How To Create Photo Collages in Photoscape

So Picnik has edited it's last photo. Orton-ished its last pic, HDRed its last snap and I am...
... so over it! Hah!

Because I have Picmonkey instead.

Except...

...they haven't launched collages yet, which is a little favourite of mine so I have had to resort to other sites for my cut and paste fix.

I asked what software the good folks of Love All Blogs used for collages and realised that there wasn't a simple answer that had the features and effects of Picnik AND collages. PicMonkey are promising collages soon but in the meantime I have had a scout around and found Photoscape to be my favourite.

Photoscape can do simple collages and it is very easy to use. You do have to download the software which is FREE but it is then limited to the device you have it loaded to. Photoscape has loads of other great stuff too like editing effects, text, a few decorative bits and bobs, animations and screen grabs which is handy if you are going to do a quick tutorial like this:

Ta-da - Photoscape

First step is to locate your photos using the navigator on the left hand side of the screen

Then choose your collage layout from the large selection on the right hand side of the screen. Think about how many images you want to include, baring in mind the more your have the less detail you will see in the finished collage on your website. If you have spare space you can always use it to add text and title your collection.

You need to adjust the size of the finished collage by clicking on the little acorn. What is the best size for your website layout? You can also change the aspect so make it portrait or landscape.

Now the fun part of arranging your photos. Think about colours and themes of the pictures so that the finished collage is balanced. For example if you have a selection of colour and black and white shots, you may want to keep them mixed up so that all the colour isn't over on one side.

You can adjust the position of the images, because the size of the photo may not exactly fit into the space you have allocated it. You can also move photos around or delete them until you are happy with the arrangement.

Final tweaks now. Increase or decrease the margin between images, adjust the roundness of the corners, change the background colour, add frames to the images or add a filter effect to each one. These adjustments really add the finishing touches to the collage.

Last but not least, SAVE! This saves the collage as a new image onto your computer.

Have fun with your collages until PicMonkey launch their own!

What collage software are you using? Care to share?

This is NOT Snap Slappers

Nope this isn't the place where photos turn into tweenage girls trying make up for the first time and have eyeshadow all over their eyes, literally all over, in a lovely shade of blue and lipstick applied straight from the stick, liberally and mascara accidentally pocked into the eye thus creating tears to wash away excess blusher in pretty pink streaks.
No self respecting photo should have to go through that.
Shouldn't be allowed.

But it is a giggle isn't it?

I love tweaking and twiddling and fiddling those photos into submission and I have loved seeing the effects and techniques you have used over the last 20 weeks. But I think it is time for a little rest. I think you must all have been picnik'd out because there were only a few hardcore picnikers here last week and I know when a Snap can be Slapped no more.

So no Snap Slappers this week. Don't worry, it will be back when batteries have been recharged and when I think your creative picniking juices are flowing freely again.

Instead here is a little montage of my Slapped Snaps, all to 'help' you make a decision on who to VOTE for in the Snaps category of the BiBs. Have I mentioned I have been shortlisted?

If you have been super organised and Slapped a Snap then go ahead and use the badge, let me know and I'll add a link here.

Happy snapping everyone :)



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Snap Slappers Wink Wink

We've had some good weather recently. Good enough to get out to the garden and tackle the undergrowth.

I was actually embarrassed today when my Mother-in-law/green-fingered-gift-to-gardens came over and had a wander round our garden with the Wee One.

She is polite and tactful enough to only comment on the green stuff that is growing in the shape of what may be recognised as a plant rather than a weed. Having said that, a weed is only a plant that is growing in the wrong place, so I like to feel that my garden is a refuge for all plant life and no healthy plant will be dug up or weedol'd unneccessarily.

After our forray to Wales a few weeks ago we returned to sunny Lincolnshire with a sack full of stones from the lovely beaches that we found, stones that would one day be painted, and adorn our windowsills. Or not. In fact they found their way into the garden to create a 'feature' pile of stones in a derelect corner of the herb garden.

On their journey they meandered onto the scrubland that was once a lawn and I swear they winked at me.



"'Ello darlin'" courtesy of Picasion

They may also have wolf whistled or was that my post lunch imagination?

Who has been playing with photo editing this week?
Snap Slappers (Anonymous) is in session!




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Saturday Caption Time

The good news is Mr Grasshead has grown a head of hair.

The bad news is...

Mwhahahaha!

Think up a caption and post a comment and I'll send biscuits. Can't promise when, but I will definitely send biscuits.

Done? Okay, now you can visit Mammasaurus for more captioning fun. Click on her badge below.

