Collagerator (Windows and Mac)
The first among the photo merging programs that I want to suggest you consider is Collagerator. It is free, it can be used on both Windows and Mac and allows you to create various types of photo collages using the various models available. It also integrates a whole series of themes that can be used to embellish the creations.
To use it, connected to the program website, click on the button with the operating system logo in use on your computer located at the bottom left and wait for the software installation file to be downloaded.
At this point, if you are using a Windows PC, open the file you just obtained, click on Si then on OK and subsequently on NEXT. Put the check mark next to the item I accept the terms of the license agreement, click again NEXT for three consecutive times and then presses on Install. Finally, click on end.
If you are using a Mac, open the file in .dmg format you just obtained and then drag the icon of the software to the folder Applications. Then access the Launchpad and click on the Collagerator icon to start it.
Now, regardless of the operating system you are using, click on the icon New collage on the left and select the theme you prefer among those proposed, set the orientation using the buttons at the top and the page size, then click on OK.
Then drag the images you want to use onto the card Images of the program and click on the button Subject to apply changes to the size of the composition, to adjust the shadows and the background. If you prefer, you can also add frames.
Once the changes are complete, click on the item Fillet in alto a sinistra, select the option Export ..., indicate the format in which you want to save your collage from the menu Format: and click sul bottone Save.
Picture Merge Genius (Windows)
If you are using a Windows PC, you can also contact Picture Merge Genius, a specific commercial program just for merge photos. Even if it is in English it is very easy to use, as it guides the user step by step in creating beautiful ultra-customizable collages. The program is paid but is available in a free trial version lasting 5 days that allows you to fully test all its potential.
To use it, go to the program website and click on the link Download che trovi in corrispondenza della dicitura Rental1 under the software name. If the first link doesn't work try clicking on the others.
When the download is complete, open the file you just obtained and first click on Si and then Next. Then put the check mark next to the item I accept the agreement and click once again on Next for four file times and then click on install. To conclude, he presses the button Finish.
Now that you see the software window on your desktop, click on the button New at the top left then put the check mark in correspondence with the first option, select a first image from your computer, indicate the background color and click on Next.
Define the image output size and any background color, indicate how many columns to include using the options on the screen, then click on the Add button, select the other images to add to your creation and press the Finish button.
Once this is done, the previously selected images will be automatically added to the composition visible on the right. If you are satisfied with the result, you can immediately save it on your computer by clicking on the button Save up.
If, on the other hand, before saving you want to make changes to individual images, select them once and click on the button Edit Pic present at the top to access the appropriate editor or press the button Add test to add text. If you just want to change the position of the photos in the composition, click on them and drag them to the desired point.
Paintbrush (Mac)
In an article dedicated to what are the programs to merge photos can not miss Paintbrush, at least not as far as the Mac side is concerned. This is a free application for macOS / OS X that closely resembles Paint for Windows.
You ask me how to use it? Nothing simpler. First of all, download the program by connecting to the Paintbrush website, by clicking on the item Downloads placed on the side and then on the link Paintbrush 2.1.2.
Wait a few moments for the download procedure to start and complete then drag the icon to the folder Applications of yours, select it by right clicking and then click on apri from the menu that is shown to you (in this way you will go around the block imposed by Apple for apps from non-certified developers).
Once the software editor is displayed, fill in the fields Width e Heigth indicating the size of the image that will contain the photos to be merged and click on the button OK.
Next click menu Filletclick your Open ..., select the images you want to merge and click on the button OK to open them in the editor. Now click on the tool Selection in the toolbar of the program and trace the outline of the image you want to stay on the left when you go to merge photos.
Then click with the left mouse button on the photo and select the item Copy from the menu that is shown to you. Now click anywhere in the image to use to hold the merged photos and choose the item paste to paste the previously copied photo. Then perform the same procedure for the other image and after having pasted it drag it to the right so as to be able to place it next to the first.
At this point, fai clic sulla voce Fillet in the menu bar, select the item Save As…. and type the title you want to give to the image, the position in which you want to save it and the format then press the button OK.
