How to Create a Free Photo Collage

Your best friend is about to move to another city for study reasons and so you have seen fit to greet him in the best possible way, giving him a special gift: a collage containing all the photos of the good times spent together. What to say? You had a really good idea! While you’re here, how about if I give you some “tips” on how to create a free photo collage? If you spend a few minutes of your precious free time, I will show you the operation of some PC programs and some online services that allow you to create fantastic photo collages in an easy, fast and, above all, free way.

How do you say? Would you like to make photo collages from your mobile devices too? No problem: you can take a look at the list of apps for Android, iOS and Windows 10 Mobile that you find in the last part of the tutorial. Even if you do not consider yourself to be exactly a technology expert and, in this case of photomontages, you can be sure that, if you strictly follow my suggestions, you will not have the slightest problem in completing your “business” today.

So, are you already in the “command posts”, ready to start? Perfect! Make yourself comfortable, try the various solutions listed below and, at the end of the reading, choose which of these to use to make your fantastic photo collages. I wish you good reading and have fun!

Related guide: how to edit a photo for free

Free Photo Collage Creator (Windows)

100% free program that allows you to create stunning photo collages. You can download it from the official page of Free Photo Collage Creator.

After installing it on your computer you will see the following home screen:

Now you can start creating your first photo collage clicking on the center of the program. It will ask you to choose a BACKGROUND IMAGE for your collage.

After that you set the background image you just needto click on ADD PHOTO TO COLLAGE to start adding all photos you want:

Once the collage is as you desire, click on the SAVE COLLAGE AS…and you will be able to save the collage in PNG format on your computer (ready to print at the hightest resolution):

Collagerator (Windows/macOS)

Collagerator is a free program that allows you to create collages using convenient templates to use when needed. Its operation is really simple. Even those who, a bit like you, do not consider themselves a computer expert can use it without problems.

To download Collagerator on your computer, first connect to the official website of the program and click on the Download Collagerator button. Then open the software installation package (the file in .exe format if you are using Windows or the .dmg file if you are using a Mac) and proceed as follows: if you are using Windows, put the check mark next to the item I accept the terms of the license agreement, click the Next button four times, click the Install button and then click Finish. If you are using a Mac, however, you simply have to move the Collegerator icon to the Applications folder (after opening the .dmg file).

To make a collage with Collagerator, click on the New Collage button from the initial window of the program and select one of the many models among those available. Then upload the photos you want to insert in the collage by clicking on the symbol (+) located at the top right, and move them in the boxes according to the order you prefer. When finished, save the collage by clicking on the Save As item from the File menu.

Shape Collage (Windows/macOS/Linux)

Another program that you can use to create a free photo collage is Shape Collage, a free software for Windows, macOS and Linux that allows you to mix photos and create, in a few clicks, spectacular collages by freely choosing which one. shape to give it, what background to use and much more.

Before explaining the operation of Shape Collage, I would like to tell you that the program can only be used for personal purposes, it does not allow you to freely modify the images in the collage and stamps a watermark on your works. To eliminate all these limits, you have to purchase its Pro version, which costs $40.

To make collages with Shape Collage, first connect to the program’s website and click on the Download item located under the name of the operating system you use (for example Windows) in order to download the program on your PC.

When the download is complete open, by double clicking on it, the installation file you just downloaded (the file in .exe format) and, in the window that opens, click on the OK button (making sure that the language is set to Italian), then click on the Next button, accept the conditions of use of the program by clicking on the Accept button and then click on the Next, Install and Finish buttons to complete the installation procedure and start the program. If, on the other hand, you are using a Mac, all you have to do is open the dmg package you downloaded just now and drag the program icon into the Applications folder.

After starting the program on your computer, you just have to go to the folder where you keep the images you want to use to create your collage, select them with the mouse and then drag them, holding down the click, to the left part of the main window of Shape Collage (under Photos). Then put the check mark next to the item relating to the shape you want to make your collage: Rectangle, for the rectangular one; Heart, for the one at heart; Circle, for the circular one; Text, to make it take the form of the text typed in the field next to it and so on.

Now, click on the Manual button and enter the values ​​you prefer to determine the size of the collage (otherwise leave the Auto button selected), specify how many photos you want to use among those imported into the program (choosing the All option if you want to use them all or specifying the number in the field located next to the photo item) and adjust the space that must exist between them using the scroll bar located under the item Photo spacing.

At this point, click on the Appearance tab and choose which background color (clicking on the white rectangle) or image (clicking on Photo) you want to use for your collage. Then use the Border field to choose the color and size of the border to apply to each photo of your collage and, finally, click on the Create button to create the work. If you are satisfied with the result, click on the Save Collage As … item from the File menu to save your work in the format and folder of your choice.