Snap Slappers Crufts Edition

I am a dog lover. Therefore I should love Crufts.
Actually I am not a fan. Most breeds just look plain weird. Take this one for example.

credit: http://www.yummitube.com/photos?id=147

No I didn't create this but I would have if I had thought of it first! Of course my version wouldn't have looked anything like this. Probably closer to a 1000 piece jigsaw after the Wee One had chucked it out of the box, walked all over it and then fed a few pieces through the letterbox.

I don't like dogs that are any shorter than my knees, that have a yappy bark or can't see through their fur. It's just a matter of personal taste but I will always fall for the mongrel, the daft dog with the wonky ears that jumps up to lick your face. So Crufts isn't really my thing, apart from when they do working dog demonstrations and I am proved right that dogs are cleverer than most people.

Take Misty Moo for example.

I'm sure they could be trained to do anything, like an international spy for instance.

See I knew I was right.


Although a lot of the lovely bloggers who join in with Snap Slappers often follow my lead and stick with my theme for the week, there really are no rules about what you decide to tickle with the photo editing brush.
Just thought I would mention it!

So have you been slapping those effects on or just giving your photos a light tickle?
Join in and welcome to the more is definitely more school of photo editing!




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Week 10 of 365 Project

I have a great sense of achievement this week.

I have passed on my love of all things photo app and editing related to a friend. The fool *mwhahahha*. She had an iphone and took pictures but when I showed her what you could do with those pictures using pixlr-o-matic she may have let out a little squeal! Pixlr-o-matic is my new app of choice (for this week anyway).

Also picmonkey.com has launched which is the closest replacement to Picnik yet. They are promising that collages are coming along with more stickers but it is just too easy to use and has a remarkable sense of familiarity about it.

Can I just say that I am loving this project and I can easily see it continuing for years to come.

There are more addicts out there, mostly congregating at the alter of The Boy And Me. Go see.

Spring Snap Slappers

It's March so that qualifies as Spring doesn't it? Okay, it snowed on Sunday and I am making a scarf but it is still Spring.

The garden is going to take a lot of convincing to magic something, anything, springlike so we thought we would bring spring inside and have our own little bit of green on the windowsill.

I'm bigging this up but I am of course, referring to Mr Grasshead.

Except there is no sign of any grass yet. The label says water daily and within 2 days you will see the first shoots. Designed for kids, even 2 days is pushing their patience and imagine how disappointed they are that 4 days later there is still no grass. Not one blade of greenery is showing.

Taking matters into my own hands I have helped nature along a bit to cheer up the brood and keep their interest going a bit longer before I cheat and buy a few square inches of astro turf and staple it to his head.

Have you had a happy Snap Slappers week?
Just sign up here x





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Snap Slappers - Beach Style

We may have been on holiday last week.
We may have been somewhere that is known for rain.
But that did not stop us heading to the beach, in full wet weather gear (almost), and kicking back. Well, to be more accurate, we skimmed stones with varying degrees of success, we hunted jellyfish and we played chicken with the waves.

Here is The Big One successfully escaping the jaws of an enormous breaker *ahem*

And here he is again showing the real reason he is running away.

Beware the beaches in north Wales is all I can say. *reapplies shark repellent*

Anymore for anymore? Add the badge to your post and link up below. Hope you like the new linky format ;)

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Snap Slappers - The Love Edition

It is Valentines Day, just in case you hadn't realised!
Easy to miss it I think so happy to prompt anyone who may have been living under a rock since Christmas.

In celebration of all things lovey dovey I would like to offer you this beautifully romantic photo.

No? Not quite seeing the lurve? Allow me...

May St Valentine visit your door x

Now join in with your your photo edits, romantic or not, I will let you decide x





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Life After Picnik

I have just about got over the shock that Picnik will be closing (or technically moving over to Google+ but losing a few bits) and I have managed to look at some other photo editing websites without feeling like a traitor. After all Picnik doesn't close until April 19th so there is still plenty of time. In the meantime there is a Brucie bonus, all features are now free, and *wipes brow* if you have paid for an upgrade you will get a full refund even if you only have 1 day left on your membership.

I have read a couple of other posts about alternatives which I have played around with tried and tested for you. While doing this tough job, I also found a couple of other sites which I thought you might like to consider.

So here is Five Go Blogging's FREE photo editing roundup broken into 2 lists; the first is for one-clickers and decorators and the second is for those who are a bit more technically minded and want to play with levels, layers, dodging and burning.

