How to Make Vacation Photo Collages

If you’re like me, you take about 600 photos of things on your block, and even more when you go on vacation. To avoid costly, unmanageable and gargantuan photo collections of your trip, you can easily make vacation photo collages. They are especially a good idea if you can’t decide which photo of the sunrise best expresses it. Collages let you use them all. Here’s how.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer program such as Word
• Digital photos downloaded into computer
• Photo paper, 8.5 x 11 works best to fit the most
• Sheet protectors for size sheets you choose
• Three ring binder
• Time

1. Use the Word program on your computer to create a new 8.5 by 11 document. Set the margins small, like .25, and use the INSERT tool to INSERT photos. Expect your document to be several pages long, all saved in one file.

2. Resize photos as necessary by clicking on the photo until the photo edit menu comes up. Here you can also manipulate the photo to align IN FRONT OF, BEHIND or INLINE with other pictures.

3. Move photos around in document by simply cutting and pasting them to the appropriate place you want them or by dragging them if that is an option based on the alignment you chose.

4. Polish off the collages by inserting any captions directly onto the page if you wish. This can be a pain, so I usually choose to caption with little stickers stuck on final product or a poem or three on a separate page.

5. Save and print, placing pages into 8.5 x 11 sheet protectors and amassing in a standard three ring binder.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also use Word’s TABLE feature to put smaller photos into a grid, such as 32 different views of the sunrise. This looks organized and striking.
• Be prepared to spend a lot of time but have a lot of fun.
• If your computer’s memory is low, collages are going to take a very long time and frustrate you beyond belief. Go buy a new computer before you begin.
• Don’t get stuck with a boring black three ring binder. They now come in all kinds of jazzy colors and patterns.
• Don’t forget to put your printer on the PHOTO setting and ignore it if it yells about margins being too small.

[Rynski]

on 3/13/2008 Thanks! Hope you have plenty of photos to play with!

[BrokenGirl]

on 3/10/2008 This a great Project!