Frequently Asked Questions — Photo Collage Maker
Is this photo collage maker really free?
Yes — completely free. No account, no subscription, no watermark, no export limits. Every layout, filter, caption tool and export option works without paying or signing up, and there's no premium tier hiding features behind a paywall.
Are my photos uploaded to a server?
Never. This tool runs 100% in your browser using the HTML5 Canvas API. Photos are read locally, composed locally and exported locally — nothing leaves your device, which makes it safe for family photos, wedding pictures or anything private.
How do I add photos?
Click the upload zone or drag image files onto it. Photos appear in the tray and auto-fill empty cells in order. You can also drag a photo from the tray onto a specific cell.
How do I swap two photos?
Drag a cell's ⠿ handle onto another cell to swap their photos, or drag a new photo from the tray onto a cell to replace it. The shuffle button re-deals all photos randomly.
How do I zoom or reposition a photo inside its cell?
Click a cell to select it (green outline), then scroll to zoom and drag to pan. The selected cell also shows +/− buttons, and the sidebar has a zoom slider.
What layouts are available?
15 layouts in total: classic grids (1, 2, 2×2, 3, 3×2, 3×3 and 4×4), mosaics with one large hero photo, a filmstrip, and a pixel heart built from square tiles that repeats your photos. Freeform mode places photos anywhere with overlap and rotation.
What canvas sizes are supported?
Instagram square (1080×1080), portrait (1080×1350), story (1080×1920 — also right for TikTok), landscape 16:9 (1920×1080), Facebook cover (1640×624) and classic 4:3 (1600×1200) — each exportable at 1x or 2x.
Can I apply filters to individual photos?
Yes. Select a photo and pick a filter: black & white, sepia, warm, cool, vintage or high contrast. Filters apply per photo and are included in the export.
Can I add text captions?
Yes. Add a caption in the Text tab, then drag it anywhere on the collage. Size and color are adjustable, and captions are rendered into the exported image.
What is Freeform mode?
Photos become free-floating, overlapping items. Drag to move, use the size and rotation sliders, and click a photo to bring it to the front — a scrapbook-style collage.
What export formats are supported?
PNG (lossless) and JPEG with a quality slider. Export always renders at the full canvas resolution, regardless of your screen size.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The workspace stacks vertically, photos drag with touch, and the layout gallery, filters and export all work on phones and tablets. On iPhone/iPad, use save to Photos / share to send the finished collage straight to your device's share sheet.
How do I make a collage for Instagram or Stories?
Open the canvas ratio picker and choose Instagram square for a feed post, portrait for a taller post, or story (1080×1920) for Instagram or TikTok Stories. Arrange your photos, then export at 2x for the sharpest upload.
Can I make a heart-shaped photo collage?
Yes — the pixel heart layout arranges small square tiles into a heart shape and fills them with your photos. Fewer photos than tiles? They repeat automatically so the whole heart stays filled.
How many photos can I use in a collage?
There's no fixed limit on how many photos you can upload to the tray. A single grid has as many cells as its shape (up to 16 in the 4×4 grid), but freeform mode and the pixel heart can use as many photos as you like, including repeats.
How do I remove a photo or clear the whole collage?
Select a photo and click remove photo from collage, or press Delete/Backspace once it's selected. Every cell and freeform photo also has a small ✕ button. To start fresh, use clear all in the sidebar.
Can I adjust spacing, corner radius, borders or background color?
Yes, in the Style tab: a gap slider for spacing, a corner radius slider to round corners, a background color picker, and a border width/color pair around every photo — great for a polaroid or gallery-wall look.
Will my photos be cropped to fit the layout?
Grid, mosaic, filmstrip and pixel-heart cells crop photos to fill their shape — zoom and pan choose which part shows. Freeform mode never crops; the full original photo is always visible.
What's the difference between grid, mosaic, filmstrip and freeform?
Grids split the canvas into equal cells. Mosaics mix one large hero photo with smaller ones. Filmstrip lines three photos up like movie frames. Freeform drops the structure entirely — place, resize, rotate and overlap photos anywhere.
Can I use the same photo more than once?
Yes. Drag the same photo from the tray onto multiple cells or freeform spots, or use the pixel heart layout, which repeats photos automatically to fill every tile.
Do I need to create an account or install anything?
No. Just open the page and start dragging in photos. There's nothing to download, no browser extension, no sign-up form and no email required.
What export size should I pick, 1x or 2x?
1x matches the standard pixel size of your chosen ratio and is fine for most social uploads. Choose 2x for a sharper file — recommended for printing or viewing on a large or high-DPI screen.