Collage Maker guide
How to make a photo collage (and the right sizes)
Choose the size first, to match where the collage is going (4:5 for an Instagram post, 9:16 for a Story, 2:3 for Pinterest). Then pick a layout for the number of photos you have, drag each photo so the important part sits in its space, set the spacing and background, and export a high-resolution JPEG.
How to make a collage, step by step
- Choose your best photos. Fewer, stronger pictures beat many small ones. Pick one hero shot.
- Choose the size. Decide where it will be posted or printed before anything else, so nothing gets cropped later.
- Choose a layout with exactly as many spaces as you have photos.
- Add the photos. Put the hero in the biggest space.
- Frame each one. Drag to move, pinch or scroll to zoom, and rotate or mirror if it helps the picture face into the collage.
- Set the spacing and background. Thin gaps for a clean look, none for a seamless one.
- Add a caption, sparingly. A place or date is enough.
- Export as a JPEG (or PNG for text-heavy designs) and post it.
In Collage Maker you can do all of this in the browser on a phone or a computer. Hold a photo and drag it onto another to swap them, and your collages are kept on your device so you can reopen and change them later.
Collage sizes for each platform
The shape (aspect ratio) matters more than the exact pixels. Get the shape right and the platform won't crop your collage. Any size larger than the recommended one, in the same shape, is fine.
| Where | Shape | Pixels |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram post, portrait | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 |
| Instagram post, square | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 |
| Instagram post, matches the profile grid | 3:4 | 1080 × 1440 |
| Instagram or Facebook Story, Reels, TikTok | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 |
| Pinterest Pin | 2:3 | 1000 × 1500 |
| YouTube thumbnail, desktop wallpaper | 16:9 | 1280 × 720 or 1920 × 1080 |
| A4 print | 210 × 297 mm | 2480 × 3508 at 300 dpi |
Platforms change these from time to time, so check before an important campaign. For Stories, keep text and faces out of the top and bottom 250 pixels or so, where the profile name and reply bar sit.
Choosing a layout
- 2 photos: side by side for before-and-after; stacked for a Story.
- 3 to 5 photos: one large hero with smaller photos alongside. This is the most flexible collage for a feed.
- 6 to 9 photos: an even grid works when the photos are similar, such as a series of dishes or outfits.
- Circles and mosaics: good for a single focus, like a portrait surrounded by details.
Collage Maker has 37 layouts for 1 to 9 photos, of which 15 are free; a free-arrangement Freeform mode comes with Pro.
Worked example
Five photos from a weekend away, for an Instagram post. Choose 4:5 portrait. Pick a layout with one large space on top and four smaller spaces below. Put the view from the top of the hill in the big space and four details underneath: food, a street, a sign, a selfie.
Set spacing to a thin white gap and slightly rounded corners, add the place name in small type, and export a JPEG. At 4:5, Collage Maker's free export is 1638 × 2048 pixels, more than Instagram's 1080 × 1350, so it stays sharp.
Spacing, corners and background
- Gaps make photos separate. A thin gap (a few pixels at phone size) reads as tidy. No gap makes one big image.
- Keep the spacing even. Mixed gap sizes look like a mistake.
- Rounded corners feel friendly and modern; square corners feel classic and print-like.
- Choose a background from the photos. White is safe; a colour picked from the photos (sand, sky, a jumper) ties them together.
- Match the edit. Photos with very different colour or brightness look busy side by side. Edit them alike first.
Exporting a sharp file
Most blurry collages come from one of three things: a small export, a photo zoomed in too far, or the platform's own compression. Export larger than the platform's recommended size, don't zoom a photo past its own resolution, and upload the file straight from your device rather than a screenshot of it.
| Size | Pixels |
|---|---|
| Square 1:1 | 2048 × 2048 |
| Portrait 4:5 | 1638 × 2048 |
| Portrait 3:4 | 1536 × 2048 |
| Story 9:16 | 1152 × 2048 |
| Pinterest 2:3 | 1365 × 2048 |
| A4 print | 1448 × 2048 |
That is about 175 dpi for A4, fine for a home print. Pro exports up to 4096 pixels on the long side for sharper large prints. Use JPEG for photos and PNG for designs with lots of text.
Common mistakes
- Choosing the size last. Changing a square collage to a Story afterwards means reframing every photo.
- Too many photos. Twelve tiny pictures on a phone screen are hard to see. Split them into two posts.
- Cutting through faces. Check every space for heads cut off at the chin or the top.
- Text near the edges. Stories and grids trim the edges. Keep words in the middle.
- Posting a screenshot. A screenshot of a collage is lower resolution than the exported file.
Questions
What size should an Instagram collage be?
For a feed post, 1080 × 1350 pixels (4:5 portrait) takes up the most room on screen. 1080 × 1080 (square) and 1080 × 1440 (3:4, which matches the profile grid) also work. For a Story or Reel cover, use 1080 × 1920 (9:16). Larger files with the same shape are fine: Instagram scales them down.
How many photos should a collage have?
Three to six usually looks best on a phone screen, because each photo is still big enough to see. Nine works for a simple grid of similar shots. If you have more, make two collages or a carousel instead of shrinking everything.
Should I save a collage as JPEG or PNG?
JPEG for photo collages: the file is much smaller and looks the same once posted. PNG for collages with lots of text, flat colour or graphics, where JPEG can show slight smudging around sharp edges.
Can I print a photo collage at A4?
Yes. Choose the A4 size before you start so nothing is cropped when printing. For a sharp print, aim for 2480 × 3508 pixels (300 dpi), though around 150 to 200 dpi is usually fine for a home print viewed at arm's length.
How do I put two photos side by side?
Pick a two-photo layout (side by side, or one above the other), add both photos, then drag each one inside its space so the important parts line up, such as faces at the same height. Add a thin gap if you want them to look like two separate pictures.
Does a free collage maker add a watermark?
Some do, or only remove it if you pay. Collage Maker never adds a watermark, and your photos stay on your device rather than being uploaded.