How to create an automatic collage with Windows 11 Photos (and AI alternatives)

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Creating a collage is a quick and effective way to put several photos together into a single image to share on social media, send via messaging, or even print. In Windows 11, the Photos app has received an facelift with a carousel and mosaic views that make this composition easier in just a few clicks, and there are also other AI tools and options to take your montages a little further.

Although making a collage seems like a two-minute thing, it is worth considering the format, photo selection, and visual style so that it doesn't become saturated or cluttered. Here we explain how to take advantage of the Tiled/Collage view of Photos in Windows 11, what guidelines to follow before starting, how to rely on generative AI with effective prompts, and what are the best apps and services (Canva, Fotor, Picsart, PhotoPad, PicCollage, and more) to achieve a perfect result.

What the Photos app allows in Windows 11 with collages and what has changed

The version of Photos included in Windows 11 has been redesigned with a cleaner interface, with centered, floating controls and a refreshed image information panel. The most useful change for casual collages is a carousel at the bottom which allows you to browse through the photos in the current folder without leaving the view.

When you move the mouse over the lower area of ​​the window, this carousel appears and, from there, you can select multiple photos to display at once in the same window in a tiled format. As you add images, the app automatically reorders the grid so that they fit together beautifully, creating an instant collage-like composition.

In addition, access to the information of each image (metadata, size, date, etc.), which is useful if you are preparing a collage for archival or printing purposes. The update was first rolled out to Windows Insider members and later to the general public as part of the Windows 11 cycle.

This native approach is not a substitute for an advanced collage maker, but it does solves the need for a quick and tidy collage without installing anything else. For more elaborate compositions, you'll see options with AI and specialized apps below.

How to Create a Quick Collage with Photos in Windows 11

The Windows 11 Photos app doesn't have a dedicated “Create Collage” button, but its Automatic mosaic when selecting multiple photos It serves the same purpose for streamlined everyday use. The flow is very simple and takes advantage of the carousel below.

Open any image and hover your mouse near the bottom to display the carousel; from there, Click on the photos you want to add. You will see how the view changes to a tile layout that goes rearranging the thumbnails as you add or remove images.

This mosaic view facilitates a immediate preview of the setIf you're deciding which photos go best together, the carousel is a great place to try. effortless composition variants, keeping everything in the same window without jumping between folders.

Remember that this is a quick composition: there is no (at the moment) stickers, photo filters, or custom frames as you would find in a dedicated app. If you need to do intensive retouching or design a specific template, check out the below AI alternatives to collage makers that do incorporate these functions.

If you like to have controlled data, you can open the information panel on the right to see metadata for the images that make up your mosaic. And if you're always adjusting the framing, you can edit each photo separately before or after composing the mosaic so that the result is compensated.

Key tips before you start composing collages

Before you jump in, think about the purpose of the collage and its destiny: posting on social media (feed, stories), printing for a frame, or saving it as a souvenir. This defines the format (horizontal, vertical or square), as well as the size and proportion that suits you.

Select images from good resolution and quality. If the subjects leave air around the edges (top, bottom, left and right), you will have more room for trimming and repositioning without losing important elements when you set up the grid.

Avoid the eye saturationIf all the photos have too many elements, the whole picture becomes boring. Try to achieve thematic coherence and, when possible, harmony of color and style so that the collage functions as a unit.

Think about the visual narrative: a celebration, a trip, a tribute… If the images follow a thread (in temporal order, by key moments or by chromatic ranges), the result it is much more engaging.

Don't get caught up in the first attempt: experimenting is part of the process. Change layouts, try another tool, and adjust the cropping. Iterating often makes the difference between an acceptable collage and one that you love.

Collages with generative AI: prompts and references that work

Current generative AIs (such as ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini) can help you create compositions from scratch or from references. The key is in the prompt: specify that you want a collage, how many images and the visual style what do you want.

A basic prompt that works well would be something like: “I want a collage with X images where it appears. Make the images have a style.” The more defined the scenes and aesthetics are, the more consistent the result will be.

If you want to keep a person's identity, attach a photo and explicitly request it: “The person appearing It must be the one in the attached photo”. Depending on the AI, it will recognize the face better or worse and transfer it to the whole with greater fidelity.

You can also use services that combine editing and AI on your photos (for example, Freepik, ChatGPT or Copilot with imaging capabilities). In these cases, AI assists in editions such as cropping, object replacements, or background adjustments to make the composition fit better.

Remember: define the number of images, the style (minimalist, retro, magazine, cinematic, etc.), the key elements per scene, and any restrictions (e.g., color palettes or fonts if you will add text later).

Create collages with your photos: Canva, Fotor and Picsart

Canva

Canva This is probably the easiest way to create collages with templates. Go to canva.com, check out What is Canva If you have any doubts and are looking for a design that suits you, click on “Customize the template” to edit it to your liking.

Upload your images and replace the photos in the template: click on the space and drag your photo to replace the previous one. With a double click you can crop and reposition each image to adjust it precisely to the frame.

