How to Make a Side by Side Photo in 60 Seconds
Want to learn the fastest and easiest way to create stunning side-by-side photos? You're in the right place!
As the name would suggest, a side-by-side picture format involves arranging two or more pictures side by side, allowing you to showcase each image while also highlighting any connections or contrasts between them. Whether you're merging two, three, four, or more photos, a side-by-side photo collage offers endless creative possibilities to showcase your visual storytelling.
The Case for a Side-by-Side Photo Collage
So, why exactly would you want to create a side-by-side photo collage?
Well, many Instagram (and other social media) trends rely on this format to showcase a quick comparison or to tell a story. Here are some popular use cases for side-by-side photo collages:
1. Before-and-after photos:
Here, the focus is on showcasing a transformation over time. This could include weight loss or muscle gain, home renovation projects, landscaping transformations, or other makeovers. Here's a side-by-side photo demonstrating the result of image restoration:
2. Comparisons:
Side-by-side photos are great for comparing two or more similar items, such as different clothing styles, makeup looks, or haircuts. They can also be used to compare the same object or location at different times or in different contexts. The "Who wore it best?" Instagram trend comes to mind here.
3. Tutorials:
Side-by-side photos effectively show step-by-step processes like recipes or DIY projects. By showing each step of the process side-by-side, viewers can easily follow along and see how the final product is created.
4. Storytelling:
Side-by-side photos can tell a story. This could include historical events, personal milestones, or travel adventures. An Instagram trend that comes to mind here is the "9 months in, 9 months out" pregnancy and baby progression trend.
But how do you create a free side-by-side collage quickly and without hassle?
This post will show you how to make 2-picture, 3-picture, and multi-picture side-by-side photos. And the good news is that anyone can do it - no design background or expertise is required!
Below is an example of a 2 picture side-by-side photo collage. Keep reading to learn how to create something like this or a 3-picture, 4-picture, or 5+ picture collage.
What Do I Need To Create a Free Side-by-Side Collage?
All you need is a few photos and TurboCollage installed on your Windows or Mac PC.
If you still need to install TurboCollage, you can do so by clicking this link. Don't worry; the full download and installation take less than a minute.
The Ultimate Guide to Making a Side-by-Side Photo
Buckle up! This section is your ultimate guide to crafting a side-by-side photo collage. We'll take you through all the detailed, step-by-step instructions you need.
Our helpful video guide also illustrates these steps, or you can keep reading to follow the instructions at your own pace.
Step 1: Fire Up TurboCollage
Simple enough! You can't create a collage without your collage-maker, so you first need to open the app.
Step 2: Determine Your Collage Size
Next, navigate to the settings window and select the output size for your side-by-side picture. For this example, we'll set the width and height to 15 and 10 inches, respectively. Of course, you're not limited to these dimensions – feel free to choose any size that suits your style!
Step 3: See Your Collage Come Together
Let's begin by selecting the Picture Grid pattern. Since we're creating a 3-photo side-by-side collage, we'll need to set the number of columns to 3 and the number of rows to 1. Easy enough, right?
But what if you want to make a 2 photo side-by-side collage instead? No problem! Set the number of columns to 2, like this:
And if you're feeling adventurous and want to combine even more images side-by-side, all you have to do is set the number of columns to match the number of images. So, let's say you have 4 images. Here you would create 4 columns:
Here's an example of a side-by-side photo with 10 pictures:
Step 4: Add Your Photos!
You can't have a photo collage without photos, so it's time to add some pictures. To do this, simply navigate to the Pictures tab and hit the +/Add Pictures button.
Step 5: Play Around With Borders
By default, your photos will have a somewhat thicker border, making the images appear further apart. It will also enable a shadow effect on the border to help create definition.
If you want to remove the shadow effect and reduce the border width to zero to give your collage a simpler look, drag the Border Width all the way down and untick Draw Shadows.
Step 6: Change Your Background Color
In our examples, we've used white as the background color. However, you can choose any color you want! Let's try black:
Step 7: Pan and Zoom Your Photos Within the Border
You may want to zoom in on a particular object in one or all of your photos to help it fill the frame. To do this, simply click the image to select it and then use the pan and zoom controls.
Step 8: Reorder Your Photos
Would your photos look better or in a different order? No problem - try dragging a picture to a new cell to change its position.
Step 9: Export and Show Off Your Side-by-Side Collage!
Ta-da! Your side-by-side photo masterpiece is complete. Now, it's time to share your creation with the world. Export it as a JPG image; you can print it out, send it via email, or showcase it on your favorite social media platform.
Remember, you can follow the steps above to combine two, three, four, or even more images into a photo collage. For example, here's an example of a 5-photo collage:
In artists' terminology, a 2 picture side-by-side photo is a diptych, a 3-picture is a triptych, and a 4-picture is a quadriptych. Sometimes such photo arrangements are collectively called polyptychs.
Here's an example of a 3 picture side-by-side photo:
Wrapping Up
Congratulations, you've made it to the end of our tutorial on creating a side-by-side photo collage! Armed with our step-by-step instructions and tips, you should now be able to create two, three, four, or five plus side-by-side image collages for your latest project.
Don’t forget to send your comments and suggestions to apps@silkenmermaid.com
