Polaroid Collage

[Dravlocphoto]

This tutorial is available as a PDF. Click here to view or download it

This is my very first tut. I am in a photography group and i needed to create something original. I tried to make it worth your time, and pretty easy to follow.

 

Here we go then!

Before you start, you will need the Shadow plugin.

 

Here is the finished product!

 

Step 1: First I like to start with a gradient so that it's no so bland.

you can use what you like.

 

Step 2: second I add a picture in a new layer and resize it to a size that i am happy with.

 

Step 3: Once you have resized your image to your liking, add a new layer.

Move the new layer below the picture layer. In this new layer, draw a solid white rectangle behind the picture so that it looks like a Polaroid pic.

When its the way you like, merge the two layers together so that the border and the imported picture are one layer.

 

Step 4: Now, in the picture layer ( layer 3, it should be now) zoom/rotate the picture until its where you want it.

 

Step 5: Now duplicate the picture layer so that you have 2 of them. Now select the layer that is just above the background.

 

Step 6: Now in this layer make a shadow using the Shadow plugin by ryanr23.

Adjust the shadow so that it is almost directly under the picture.

I set my values as: Transparency- 115, Angle of shadow (left to right)- 92, Angle of shadow depth- 82

 

Step 7: Now merge the picture and the shadow layer together to make one.

 

Step 8: Repeat steps 2 - 7 to create your Polaroid Collage.

 

I hope that this Tut was useful to you.

please show me what you can create and tell me what i could do to make a better collage.

Thank You for your time!

Enjoy!

[Xune]

Looks Very interesting!

I will probably try it out some time, but i don't have the time right now.

[westbank]

Looks Very interesting!

I will probably try it out some time, but i don't have the time right now.

well,we have the same opinion;)

[LilRedneck]

here was my go at it.

[Dravlocphoto]

Great job! I like the shadows. Did you use the same technique?

[LilRedneck]

yes i did...great tutorial

[Dravlocphoto]

Thank you!

[EternalFlames]

I use Drop Shadow...

I didn't make one, but great tut!

[LilRedneck]

oh yeah you used shadow...i actually did use dro shadow with a little blur

[Dravlocphoto]

Oh. Awesome! I'll use that from now on! :o

[LizzyRock]

This is my contribution. I've used a few of my favourite album covers. I had a few problems with the shadow effect but reasonable please with the outcome.

[Dravlocphoto]

I like it. I found that the drop shadow plugin is much better suited for this application. Sorry i didn't post or mention anything about that.

The link to the plugin is: viewtopic.php?t=1411

[spongey437]

For a different type of effect using a similar technique you could also make a polaroid collage out of just one picture like this:

Same basic technique, different end effect. sorry about the quality of the picture but I shrunk it down from a larger version so it looks a bit jagged on the edges of the photos, but you get the idea.

[Ash]

@spongey437: I like this idea

[Dravlocphoto]

Nice Job!

[LizzyRock]

Good idea spongey437.

[remota]

For a different type of effect using a similar technique you could also make a polaroid collage out of just one picture like this:

Same basic technique, different end effect. sorry about the quality of the picture but I shrunk it down from a larger version so it looks a bit jagged on the edges of the photos, but you get the idea.

How Exactly did you do that?

I'd like a tutorial for it

I've seen quite a few for Photoshop but none 4 PDN this is the colsest i've got

ty

[spongey437]

I will post a tut for it in the next day or so.

[ronio]

Help, what I'm I doing wrong?

Whenever I try add add a new layer from file it takes my original (background) layer and resizes it to the new layers size? So after I get everything size back right and try to add in my second photo, whammy it does it again. Now this time the first image has been scaled down to a thumbnail on this new canvas size.

This looks like an awesome tut, I'm hoping to use it to create a photo collage on a 4x6 to mail out for Christmas.

~ronio

[Dravlocphoto]

I had that problem too, i had to resize all my photos and save them separately and then import them into a new layer. I hope that helps.

[confused]

I will post a tut for it in the next day or so.

Did you ever make the tut? I can't find it, and would like to know how you did this.

Thanks

[tourist]

I spread my photos over a "toolbox".

[anna_bella]

Hi there,

I'd like to introduce myself first, my name is Anna and I have been using Paint.net for about a month as I am training to be a web designer and feel as though this will help me a lot. I have been following the tutorials, a lot of them are really really helpful

I really like what you've done with your photos - transforming them into polaroid looking ones, I am getting stuck on actually getting the polaroid on my photo, you say behind but it just covers the whole image, and this is when I do it on layer 3. Some help please please please!!!

Thanks x x

Anna

[mamabeginner]

Great Tutorial.

Making myself some collages to put in my scrapbooks. Thanks for posting this.

[mamabeginner]

here's the collage I did... but when I added that last pic that has the blue boarder it made the whole thing BIGGER and I don't know how to get it back down to the size it was. When I started it was 12.33x12.33 pixels and then it went to 20.00 x 26.67 pixels, when I added that last picture. Any suggestions on how to fix it and make the original size I had.