So for the one-click wonders ;)

Flauntr:
Pros:

• loads of filters and overlays which are super easy to apply with one click
• Easy to apply stickers, drawing and text (although the range of stickers isn't as good as Picnik)
• Adjust you photo to take on the palette and style of a famous painting
• Simple and very easy to use

Cons:

• You need to upload your photos, save them in an album, then click and drag the image into the workspace (it wasn't obvious)!
• No animation features
• No collage feature
• Not able to create layers so you can't merge images

Summary: A simple tool to enhance your images and decorate them.

Pixlr Express
Pros:

• Masses of pre-set filters, overlays and frames, applied with one click.

Cons:

• No decorations or text
• No animation features
• No collage feature

Summary: great for simplicity, filters and overlays but nothing else to sell it!

Pixlr O-Matic
Pros:

• Loads of preset filters to give your images a retro feel

Cons:

• That's all it does, only retro filters.

Summary: Really simple but probably too basic

Befunky
Pros:

• Filters and effects to fill your boots with many times over
• A degree of advanced settings for levels and saturation etc.
• Stickers, text and doodling features
• Additional artistic effects

Cons:

• No collages
• No merging of multiple images that I can see or work out
• No animation
• Text fonts are limited on the free version

Summary: Probably the closest to Picnik in functionality and in that you can pay to upgrade and get additional features.

Phixr
Pros:

• Filters and effects as you'd expect
• Can make collages
• Can do basic merging of photos but can only cut out in eclipse or square cropped sections
• Has stickers, text and drawing functions

Cons:

• Can only upload limited picture size and will resize your image to fit (but quality is still fine for blogs)
• Interface is pretty basic and is certainly not slick
• No animation

Summary: Has a good range of effects, stickers, frames etc and is simple to use but the limit of picture size could be a problem.



And now those of a slightly more geeky persuasion ;)

Lunapic
Pros:

• Has animation features! Sparkling effects, reflections, ripples
• Easy to make slideshows
• Can freeform cut out images and paste onto other pictures
• Range of filters and effect
• Can create a twitter mosaic of your followers
• Has tutorials for the more advanced features.

 Cons:

• Limited image size to 930x930 although fine for blogs
• No decorations other than text
• No click and drag collages but can cut out and paste onto a new image to create merged pictures.

Summary: This looks pretty cool for animated and transitional images but probably not ideal for just adding effects for blog images.

Photoscape
Pros:

• It pretty much has it all (except layers as far as I can see)
• It has the geek factor for fiddling with your levels and curves
• It does collages (yay!)
• It has stickers and text and drawing (but not as extensive as Picnik)
• It has filters pre set which you can then adjust to suit you

Cons:

• You have to explore to find what you need, no easy one-click buttons here
• There isn't a facility to merge photos

Summary: The almost full package on you machine. It has to be downloaded so it sits on your machine as a programme.

Aviary
Pros:

• This looks and feels very much like Photoshop so is definitely one for those of you who are comfortable with some technical terms but, as such, offers a lot of scope.
• It has filters, effects and frames
• You can cut and paste to merge photos

Cons:

• No decorations in terms of stickers
• No animation features
• No collages

Summary: Good as a free photoshop alternative but not for the fun features

Pixlr Editor
Pros:

• Nice interface following the style of the other Pixlr products
• Very like photoshop in the editing features it offers
• Has filters, effects and frames

Cons:

• No decorations in terms of stickers
• No animation features
• No collages

Summary: Good as a free Photoshop alternative but not for the fun features

Fotoflexer
Pros:

• Easy to navigate
• All the toys: collage, layers, filters, frames, stickers, insert a face,
• Glitter text (brought out the princess in me!) and glittery stickers.
• You can paste a whole image onto another
• Using 'smart cutout' or 'smart scissors' on the 'geek' menu you can cutout selected areas to paste onto another image.

Cons:

• Slooooow to upload and apply effects. Don't play with this if you are under time pressure.
• Because it is slow I couldn't actual draw a line, it produced a series of dots instead of a continuous line.
• The slow speed also meant that using the smart cutout I could not easily shade the area I wanted to select so it was very rough.
• No overlays and limited frames and filters.

Summary: Of all the sites I have reviewed this comes closest to meeting my needs which are filters, stickers and other decorations, merging images and making collages. Not 100% there but pretty close. 


I have to admit that I am still undecided. I like Befunky for its simplicity and the range of effects, and I like Fotoflexer for its geek features. Given I used photoshop for photo merging and then add effects in Picnik, I will probably still end up using more than one of these sites to get the 'perfect' image.

There are so many other sites out there that you may prefer but there is only so much photo editing a girl can do! If you find something else that you think we would like to try please feel free to link it up here.

Please note I was a first time user to all of the sites I have featured here so it is possible I missed something or just didn't get it. If I did and you feel something should be corrected please let me know. Thanks x