How to create a collage poster

Transcription

1 Get started If you re looking to maximize your memories and also make a great gift, create a collage poster. Collect action shots of your child s youth soccer team to give to the coach. Assemble candid snaps from a family reunion to give to the matriarch of the family. Gather images of a happy couple for their wedding reception guests can then write messages for a wedding keepsake. You can add up to 30 of your favorite pictures and show them off on one of four different print sizes and also choose from a variety of backgrounds and layouts. We re going to walk you through the process of creating a collage poster in just a few steps. To begin, sign in to your Shutterfly account, go to the Store tab and select the Prints & Posters link on the left side of the page.

2 From there, click the Go button under Collage Posters and choose your poster size 8x10, 11x14, 16x20 or 20x30. While 8x10s are perfect for framing and displaying on a desk, the larger sizes are best for hanging on a wall plus, they allow you to include more pictures and larger pictures. No matter what size you choose, you ll be able to select either a Landscape or a Portrait orientation. After you select a size, click Get Started.

3 Choose a style With your poster size selected, it s time to choose a style. Think about the pictures from your account you might wish to use. There are backgrounds centered on babies, weddings, sports and travel; for other themes, you can choose from a variety of colors and patterns. Thinking about arranging your pictures in specific layouts and backgrounds now will save you editing time later. Click on the magnifying-glass icon for a closer look at any theme. You can also switch to related backgrounds using the arrows at the top of the pop-up window.

4 Let s say you ve chosen a 16x20 poster to celebrate Earth Day. A solid green background would be appropriate for the occasion. On the left of the Choose Style page, select Solids and Textures from the list of backgrounds, then select Green. NOTE: If you ve selected an 8x10-sized poster, you ll also need to choose between a Glossy and Matte Finish. (The 11x14, 16x20 and 20x30-sized posters are only available in Matte.) At this point, you ll also want to save your project, so that if you need to take a break from creating a collage poster you don t have to start from the beginning. Click the Save button in the upper-right and name your poster. Then click Next.

5 Edit your poster Once your poster background has been selected, you ll be on the Edit Poster page, where you can get your pictures, enter text and change layouts, backgrounds and edges. To add your pictures to this collage, select Get Pictures at the bottom of the page. Collect the pictures you d like to use by selecting either an entire album or albums from the main work area, or opening albums and selecting specific pictures from within them. Select the Add to Poster button at the top right of the page to add your images. It s best to add more than you need so you can use your best pictures. You can add up to 60 pictures in the filmstrip. When you re ready to start editing the poster, click Return to Poster.

6 Now that you have your pictures ready, it s time to select a layout. Using the Layout tab on the left of the page, choose from Landscape versus Portrait, the number of pictures (1-9 or 13-30) and the layout you prefer. Click on a specific layout to view it on the center of the page. To change your background color or theme, click on the Background tab. Next, drag-and-drop your pictures into the poster boxes. If you d like us to take care of the layout for you, select Autofill below the picture strip. (If you have more photos in the picture strip than will fit on your poster layout, we ll select the pictures to use according to the order in which they appear.) If you need to make any changes, you can replace pictures by dropping a new photo on top of the old one, or by dragging one from the poster box back onto the picture strip. If you leave a picture box empty, only the background will appear on the finished poster.

7 Add whatever text captions you d like by clicking on the text boxes provided. Use the preview button to make sure your text fits in the box, then select Done when finished. If you don t want a caption on a text box, leave it blank. Blank text boxes won t appear on the finished poster. A nice finishing touch is to add edges to your pictures. Select the Edges tab on the left. Click once on each edge to see how it appears on your collage. If you don t want any edges, select the box on the top left. When you re done creating your collage poster, click the Next button at the top right.

8 Preview your poster Review your final collage from the preview page. Make sure that you have the right images, that everything is spelled correctly and that you re happy with the final product. Use the magnifying-glass icons above the preview to zoom in on your poster especially if you re trying to check the picture resolution on a large-sized poster such as 20x30. Pan the poster details by rolling over the purple arrows at the edges of the poster display, or dragging the hand icon and the transparent grey box in the thumbnail at the upper right corner. You can always go back to the Style and Edit tabs to make any changes. Once you re happy with the way everything looks, you re ready to order. Click Order at the top-right corner of the page to add your collage poster to your shopping cart. Your project is also saved under My Shutterfly, so you can edit it, order more copies, or share it on a share site at any time.