At first, I would print all the photos and later choose which ones to put in my layout. I would then crop the photos and put them together in the page. However, in the course of making collages, I sometimes end up wasting some photos because the cropping wasn't very nice, or the size does not fit my layout.  Later, I discovered I can make a collage using photo-editing software.  That way, I can guarantee that my photos are aligned perfectly, the sizes are just right, and the composition visually pleasing, before I print them. There are many sophisticated software programs out there that can help you do this. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to these hi-tech and costly software programs.  Thankfully, Photo Filtre can help you do that as well. Just follow these simple steps and you're on your way to making beautiful photo collages.
 
1. First, choose the pictures you want to put into your photo collage. Open them in Photo Filtre and set them aside first.  We will get to these later. To open files, click FILE – OPEN.
 
2. Create a new file in Photo Filtre. Click FILE - NEW.  Set the width and length of the file depending on what size you want the photo to be printed.  In my case, I set it to 12 x 12.  This will help me visualize how the pictures will look in my layout.  Set the resolution to 300 pixels per inch - this will give you a sharp photo for printing. See “New File.jpg”.
 
3. Go the file of the first picture you want to put into your collage. Click SELECTION - SELECT ALL, then EDIT - COPY.
 
4. Go back to your blank 12 x 12 file and click EDIT - PASTE.  This pastes the picture you copied into your working file.  Don’t worry if the image is too big.  Just drag the cursor to one corner of the photo.  Then hold the SHIFT key while you click and drag the cursor to re-size the picture.  Holding the SHIFT key preserves the proportion of your photo. See “Explorers On Wheels – 1.jpg”.
 
While the image is selected (there is a running dashed line around the photo), you can also edit it in your working file. You can improve the balance and contrast, or even convert it to black and white (click the GRAYSCALE icon  - the square black and white grid).  You can mix color and black and white photos in your collage.
 
5.  Repeat the process above until you've put in all the photos you want to include in your collage.  In my example, some photos are in black and white, and some are colored.  The smaller photos are in black and white. See “Explorers On Wheels – 2.jpg”.
 
6.  You can also add journaling blocks into your collage.  Click the T icon. Type in your journaling.  Choose the FONT, FONT COLOR and ALIGNMENT.  Don’t worry about the font size because you can adjust it later. You can also add shadow to your journaling to make it pop up.  While in the Text menu, click EFFECTS.  Check the DROP SHADOW box, set the X and Y to 5, and choose the shadow color. Click OK. You will see your text box on your working file.  Drag the text box to your desired position.  Then drag your cursor to the corner of the text box. While holding the SHIFT key, left click, hold and drag the cursor to resize. See “Explorers On Wheels – 3.jpg”.

7.  Since I created my collage in a 12 x 12 file, I need to crop it so that it will fit into an 8 x 12 photo paper. To do so, just use the RECTANGLE TOOL to “draw” around your collage, then click IMAGE – CROP. See “Explorers On Wheels – 4.jpg”.

8. Don't forget to save your file!  Your photo collage is now ready for printing. The example can be printed on 8 x 12 sized papers such that the photo collage will take the entire width of a 12 x 12 paper.  I can then trim the excess with a paper trimmer.
 
Check out my sample layout using the photo-collage technique. See “Explorers On Wheels LO.jpg”. This was digitally created but the principles in making the photo collage can be applied to paper layouts as well.

Have fun!