How to Make a Photo Collage on a Chromebook

Photo collages are an excellent way to quickly convey a story or showcase your favorite shots in a simple and creative layout. Smartphone users are probably familiar with the plethora of applications and social media applications that aid in designing the perfect collage.

Chromebook users, on the other hand, may be at a loss when it comes to designing picture collages. Fortunately, we’ve done some digging and have found the best ways to create a collage on a Chromebook.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the various methods and tools you can use to create these images. We’ll be using Google Chrome (the Chromebook’s native browser) and Google Drive. So, let’s get right into it.

How to Collect Your Photos

Making a photo collage on a Chromebook is really simple. But, if you’re new to the platform, there are a few prerequisites before getting started. Because the Chromebook doesn’t house a lot of data (including pictures) you’ll probably need to recover them from the Google Drive. We’ll review that first.

To create that perfect collage, let’s first pick out the right images. Whether you’ve taken them on your phone or a DSLR camera, you can upload them to Google Drive and easily recover them on your Chromebook.

To save an image on your Chromebook simply use the Ctrl + S keyboard shortcut and select ‘Google Drive > My Drive’ on the left-hand side.

If you’ve saved the image to your Drive on your smartphone, log into your Google Drive on your Chromebook and you’re good to go!

The Drive can be accessed by clicking on the Launcher icon in the lower left-hand corner of your screen.

Click the ‘Up’ arrow to expand the window and select the Files icon. This will open your Google Drive.

Scroll through the images you’d like to use in your Collage and double-click each photo to open it. Using the Ctrl + S keyboard shortcut mentioned above, you can save the photos to your Chromebook.

Things to Consider

If you’re only here for a simple Collage to post on your favorite social media site you may not need to put too much thought into your artwork. But, if you want to create a unique and attention-grabbing collage, there are a few things to consider:

• What is the purpose of your Collage?
• Who is your audience? And, what do they positively respond to?
• Do you have a theme?
• Do you need to make edits like cropping and color enhancements?

Images can be powerful. They can tell a story, invoke emotions, and catch the attention of distracted users. So, if you’re serious about your Collage, consider these attributes and then get to work.

How to Make a Collage on a Chromebook

For this section, we’ll be using a few third-party resources to create the Collage. Between Chrome extensions and websites, these tools are readily available for all Chromebook users.

Loupe Collage

Loupe Collage is free, easy-to-use, and available as an extension from the Chrome Web Store. This is extension is specifically designed for Chrome users so it’s perfect for making your Collage. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Visit the Loupe Web Store page and add the extension to your Chrome browser.
2. Access your apps in the top-left corner of a new Chrome tab and launch Loupe. As soon as you launch it, you will select “Add Images.”
   
3. Now, you’ll have the option choose which photos you want to use. Select ‘Upload’ from the top menu to choose photos from your device. If you’re using a Chromebook, you can upload it from your Google Drive or any social media platform directly.
4. Select as many photos as you want and then click ‘Done’ on the bottom-right. Loupe will make a collage with your images.
   
5. Use the Loupe editor to make changes to your collage. Change the size, borders, background, and make any other necessary adjustments. You can choose just about any shape in which to organize your pictures and even draw your own shape. Don’t forget to save your collage once you’ve finished.

PicMonkey

PicMonkey is not free, but it does have a free trial which is worth taking advantage of because you might just end up loving it. PicMonkey has a lot of nice features and a very intuitive interface. There’s little you can’t do when it comes to making collages. Follow these steps to make your collage:

1. Visit the website using the Chrome browser and sign in or sign up.
2. Start your free trial and click on “Create New” in the top-left corner.
   
3. In the next menu, select “Templates” and choose a layout that you like for the collage. The PicMonkey library has hundreds of beautiful template designs organized by application. So if you’re making a collage for Instagram, look in the Instagram section for great templates perfect for uploading.
   
4. When you have picked the right template, click Customize in the prompt. PicMonkey works with layers, so every part of the picture is a layer that you can edit. Click any of the photos in the template to replace them with your own and get creative with text, graphics, frames, and textures.
5. PicMonkey automatically saves your work, so all you have to do when you’re finished is click the “Export” button at the top and you’re ready to go.
   

Make the Perfect Collage

Always keep in mind that the most important ingredient in making a great collage is you. The tools you use are just that, tools. Your creativity and your eye for design are ultimately the factors that will make your work stand out. As long as you express yourself in the way you envisioned, you’ll make a beautiful collage.

So, these are two quick and easy ways to make collages on the Chromebook. You’ve got the free option in Loupe Collage, which is great in dealing with a large volume of photos but sacrifices a little functionality. On the other hand, PicMonkey works almost like a proper photo editor, giving you a lot of options and variety to make the perfect Collage.

What other tools do you use to make impressive collages on the Chromebook? Tell us about your favorites in the comments section below.