Canva (Online)

If you do not want to “flood” your PC by downloading programs to create collages, rely on Canva, a very famous Web service (also available in the form of an app for Android and iOS) thanks to which it is possible to create multiple graphic works (including business cards and flyers) after creating your free account.

Before explaining how it works, I want to tell you that some graphics and templates on Canva can be used for a fee (usually $1 each). However you can rest assured: there are many elements that can be used for free, especially as regards the creation of photo collages.

To create photo collages with Canva, connected first to its main page, click on one of the options located in the box First time on Canva? Subscribe! to indicate the purpose for which you intend to use the service and then perform the actual registration using your e-mail address or your Facebook or Google account (just click on the corresponding buttons and fill out the registration form following the instructions that appear on screen).

Once registered, click on the green Create a Project button (top left) and then click on the Photo Collage option. In the new tab that opens in the browser, choose one of the many Canva templates from those available in the Canva Layout section and replace the sample photos with the ones you intend to use for your personalized collage.

To upload your photos to Canva, click the Uploads button on the left (the one with the arrow symbol pointing upwards), click the green Upload your images button and upload the ones you want to insert into your collage. Now you just have to drag each photo into the collage with a simple drag-and-drop. Et-voila! You just made your free collage with Canva!

If you wish, you can now customize the collage by changing its background or inserting additional graphics. You can perform these operations by clicking on one of the buttons displayed on the left: Elements, to insert lines, frames, shapes, illustrations, icons and so on in the collage; Text, to add text or Background, to change its background color. When finished, save the collage by clicking on the Download button located at the top and selecting one of the formats available for download (eg. JPG, PNG or PDF).

LoupeCollage (Online)

If you are looking for a solution to create original and, in some ways, funny collages, Loupe Collage is the online service that could be for you. Loupe Collage, in fact, allows you to create free photo collages using shapes, symbols, letters, numbers and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, however, the free version of the service has some limitations: it allows the download of images only in low resolution and the works are marked with a watermark. To remove these limits, you need to subscribe to Loupe Collage Pro, which costs $5 a month.

To make photo collages with Loupe Collage, connected first to its main page, click on the Add Photos button and upload the photos you intend to use for your collage: you can take them directly from your PC by clicking on the Upload button or, alternatively, from cloud storage services, from social networks or from the Web, by clicking on the respective buttons.

When your chosen images are uploaded, click the Done button (bottom right). Then click on the Shapes button and choose the shape you like best for your collage. By clicking on the Text button, you can make your collage take the form of a written text, while by clicking on the Draw button you can draw freehand the shape to give to the collage. If, on the other hand, you like to use a little more “classic” solutions, click on the Rectangle button to make the collage take on the classic mosaic shape. The choice is yours.

After selecting the shape to give to the collage, use the tools located on the left to modify the appearance of the collage: Sizing, to increase or decrease the size of the photos that make up the collage; Background, to change the background; Border, to change the thickness and color of the edges of the photos; Rotation, to change its orientation; Shadow, to apply a shadow effect, or Reset Settings, to restore the default LoupeCollage settings.

When you have finally completed your work, click on the green Save button (top right), assign a title to your work by writing it in the Title field, type a description in the Description text field and click the Save button again. On the web page that opens in the browser, click on the Download button and then on the Low resolution item. Alternatively, you can share your collage with other users by selecting one of the sharing options available.

Free Photo Collage Maker App

Are you looking for some solutions to make collages on the go? Well then check out the following list of free photo collage maker apps. I’m sure you will be able to find someone who can do it for you.

• Pic Collage (Android/iOS/Windows 10 Mobile): this app has a rather minimal interface, which makes it easy to use. It allows you to create photo collages for free, but stamps a watermark on them: to remove the watermark and the (not too invasive) advertising banners you need to make in-app purchases starting from €0,89 per item.
• Layout from Instagram (Android/iOS): as you can easily guess from its name, this app is developed by Instagram and allows you to create very minimal and at the same time elegant collages in a few taps. Layout is completely free and does not apply watermarks to the completed works.
• PicsArt (Android/iOS): this photo editing app offers a specific function thanks to which you can make collages quickly and easily. Some elements and features of PicsArt are available by making in-app purchases starting from 0,71€ for item.
• Photo Collage (Android): this specific app for creating photo collages is really simple to use: just choose one of the available templates, add your photos, apply decorations and that’s it.
• Pic Stich (iOS): this semi-free solution allows you to create photo collages using one of the 245 available templates. Not all elements in Pic Stich, however, are free: to unlock them, you have to make in-app purchases starting from 1,09€ for element.