Then use Preview to refine the result obtained. So open the image you just saved, click on the button Selection tool placed at the top and outline the images. Then press the button Cut out. Doing this will remove any excess edges.
Quick Picture Tools (Online)
If, on the other hand, you want to avoid downloading and installing additional programs on your computer, you can merge multiple photos together by contacting the excellent Web service Quick Picture Tools. In fact, the service allows you to create simple collages of images consisting of a minimum of two up to a maximum of four images. It is free, it is very easy to use and in a few moments it allows to obtain excellent final results. The only thing that needs to be taken into account is that in order to function it needs to Adobe Flash Player or a browser that integrates it (if you need more info, read my article on how to install Flash Player).
To use it, go to the Quick Picture Tools home and click on the buttons Add ... to select up to four pictures to use for the collage. Then help yourself with the preview of the two side by side and use the fields Width ed Height to adjust the size of the images. To get a more complete overview of the composition you can possibly reduce the zoom level of the preview using the drop-down menu on the right.
You can also set a background color by clicking the white square next to the item Background color, choose the thickness of the spacing between the two photos using the option Padding, that of the edges of the collage and the rounding of the latter using the options Margin e Rounded corners.
When you are satisfied with the result, download the photos side by side on your computer by clicking on the button Generate image bottom right.
Pixlr (Online)
As an alternative to the above solution you can contact Pixlr and more precisely to Pixlr Editor. This is an online service that offers a more, so to speak, traditional approach to image editing. It includes advanced but at the same time simple to use tools that closely resemble Photoshop. It is free and requires no special technical skills to be used. Even in this case, however, you need the Flash Player plugin.
To merge photos with Pixlr Editor, first connect to the main page of the service and click on the item Create a new image. Type the size of the collage you intend to create and specify if you want to set a transparent background by selecting the appropriate option. Then click on the button OK and you will be shown the service editor right away.
At this point, click on the menu Fillet at the top left and click on Open image ... then select two images that you intend to place side by side. Then select the two images one at a time (just use the key combination Ctrl + A on Windows or cmd + a on Mac), copy them (you can use the key combination Ctrl + C on Windows or cmd + c on Mac) and paste them into the editor pane (you can use the key combination Ctrl + V on Windows or cmd + v on Mac).
Proceed by resizing the photos so that they are placed side by side correctly. To do this, select the level for the first image from the box located on the right side of the screen, click on the menu Modification at the top left, select Free transformation to resize and move the photo. Then repeat the same steps with the second image as well.
Finally, eliminate the “excess” part of the photographic composition using the tool cutter and save the new unique image on your computer by clicking on the item Save annessa to the menu Fillet.
Other interesting resources
Didn't the programs to merge photos that I have proposed to you in the previous lines satisfy you? I'm sorry but… don't throw in the towel just yet! First try to take a look at the resources listed below, maybe they can be for you.
- Photoshop - Does he really need an introduction? It is one of the most famous photo editing and image editing programs in the world. It includes an infinite series of functions and tools through which you can not only place two or more images side by side but also make countless other changes. It is available for both Windows and Mac and is paid but you can try it for free for a month. For more information, read my tutorial on how to use Photoshop.
- GIMP - Considered by many to be the only true free alternative to Photoshop, it is an open source and cross-platform graphics software that allows you to manipulate digital photos in many ways. Using its tools for selecting and resizing photos, as well as the various profiles available for applying the new layers, you can use it to merge images and create collages that are sure to impress. For more info, read my guide on how to use GIMP.
- Pixelmator - Now known as "the little Photoshop", it is a specific program for Mac that offers many of the tools made available by the famous Adobe software in a user interface within the reach of even non-professionals. Thanks to the features offered, it also allows you to merge multiple photos together.
- Paint. NET - This is a great free graphics program for Windows that features many more options than Microsoft's classic Paint but far fewer features than the likes of Photoshop. Thanks to its ultra-intuitive interface (completely in Italian), it can be used by anyone to combine photos with gradient effects or tile images in order to obtain beautiful collages.
- FotoEffetti.com - It is another online service that can be used as an alternative to the ones above to merge photos. It is free, can be used on all web browsers and has a minimal and intuitive user interface.
