How To Make a Collage Thingy In photoshop ??

[glennk]

Hi Guys Im not sure where this topic belongs but if you relocate it could you leave a pointer please ??

I would like to make one long picture for printing. My Printers printer only allows 24 Inch High so its going to be a long letterbox style print perhaps 5ft by 2ft ??

I want it to be a collection of photographs all on one print. Two main types of shots will be used Portrait and landscape.

How would I go about this in Photoshop please. Ive googled it and can't quite find what i wanted. What I need is something similar to the video below, but Im having trouble following it in 2015cc Photoshop. Once I have the images on the background I don't seem to be able to slide them about into position.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54Y0GGt3Ww4

 

[troutfisher]

I think what you have done is put each photo on the same layer, in order to be able to move them around you need each one on a separate layer.
The tutorial does not make this very clear, basically create a new file with whatever background size and colour you want, open up the photos you want in the collage ( I do it one at a time so it does not get too confusing) select the photo >copy , switch to the background, create a new layer and paste the selection on to the new layer, repeat for all the other photos putting each one on a separate layer ( it helps if you rename the layer you have just pasted the photo onto) then when you want to arrange the photos select the layer with the photo and move it ( move tool ) to position it on the background.
When you are happy flatten all the layers but once you have done this you cannot undo it so save a copy as a psd before you flatten

 

[mr_pants]

I think what you have done is put each photo on the same layer, in order to be able to move them around you need each one on a separate layer.
The tutorial does not make this very clear, basically create a new file with whatever background size and colour you want, open up the photos you want in the collage ( I do it one at a time so it does not get too confusing) select the photo >copy , switch to the background, create a new layer and paste the selection on to the new layer, repeat for all the other photos putting each one on a separate layer ( it helps if you rename the layer you have just pasted the photo onto) then when you want to arrange the photos select the layer with the photo and move it ( move tool ) to position it on the background.
When you are happy flatten all the layers but once you have done this you cannot undo it so save a copy as a psd before you flatten

The best advice I ever heard about PS stuff is to always use layers and save as .PSD

You can then re-open the file and fiddle with it to your heart's content. You can save as a JPEG whenever you feel that the positioning of all the pictures is good for you.

Once you get used to using layers, you're set. It really makes things easy. As mentioned above, naming layers can help you navigate where you want. I once had a file with over 40 layers and didn't name any of them. Finding the layer I wanted was an absolute nightmare.

I guess that the important thing here is to set up your new document to be of the size that you want to print to, drop the pictures in and then move them about until you are happy with the composition.

Sometimes, playing with the software will give you a much better understanding and will help you find the various menu options that you need.

 

[Rhodese]

Here's a method that I have developed for myself , there are many methods that people use, non better than the one you know.



First edit all the images you want to use and place in a folder.



Open Photoshop.



Create your document,



File-New- Document type- Photo....(Custom)

Width, 60 inches

height, 24 inches

Resolution 150> ppi.

Colour mode RGB....8 bit.

Background....White.



At this point it might be a good Idea to lay some guides down if the collage is to be regimented.

To apply guides, first click on View-Rulers.

The rulers bar will appear at the edges of the screen.

(I find it best to set the increments to percent, right click on the rulers bar and select percent.)

Click on the rulers bar (on the left for vertical guides, top for horizontal guides. and holding the mouse key down drag a guide(s) into position.

Click back into View-Snap To- and click guides.



"SAVE" this as a Photoshop Document.



Open the first image to be placed.

(If ACR has been assigned to open all images click OK to open)



The background will have gone to the top bar, the first image will be up front and highlighted on the top bar.

Click on the highlighted image on the top bar, holding down the mouse key drag it down to somewhere mid-screen and let go.

Now the background can be seen below the first image.



Click on the move tool its at the top of the tool stack and looks like four arrows pointing four ways.



Click on the image and drag it onto the background, close the separate image file as it is no longer needed.

You will now need to see the layer stack, if it is not visible go to Window and click on Layers.

Now that the layers stack is visible you will see that there are two layers Background and layer 1. Click on where it says layer 1 on layer 1 and rename it something that identifies it from all the other images.



Click on the image and move into position.





SAVE name and save as a Photoshop document.





The image can be resized, rotated etc by going to Edit- Transform/Free Transform.



Back to the Images folder, open the next image, drag it down from the top bar , drag it onto the background, close the imported image, change the name of the layer, position and resize the image.



SAVE as Photoshop document replacing last SAVE.



Back to images folder....................



On completion flatten the image and save two copies one PSD and one TIFF.



If a random jumbled, overlapped assembly of images is required then there is no need for guides BUT it is MORE important that each layer is uniquely named.



My first ever collage 24"x 8"

Rhodese