How to Combine Two Pictures or More: 5 Easy Ways
Whether you’re sharing photos on Instagram or creating digital art, the ability to combine photos is incredibly useful, but, of course, you need the right tool for the job. Let’s explore the top photo combiner and editor app choices on the market in 2023.
How to combine photos on your desktop or phone
Movavi Photo Editor is a feature-rich photo editor that empowers users to combine images, remove image backgrounds, restore old photos, and create cool images with 100+ effects and filters. The app is AI-powered, giving photographers of all skill and experience levels a tool to do more with their work. This professional-grade platform offers a free download trial and is available for Mac and PC.
Pros:
Very user-friendly interface
Auto enhancements powered by AI engine
Lots of tools and features
Cons:
Can be resource hungry
No auto updates
How to combine photos with Movavi Photo Editor
Step 1. Install Movavi Photo Editor
Download the installation file. Once you’ve downloaded the program file, run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.
Step 2. Add an image
Click Browse for Images to locate any picture you like, or simply drag and drop it into the workspace.
Step 3. Сombine two photos
Open the Insert Image tab and click Paste an Image to upload the second picture. It will be overlaid onto the first one.
Then, drag the second photo to the left or right if you want to place photos side by side. Drag the photo up or down to stack pictures vertically. Click Zoom out at the bottom left of the screen or press Ctrl - to see both pictures at once. If needed, change the size of the photo by dragging the appropriate corners of the dotted line frame. Once you’ve put photos together, click the Apply button.
Step 4. Add more images (optional)
Repeat step 3 to combine several photos into one.
Step 5. Crop the result (optional)
If there are white borders or empty spaces left, improve the composition by switching to the Crop and Rotate tab. Select the area of the image that will be cropped out by dragging the dotted line frame. You can also choose from six crop templates or type the exact measurements into the Width and Height fields. Click Apply.
Step 6. Save the joined images
Click the Save file button in the top-right corner: you’ll see the Saving photo window. Enter your file name, choose the format you want and specify the folder for saving. Click Save.
PhotoJoiner is an online tool that allows users to combine pictures online for free without downloading any software. Because it’s a web app, PhotoJoiner is OS agnostic and will work on any computer with a decent internet connection. It’s not the most robust photo editor, but if you only need to merge photos, it will do the job most of the time. Some users have reported that it’s not very intuitive, and cropping images may be more difficult than other programs. Users on a budget will appreciate that this is a free app with no watermark. However, while you’re working in PhotoJoiner, be prepared for pop-up ads that frequently take over the screen.
Pros:
Safe to use with no malware
Good customer support
Free with no watermark
Cons:
Frequent annoying pop-up ads
Difficulties with cropping images
Not user friendly
How to combine photos with PhotoJoiner
Go to PhotoJoiner and tap the green Create Collage button.
Go to PhotoJoinerSelect how you want to display your photo collage from the formats on the left.
Tap the Open button above the editing field and select Computer.
Browse for the files you want to merge and select them.
The photos will then appear in a bar to the right. You can add more photos here at any time by pressing the Add Images button above the bar.
Drag and drop your uploaded photos into the editing field.
Make any edits you need to the image now, as you cannot come back and edit the image after you save it. If you aren’t happy with the result, you’ll have to start over with a new project.
Tap the Save button above the editing field.
This will take you to a preview of your merged image. To download, tap the Download Photo button on the right.
Adobe® Photoshop® is so ubiquitous that its name has become a common slang term to mean “digitally edited.” Does that mean it’s the best tool to put multiple pictures together into one image? Photoshop® has a fairly steep learning curve, but it’s very robust and includes almost all of the most popular professional-level photo editing tools available today. It can be very resource heavy, and even with multiple licensing options, it is cost prohibitive for a lot of users. However, users who’ve taken the time to learn the platform enjoy using it to stitch three or more images together with ease, add filters, and play with backgrounds and enhancements.
