Why Make a Collage?
Art assignment, end of project celebration, technology integration activity, communicating learning visually – these are just a few reasons to create a collage in the classroom.
The traditional way of making a collage is to cut out pictures and glue them into place on a background. But using the computer to create a digital collage from photos or images offers a different option that has lots of ‘WOW’ factor to capture students’ interest while building technology as well as creative arts skills. Do you have a classroom project in which students have already gathered a collection of themed digital pictures? Making a collage is an alternate or additional way to display the work. No existing folder of pictures? Make one: students can search for a series of images about a subject online and then create a unique display using the collage technique.
Generating a collage using technology is easy and fun, enhances design and layout skills, encourages creative expression, and will actively engage your students to bring out their ‘inner artist’.
Use Windows Photo Gallery
If you have Windows 7 or Windows 8, you can download a free program called Photo Gallery to organize, edit, and share photos. But it can be used to make a collage as well. Here’s how in 5 easy steps:
- Open Photo Gallery.
- Add your collected folder of images.
- Select a minimum of 7 images.
- From the Create tab, click Auto Collage.
- Name the collage file and select a location to save it.
Use a Free Online Collage Maker
There are many free programs online that you can use to create a picture collage. They offer a variety of options for editing and creating distinctive collages. Some offer additional features with a paid subscription or membership. Here are a few along with some of their distinguishing features:
- Choose from a variety of collage layouts, including funky shapes
- Photo stitching options include spacing, corner design, colors, and background
- Add text, labels, clip art and more
- Save to Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Flickr, or the desktop
- Shuffle feature easily changes layout of pictures randomly
- Apply photo filters such as ‘Black & White’ and ‘Sepia’
- Signing up for an account is free
- Basic options available without creating a free account or log in
- Add stickers and speech callouts
- Cut out tool allows user to select specific areas of photos
- Choose and edit a background design from a fun and extensive variety of choices, including ‘Magic’, ‘Girly’, ‘Scrapbook’, ‘Words’, and ‘Sports’
- Add photos from a saved folder or from a webcam
- Free collage has a watermark
- Many free images, photos, shapes, clip art, and backgrounds
- Upload your own photos
- Easy drag and drop format
- Export and publish as a png or pdf