Canva incorporates tools of AI editing capable of intelligently adjusting frames or selecting and modifying backgrounds and objects. If you're looking for a quick and polished touch, these functions speed up the process a lot.

Another plus is that it allows you to download in various formats (PNG, JPG and PDF), and even add bleed and crop marks if you plan to print your design without any headaches.

Photor

Go to fotor.com and choose “Collage maker”. From the left panel you can select templates of all kinds (the paid ones have a diamond) and then fill in the blanks with your photos, adjusting each one with a double click.

El AI-Editor Fotor's integrates automatic tools for remove objects, remove backgrounds, rescale, expand or even replace elements, in addition to skin touch-upsPerfect if you want to clear away distractions and make everything fit better in the collage.

Picsart

On picsart.com, from the home screen choose “Generate creatives” and, in the left column, select the option to create collages with the design you prefer (some are free and others are Plus for subscribers).

Once inside, add your photos, adjust their size and position, and if you feel like it, use AI: the function AI Replace allows you to select zones (or elements that the AI ​​detects) and replace sky, clothes or hair, or add/remove objects with surprising results.

Picsart is very accessible and when you want to go further, those smart tools They get you out of trouble to achieve visual coherence in seconds.

More collage tools and apps worth checking out

If you need other options, there's a huge range of apps and services with different approaches. Starting with the Windows ecosystem, Microsoft Store offers “Pic Collage” for free download on PC, a quick alternative if you want templates and light editing without complications.

On desktop, PhotoPad (NCH) It is a very complete photo editor that also creates collages: it supports automatic grid (unlimited number of images) and manual placement, allows you to choose orientation and background, adjust space and corners between photos and stands out for its light size. As cons, it does not include no stickers or image filters and it doesn't let you set a completely custom collage size.

From the general listings, there are some very powerful free options: piccollag to (iOS/Android) brings hundreds of templates, organizes photos automatically if you prefer and offers flexible edition (zoom, crop, blend, shadows, stickers and text), with saving of work in progress. Instagram Layout shines for its designs and its usability, although it lacks advanced photo editing.

Adobe Spark He was not born as a collage maker, but he allows professional-looking compositions and publishing videos with subtitles and music. Instasize adds a powerful editor for exposure, tone, contrast and over 130 filters. BeFunky Works in the cloud (web and mobile), imports from Dropbox, Google Drive and Facebook, integrates stock (Unsplash) and even autocomplete collages with a click.

MOLDIV combines camera, editing suite and collage with a touch of magazine aesthetic, offering hundreds of fonts, patterns and labels. PicPlayPost stands out for integrating video in collages (multiple aspect ratios and resizable frames) with music support and direct publishing to networks.

the community of PicsArt encourages collaboration and thematic challenges, ideal if you want share and co-create. Fuzel lets add as many images as you want and take photos from the app itself; it integrates with Facebook, Flickr and Instagram. Pic stitch brings more than 200 templates and guides beginners with clear instructions.

PhotoGrid is network-oriented: creative filters (included story styles), animated GIFs and memes, with up to 15 photos per collage. The templates of Canva (already seen) can be downloaded in various formats and allow bleeding and cut marks for printing.

If something simple is fine for you, Google Photos Create collages in seconds (has six basic types) and take advantage of its powerful people search to suggest images to you. Pic jointer stands out for its precise interface, comfortable reflexes and zoom, and a good assortment of filters and frames. PhotoCollage (web) is minimalist, supports keyboard shortcuts and text with fonts with effects.

For video collage, Video It is very flexible, with more than 4000 templates and 24/7 customer support; combine images and clips, and add text with animations. Among the paid ones, PiZap bet on it entertaining (photo booth style stickers and doodles), and Fotor Collage Maker (since 2012) even supports RAW files in your editor.

On iOS, Ribbet incorporates “darkroom” tools and more 100 sources. Diptic offers more than 190 designs, 14 filters, export in high resolution and seamless integration of video + photo. Photovisi (web) is very easy to create cool images and turn them into cards or posters (to download without watermark you need their Premium plan). P grid and freestyle addition, more than 50 effects, sources and even functions of TEAM for management and collaboration if you work in social media.

As a reminder of a list that condensed the essentials: the collage tools avoid complications and help you compose eye-catching designs; there are multiple options for Windows downloadable instantly; and if you need a visual repertoire, Wondershare filmora It is a useful solution to locate stock images by categories and complete your compositions.

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Publish and showcase your work: portfolio and Instagram

Once you have several collages, upload them to your online portfolio- Clients like to see this skill. Choose a template that suits your style, take care of the typography and values ​​having integrated store and blog to give context to your projects.

If you also connect your website with Instagram, everything you publish may appear on both the social network and your site without duplicating efforts. It's a simple way to keep your work visible and up-to-date on both channels.

With the tiled view of Photos in Windows 11 you have a perfect shortcut for quick collages; when you want to take a creative leap, generative AI and tools like Canva, Fotor, Picsart or PhotoPad provide you with templates, smart editing and finishing With personality. By opting for good photos, visual consistency, and a little trial and error, you'll achieve compositions that look as good on screen as they do on paper.