Creating a Collage

There are several ways to make a collage or more correctly a montage but this is one of my favorites. In the procedure below we will start with a blank 8” by 10” image and drag several other images into it. We will then add a drop-shadow layer effect to complete the project. You can add any other effect as you desire. The completed image is shown below. The steps for completing this are next.

1. Open Adobe Photoshop Elements
2. Click File New and select 8 X 10 in the Preset Sizes box and set the Resolution to 300 pixels/inch as shown below and click OK.

3. Next open an image that you want to add to the collage.
4. Open your Layers palette
5. Double-click the background layer name and accept the default name of Layer 0. The before and after palettes are shown below.

6. Drag the layer of the open image and drop it onto the blank image. Use the Move tool to both move it and resize it. Be sure to hold down the Shift key when dragging one of the corners for resizing. This will maintain the proportions of the image.
7. You can now add a Layer Style by selecting the Layer Style tab on the palette area. Select Drop Shadows from the drop down box and choose a style. You can click different styles and watch your image change in real time. You can always change this later anytime prior to flattening the image. See the figure below.

8. You can modify the effect by double-clicking the symbol on the left side of the layer, see the figure below.

9. When the window opens, you can modify the shadow distance and angle. If you uncheck Use Global Light, you can make the shadow angles different for each layer.

10. Continue to open other images and add them in the same way.
11. When you are finished you can flatten and save the image. Be sure to save a layered version as well for future changes.