n this tutorial, we’ll learn how to make a collage of polaroids in Photoshop from just a single photo.
Step 1
Open your image in Photoshop.
Press Ctrl+J (Windows) / Command+J (Macs) to duplicate the image.
Ctrl-click (Windows) / command-click (Macs) on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette to add a new layer between Layer 1 and background layer.
Press D to set black as the foreground color and fill the new layer with black by pressing Alt+Backspace (Windows) / Option+Delete (Macs).
Step 2
With Layer 2 selected, press the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette to create a new layer.
Make sure that the new layer is active. Now, select the Rectangular Marquee Tool and make a selection inside your picture. This will be your first polaroid. It doesn’t matter what you select since you will be able to move it afterwards.
Press Alt+Backspace (Windows) / Option+Delete (Macs) to fill the selection with black.
We will now create a clipping mask. Select Layer 1 and go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask.
Step 3
Select Layer 2 and click on the New Layer icon to create a new layer.
Make sure that the new layer is selected. Now, select the Rectangular Marquee Tool and make a selection around your first selection. This will be the border of your polaroid so make sure that you leave more space at the bottom as shown below.
Now, press Ctrl+Backspace (Windows) / Command+Delete (Macs) to fill the selection with white. After that, press Ctrl+D (Windows) / Command+D (Macs) to deselect your selection.
Step 4
Let’s add a subtle drop shadow to our polaroid now. Select Layer 4 and click on the Layer Styles icon at the bottom of the Layers palette.
Choose Drop Shadow from the list and make the following changes.
Step 5
We will also rotate the polaroid to make it more interesting. With Layer 4 still selected, shift-click on Layer 3 to select it too.
Press Ctrl+T (Windows) / Command+T (Macs) to enter Free Transform. You can now rotate or move the photo as you wish. When you’re done, press Enter (Windows) / Return (Macs).
Step 6
Now that we have created our first polaroid, we can use it to create as many as we want. Firstly, select Layers 1, 3 and 4 by shift-clicking on them.
We will group these layers together by pressing Ctrl+G (Windows) / Command+G (Macs).
Let’s duplicate the group now by dragging it onto the New Layer icon.
Like our first polaroid, we will again rotate and move our second polaroid. First, select both Layers 3 and 4 in the duplicate group.
Now, press Press Ctrl+T (Windows) / Command+T (Macs) to rotate or move the polaroid as you wish. When you’re done, press Enter (Windows) / Return (Macs).
Repeat this step as many times as needed to create your collage. This is how my collage looked after creating 16 polaroids.
