have the premium membership, for instance, turn it black and white by clicking the edit button. I actually turned my photo black and white before I put it in the collage, but that is an unnecessary step if you have the paid membership.
Now, we need to add swatches to the collage. To add color and background swatches: click on the third button on the left, under the Layout button. Hover over it with your mouse, and it should say Swatches. Click on that and the Swatches menu will appear. PicMonkey updates the swatches all the time with seasonably appropriate swatches, or you can upload and use your own. I chose the Santaland theme for this collage. To add a swatch: drag and drop the swatch. The area should highlight where it will drop so you can see where it goes.
Opps! See that huge extra cell on the bottom? If you accidentally do something like that, don’t despair. Just click the X twice and it will go away. 🙂
Now click on that last button on the bottom left – the Background Button, and you can change the details of your collage. You can change the spacing between pictures, round the picture edges, make a transparent background, or change the background color. Play around with that button until you’re happy with the results.
Now comes the magic! If you want to print your collage, you need to get a size that will print! To change the size of the collage, click on the lock button under your collage to change proportions.
The proportions you’ll need to make a 4×6, 5×7, 8×10, or 11×14 collage are as follows:
The order I’ve listed above is for portrait orientation. Just reverse the numbers if you want a landscape orientation. Your pictures may distort a little once you change the size, so you can either change the size at the very beginning or just move your pictures around a little after you’ve got the size you want. I grabbed the pictures of my kids and centered my kids after I changed the size. Make sure you save a version of each size because once it’s sent to the Photo Editor, you won’t be able to edit the individual photos anymore.
To Save your picture – click the save button above your collage and follow directions. I saved the largest file size possible since I want to print it.
Send your photo over to the Editor to add text ~ Now’s the scary part. If you’re totally happy with your collage {Remember – you won’t be able to edit the individual pictures any longer} click the EDIT button and send your collage over to the Photo Editor.
How to add text to your collage ~ Click on the Add Text Button on the left – the one that looks like Tt. Now you can add text! You can change the size, color, center it in the text box. The Text Editor is very versatile.
Move the text box wherever you want it. You can rotate, change the size, etc.
Now play around with the fonts. You can use one font for everything – or you can use a different font for each letter. Simply highlight the letters you want to change and then choose the font. I used Black Jack font for Merry Christmas and Budmo Jiggler for 2013.
And that’s it! Save your picture and you’re ready to have it printed!! Congrats! You have now created a printable photo collage using PicMonkey!
If you make a collage – I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Love your collage! What’s missing in most basic photo editing programs is the swatches – they sometimes have nice layouts and text options, but not decorative bits!
Thank you! You’re right – the PicMonkey bling is pretty fun. They do a great job of updating it, too. 🙂
I love Pic Monkey and use it on a regular basis! I never thought of using it to print a collage from. I’ve made collages for online but have never printed one out. Great Christmas photo!
I love Pic Monkey!! I found them through Smugmug.com
Wow, I didn’t even know what PicMonkey was until I read this! Thank you so much! I have a TON of pictures, and I don’t know what to do with them, thank you so much! God bless and Happy New Year everyone!
Love the finished product…so personal in nature, but professional in appearance!
I, too, didn’t know what PicMonkey was until I read this!!! Thanks!
Love your collage, BTW!
Thank you, Veronica! I’m glad it was helpful.
just started using pic monkey for blog graphics. thank you for this!
You’re welcome, Ellen!
Thank you for this tutorial!. It’s simple and I have never heard of PicMonkey until now!
You’re welcome, Naznin!
oh, Michelle, thank you! this looks like so much fun, and a great idea for a valentine photo collage. I have tried pic monkey once before, but i was lost. your instructions are extremely helpful and now I can try again with a plan in mind. 🙂
Ohhh- Valentine’s collage sounds like a great idea! Have fun!