Designing Creative Photo Collages - How to Make a Photo Collage for a Visionbedding Photo Product

With the right tools and a little helpful advice, the possibilities are endless when it comes to designing the perfect VisionBedding photo product. Anything you can create on your computer screen can be put onto a photo product, through a special dye process. You'll see 3 easy ways to create 3 unique and very creative collage options.  Each one you can do yourself using as many pictures, words, and colors as you want and the result is a beautiful gift and display of treasured memories.

Tools and Skills Needed to Begin

To begin your masterpiece, there are some simple tools and skills that are needed for creating your unique design. You will need some kind of photo editing program, this can range from a complex program like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Photo to a simpler program such as Gimp (this is a free downloadable program, that is very safe and easy-to-use). If you do not have a photo editing program already, Gimp is a good tool to use and can be downloaded by going to www.gimp.org. You will want to become familiar with the program, especially the cropping tool, text tool, paint bucket tool, and selection or hand tool (used to move pictures and text around on the page). The main advantage to these programs is the function of having separate layers. This means that each picture and text box can be moved around freely without affecting the pictures and words that are around it, and it remains a separate entity the entire time you're working on your design.

A few other things you will want to become familiar with are changing the image size (of your pictures), the selection tool, and opening and dragging layers from one canvas to another. These are very basic and simple things to learn and can usually be figured out by practicing and becoming familiar with the program, or by reading about the program online. Now that you have the basic idea of what you will be doing, keep in mind that in order for your product to be clear and good quality, your design must be clear. This means that you will want to start with a canvas size of:

1. 6"x6" at 300 DPI (DPI is dots per inch and refers to the resolution) for a Throw Pillow

2. 4.5"x7" at 300 DPI for the Pillow Sham

3. 9"x12" at 300 DPI for a Small Photo Blanket (the 30"x40" Photo Blanket)

4. 10"x12" at 300 DPI for a Medium (50"x60" Photo Blanket) and Large (60"x72" Photo Blanket)

Collage Type #1 - Pictures on a Show-Through Background

The first collage option we'll look at is the multiple picture layout, on a show through background. This means that the pictures will be spread out, and a background color will show through giving it a bordered or framed effect. To begin, pick the background color of your choice and use the paint bucket tool to fill it in (you will always be able to change it later and if you are unsure you can just make it white). Resize your pictures so they are proportional to the size of the product and drag them onto you canvas. Continue to move them around until you are satisfied with the layout, this may mean you have to crop pictures more or less. Once you have your layout decided, go ahead and add in any text such as important dates, names, quotes or messages. Don't forget you can change the color of your text and add an outline or drop shadow to give it a 3D effect. Once you have finished your collage, save your image as a jpeg (picture file) in a folder or on the desktop where you will be able to find it later.

TIPS-

1. If you need extra pictures to fill in a space, try using a duplicate picture but cropping it differently.

2. Adding drop shadows to the pictures can make your pictures take up more space and also give it a 3D raised effect.

3. If you cannot decide on a single background color, try using a gradient background or adding a border around the edge of the blanket.

4. Sometimes black, white, or shades of grey work best for the background color, if your pictures are very colorful. This will allow the pictures and their color to stand out more and really bring out their vibrant colors.

Collage Type #2 - A Solid Block of Pictures

The second type of collage layout that is very popular is where each picture touches another picture. There are no gaps or background color. However, it can be tricky to make this layout with a set number of pictures, so you may want to have extra pictures just in case or be willing to duplicate some pictures. The best way to begin this layout is to have a main picture that you want as the focal point that is bigger than the others or directly in the center of the product. You will want to utilize the grids in your photo editing program. Try to stick with even numbers when cropping your pictures such as 3"x5" or 4"x6", etc. This will help you get pictures to line up correctly and since pictures are taken in these dimensions already, you won't have to cut anyone out of a picture when you crop it. Once you have the entire top of the product filled up with pictures, save your final design as a jpeg in a file or folder where you can easily locate it.

TIPS

1. Always measure the space you have to fill up before you crop your photos. This will help everything to line up better and makes it much easier.

2. Try grouping pictures together to make squares. Squares are much easier to work with than rectangles. (see diagram for example)

3. For this type of layout, make sure that the automatic select is turned on. This means when you click on a picture it will automatically go to that layer so you can move it around. It will save you time of trying to search through your layers to find the right picture, just so you can move it a few inches.

Collage Type #3 - Picture Cut-Outs on Background

The third type of collage layout is cutting out pictures in different shapes such as hearts, stars, ovals, etc. It is not as difficult as it may sound. To begin open your pictures in your photo editing program. Use the selection tool to either draw a shape onto the picture or use a preset shape, heart, star, or oval, to select the part of the picture that you want to see on the blanket. Then drag the selected part of your picture onto your product canvas. You can change the backing color by using the paint bucket or gradient tool on the bottom (or background) layer. You can add shapes, multiple borders, and anything else you can think of to make your product a work of art.

TIPS

1. Certain shapes can be difficult to cut out, especially hearts and stars. To save some trouble, you may want to cut out the picture in a circle or oval shape and then put it on a heart or star shape.

2. This type of layout offers complete freedom when it comes creating your background. Experimenting with different effects (filters) can unleash some really cool designs and also help you become more familiar with your design / photo editing program.

3. Watch about resizing your image by dragging and pulling it to make it larger, this can result in poor quality pictures. It's always better to use your "image size" tool since it will retain quality and simply shrink and enlarge the pixel size.

I've Completed My Design. . . What Next?

After you have finished your product design, make sure you save it as a jpeg (picture file) in a safe place - where you can access it easily (your desktop or personal folder). Then you can make your purchase through our safe and secure online checkout process if you haven't already done so, and once the checkout is complete log back in to your VisionBedding Account. There you will be able to upload you entire design as the 1 image layout. After uploading you may do any further cropping and choose your backing color from 13 different color options. You will be able to preview your final design and then click complete to submit your design to be put on your one-of-a-kind photo product.

Visit "Making a Photo Collage" for more information and to view diagrams or helpful pictures.