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summer in snapshots {week one} and a simple way to make a photo collage {tutorial}

    Last week I mentioned that I’d be playing along with Amber of Starfish Jewelry and taking a photo each day to document our summer. Did you do it too? Here is our week in snapshots:

    2011-06-21

    I’m linking up at Starfish Jewelry Designs : click the button below to link up too.

    summer-snapshots150

    zig zag

    I’ve been asked a few times how I create my photo collages {you can see more examples here and here}. And now I will give out my secret.

    image

    That’s right. There’s no fancy photoshop steps involved : just Google’s pretty amazing free photo-editing software called Picasa.

    There are lots of different ways to edit your photos and as I get more into photography, I’m learning more about how important editing is. But Picasa has been a great resource for me {especially since it is simple and free} and is what I often use for my photos on the blog.Ā  You can download it HERE.

    Once you have it installed on your computer, import your photos either from your camera or from a file on your computer. You can learn more about the editing features on the picasa site, but feel free just to play around – they make it pretty easy.Ā  Okay, on to the tutorial :

    photo-collage

    When you open picasa and have photos uploaded, it will look something like this:

    image

    Now you can select the photos you would like to put in your collage

    hold

    click on a photo, then click the ‘pin’ button to add to the ‘que’ to be used in the collage

    Ā 

    Ā 

    collage

    Once all of your photos have been selected, click the collage button

    photo-layout

    decide how you would like your photos displayed from the options {I used GRID}

    edits

    When you are happy with the collage, click create collage.

    add-text

    If you’d like to add text to your collage, click text

    text

    then select your font, size and color and type in the desired text

    Ā 

    options

    When you collage is finished, you can upload to an online photo printing store, email it to your family or friends, print at home or export it {which is what I do to use on my blog}.

    Pretty easy, right? Have fun with it!

    2011-03-26 superhero party

    the summer boutique

    {just a few more examples}

    Ā 

    45 thoughts on “summer in snapshots {week one} and a simple way to make a photo collage {tutorial}”

    1. I love Picasa too, but since Google took over I am finding weird glitches. I just made a collage for my child’s class, and it took forever. Here’s why. It kept doubling the kids to make the collage the right number of kids. Who wants a collage with a child in the photo twice in exactly the same picture? I do not want Picasa doing things I am not asking it to do. Then when I add text it looks great as it is preparing to edit and create the collage. Then when it is done the text is partially out of the box. It keeps moving my photos around. Oh my. Anyone have any advice to save my sanity? Thank you!

    2. Thank you so much for this tutorial, Emily. I have been using Picasa for YEARS and had no idea how to do this. It’s so easy! You are so wonderful to share your creativity and ideas.

    3. i have the same question as lauren from above. i uploaded my collage to blogger and it was small so i was wondering how to make it larger! any help? thanks

    4. thanks so much for this tutorial! one question, when i upload them to blogger they are small, like the size of a normal picture (even when i choose the large size) any tricks for making them larger? i wasn’t sure it that was on the picasa or blogger side. thanks!

      1. Not sure about blogger’s side of things, but I noticed in the left hand column of Picasa, you can create a custom size under the “Page Format” drop down. I created a “Blog Collage” size to utilize the exact width of my blogs columns.

    5. I just wanted to thank you for teaching me about the collages on Picasa. We have had our pictures on Picasa for years, but I haven’t played with the collage feature. Thank you so much. You are so appreciated. Blessings to you!

    6. i’ve enjoyed reading your blog and have wondered how you get the corners of your pictures rounded. Is that picasa too? Thanks for sharing.

    7. Cool! Never did that in Picasa before…
      Can you share what program you use for your graphics? Since you don’t use photoshop? I assumed…I’d like to make personalized chore charts and stuff with the pretty chevrons, etc…

    8. Thank you for the tutorial! The collage looks super easy and it will be super useful too! I appreciate all the work you put into helping those who read your blog.

    9. Thanks for the tutorial! I used to use Picasa and got away from in since I got a new Mac. I will have to try it again!
      I also linked up on The Starfish Blog!
      Hope to see you there again next week!

      1. I just made a collage for a blog post I have been meaning to finish for over a month. THANK YOU for the Picasa tutorial. It was so easy! I will be using this A LOT for future blog posts!

    10. Hi Emily!! Love the collage! I may have to try that for next weeks snapshots!! I love the waterslide, so fun!! Was that in your backyard? Thanks so much for linking up! xoxo

    11. can’t believe this was there all along…i’ve used picasa for forevvver!!! thanks for the info, and ps—your family is just too cute. what a lucky momma you are!
      -mer

    12. Thanks for the tutorial on creating a collage in Picasa. I have played around with that feature a bit and have gotten frustrated. This should definitely help! Thanks again!

    13. Thanks for the tutorial. I love using Picasa but I have not done a collage with it yet. I will now, thanks to you!!! Your Summer is looking like a lot of fun so far. Enjoy…

    14. Okay, sad but true fact: I use Picasa all the time and had no idea you could do this. In fact, I was editing a post in Livewriter and kept thinking, “I THOUGHT I saw a collage button somewhere around here,” and it occurs to me now that I had probably just seen it in Picasa because I was clicking back and forth to it.
      Thanks for the “aha!” moment. : )

    15. i was JUST thinking that i really want to learn how to make these fancy collages i keep seeing everywhere. thanks so much for another wonderful tutorial!!

    16. little one swinging looks so much like you
      &
      at the risk of breaking your heart, i do believe she looks a little grown up….

      and to date myself i’ll go ahead and throw this in…picasa is the bomb!

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