Pros:
Robust platform with lots of effects and features
Integrates well with other Adobe tools
Bulk image processing
Cons:
Steep learning curve
Expensive
Very resource heavy
How to combine photos with Photoshop®
Install and open Photoshop® on your PC or Mac.
Download Photoshop®In the app, open your first image. This will automatically create your project’s first layer.
In the Layers menu on the right, click the padlock icon to unlock the layer.
Browse for your second image on your computer.
Drag and drop your second image onto the first image in Photoshop®.
Move the second image where you want it on or beside the first image. If you’re just creating a collage, skip to step 9. If you want to blend the images or insert part of your second image into your first image, continue to step 7.
Select your top layer and click Add Vector Mask button in the Layers menu so you can erase parts of the top image and make it look like it is part of the bottom image.
Choose the brush tool and paint out the area that you want to erase.
Choose Flatten Image from the top menu to merge the two layers and create a single combined photo.
Save your combined photo to your computer.
Layout from Instagram is a mobile app with versions available for iOS and Android devices. It was designed specifically to allow users to join photos together to post in Instagram stories or posts. So, instead of adding multiple pictures to a carousel post or adding story after story, you can use this app to join them together in a single post or story. If you want to edit your images further, though, this app may not be the right choice for you.
Pros:
Easy to learn
Multiple layout options
Save and share options
Cons:
Lacks a lot of editing tools
No desktop version
How to combine photos with Layout from Instagram
Download Layout from Instagram in the App Store or Google Play and open the app on your phone.
Download the app for iOS
Download the app for AndroidWhen prompted to allow Layout to access your photos, select the photos you want to use or just choose Allow Access to All Photos.
Your photo album will appear in the app. Tap the photos you want to combine.
In the preview screen, swipe to see the layout options and tap the one you like best.
Use the Replace, Mirror, Flip, and/or Borders tools to edit your images.
Tap Save at the top right corner of the screen and select Instagram, Facebook, or More to save or share the image.
Users interested in learning how to put two photos side by side on Android devices may be interested in Image Combiner. This app is only available through Google Play, so it’s not an option for iPhone and iPad users. The free version does include ads, but users have reported that the pro version is very affordable. Like other photo stitching apps, it isn’t very robust, and you may need an additional photo editing tool if you want to do more than combine images.
Pros:
User-friendly
Inexpensive pro version
Higher quality images than some other photo stitching apps
Cons:
Only available for Android devices
Limited orientation options
No way to resize new images
How to combine two pictures or more with Image Combiner
Download Image Combiner from Google Play on your Android mobile device.
Download the appTap the Add Picture button at the bottom of the screen.
Select the photos you want to combine.
When you’ve chosen the photos you want to use, hit Combine Images at the bottom of the screen.
Choose the aspect ratio you’d like for your image. You can rotate the image if you need to by tapping Rotate in the bottom middle of the screen.
When you’re happy with your image, hit OK on the bottom right of the screen.
When prompted, choose your picture quality. You can select low, high, or native, and you can choose to apply it to all pictures or just the one(s) in this project.
Make any final adjustments, including orientation, size, and border, and then hit Save or Share to save the image to your phone or share it on your preferred platform.
Summary
There you go! Hopefully our review of these top five platforms will help you in your photo-combining journey. Remember, as you select the best option for your needs, to choose a platform that does everything you need. Remember to consider:
System requirements: Does it work with your PC, Mac, iPhone, or Android?
Tools and effects: Will you be using it for more than combining pictures?
Price: Do you need a free option, and do you mind pop-up ads or watermarks?
If you can answer these three questions as you peruse the above info, you should be on your way. From our experience, especially if you’re working on a desktop, we recommend trying out Movavi Photo Editor. With a free trial, what do you have to lose?
Movavi Photo Editor
*The free version of Movavi Photo Editor has the following restrictions: you can save up to 10 images with added watermark, screenshots are disabled.
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