Help!!!!

[selawela]

Hello, everyone!

I am working on a collage of old pictures that I want to put on a poster-size photo, approximately 17x11. Here is the problem...I am stuck on how to place these photos so it doesn't look too busy....I have approximate 39 photos to place. Frankly, I am terrible at collages. Does anyone have any ideas or samples that I can look at to get inspired? I would really appreciate this. This is a project that my mother gave me to do of old pictures of the family, and I have just a week to come up with something.

Thanks so much for any suggestions or ideas!

Have a lovely day!

[frank abramonte]

Sela, why not search the web for collages. That should get you some ideas.
I'm also sure you will get a positive response from our members. I don't work in collages, however, you can sketch some on paper, or make blank cut outs and move them around until you get something you like.
My suggestion once you get your layout finalized is to make all your photo the resolution so you don't have to resize them on the collage.

[selawela]

Thanks, Frank! I am looking out there in the world wide web getting ideas....and also searching members' creations. I actually did get inspired by one of our member's collages...so far I have a background of roses...pics from my gardnen. This collage is being made in memory of my grandmother, and she loved roses! So far I have a background! That's a good start, I suppose! ;)

again, thanks for your help here!

[NMarti]

Sela
I would also check the scrapbook sites for free collage templates. They are not sized at your dimensions but you can created two separate pages and then combine them in a final project to get the size you want. They have nice layouts that will be pleasing to the eye. If you search on "free scrapbook templates" you will find several sites.

[selawela]

Thanks, Nancy...i'm going there right now!

[cats4jan]

When I have alot of photos, I try to keep it very simple - so the background does not compete with the photos. If you want a busier background, fading it works well for collages.

How about simply outlining some of the photos and matting others. Are there "main" photos you would like to highlight? Those are the only ones I'd mat.

Overlapping photos will work if they are outlined, but a simpler process is to keep white space around them - adding a simple border to draw attention to individual photos. Not every photo will need to be outlined/bordered/matted.

I like to do some simple tilting of some of the photos, but I wouldn't get carried away with tilting photos - too much tilting will lend to the busyness of the collage.

If I were doing your collage, I'd start with placing and sizing all the photos on a new finished size canvas. Keep the photos different sizes for visual impact.

Unlike Frank, I do not resize or crop photos prior to placing them on my projects. I don't worry about their resolution either. I drag or copy/paste them onto my project and use the move tool/bounding box to resize them on the project - it gives me a little more visual help to see them in place prior to sizing.

(My method of "cropping in place" is to use the marquee tool to draw a selection around the "good part" of the photo - and using control j to place that selection on it's own layer. I then turn off the "cropped" photo's original layer so I can see my crop)

Most photos can be enlarged a little without losing clarity, so if some of your photos are low resolution and they get really small when placed on your canvas, try to enlarge them a bit with the move tool.

And from what I've read, you do not need to work in 300 resolution for a poster. Call the company that will print your poster and ask them what the lowest resolution you can use for a clear print. Make sure to tell them the size of your finished poster.

Using a lower resolution for your canvas should help some of your smaller/low resolution photos come onto your project at a useful size.

I'll search for some samples for you, but I don't know if I have anything to show you. I'll try.

Good luck with your project.

[cats4jan]

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/10dU6w2ccxpHXg71AitJTyaMIrmzm0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=10dU6w2ccxpHXg71AitJTyaMIrmzm0)
Click on photo to see original at Pixentral
(concert photos by cats4jan)

This isn't much help with so few photos, but it illustrates using a simple line border to differentiate one photo from the other. You can't tell, but the photo on the left is outlined inside the perimeter of the photo - I like to vary my outlines - inside/outside/off center.

[cats4jan]

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/16huZDbApGzqQ9Afyu1HjTIxtyVOl0_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=16huZDbApGzqQ9Afyu1HjTIxtyVOl0)

This one shows my love of "white space" around multiple photos - and how I like to border with simple lines. The photo in the bottom right corner is a blend of two photos and I used the outline to put focus on that fact. Each bordered photo has a shadow on it to make it stand away from the background.

This is one of my first projects and I'd do it "better" today (maybe) LOL - but it does show the basics of what I'm talking about.

This is all I have. I hope I've helped.

[selawela]

Wow! Janice!!! Thanks so much for all the advise! You are right about the background....I started off with a busy background and....not good at all!!!
So black is my bacground. I am going to study all your suggestions and I will post the finished project soon!

A million thanks to all of your for helping me out here! Like I said before, I am not good at collages, but I believe I now have a better understanding of what I need to do!

Have a wonderful day!!!!:)