Gail On Tech

Create free shape collages in seconds

If you’re looking for a novel way to display your digital pics, you should take a look at Shape Collage, a program that lets you create interesting collages in a range of shapes. It is so easy to use and the results are excellent — and, best of all,  it’s free.

To begin, go the the Shape Collage site and click on the Download Now button. Locate your operating system from the list from the download page and click on the download link.

Once the file is downloaded and you’ve installed it, open it up.

Before you begin compiling your collage, take a few minutes to watch the instructional video. It’s incredibly comprehensive and will show you everything you need to know to produce a great result.

I’ve used the default settings to create the examples below, but by watching the video, you’ll see the more advanced settings you can use to customise your collage, plus how you can further manipulate your collage using Photoshop. You’ll also see some sample collages to get you inspired.

To begin your collage, choose which pictures you want to include, then drag and drop them onto the pane on the far left of the screen (Ive used 15 images in the examples below). Next, choose the shape you want your collage to take, click on the Create button at the bottom of the centre pane (you can choose here to watch or not as the program organises the photos). Save the collage to a location of your choosing when prompted and you’re done!

Drag and drop your chosen pictures onto the left-most panel.

Using the round collage template.

Using the heart collage template

Now, what you do with your collage is only limited by your imagination — print it out and frame it for yourself or as a gift, use the image to create calendars and other printables, take your scrapbooking to a new level, or use it for personalised gifts such as a photo mug or any of the other customisable merchandise available through online photo services such as Snapfish.