How to Create a Polaroid Photo Collage Using Photoshop CS6

In this Photoshop tutorial, you will learn how to create a Polaroid Photo Collage with Adobe Photoshop CS6.

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Open Adobe Photoshop and select File > Open to import the image from the selected folders. Here I have used the below image to create a Polaroid Photo collage.

Step 2: Create a new layer by clicking the “Create a new layer” icon at the right-bottom of the Layers palette or press Ctrl + Shift + n.

Step 3: Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the tool box and draw a square on the created new layer.

Step 4: Let’s fill the foreground color into black by pressing Alt + Delete

Step 5: Now we have to create and place a new layer below “Layer 1”, so hold down your Ctrl key and then click on the Create a new layer icon at the right-bottom of the layers palette.

Ctrl + “Create a new layer“

Hence the new layer named “Layer 2” has been created below the Layer 1.

Step 6: Go to Select on the top menu and Select > Transform Selection to form a scalable selection like the below image

Step 7: Resize your selected area a bit larger than the black frame area, leaving more space on the bottom than the other sides to form the polaroid photo effect.

Once done, then click Apply button.

Polaroid Photo Collage with Photoshop –

Step 8: Now press Ctrl + Delete to fill the background color into white as shown here

Step 9: Press Ctrl + D to deselect the selection.

Step 10: Let’s create a drop shadow effect to the white color frame. Go to the the right-bottom of the layers palette and click fx to add a layer style.

Step 11: I have applied the Drop Shadow style to the white frame. Use the following layer styles:

Step 12: Hence the white color frame will have the drop shadow as below

Step 13: Now select both layers(i.e, Layer1 and Layer2) by holding the “Shift” button.

Step 14: Then press Ctrl + T to transform and rotate the created polaroid photo frame.

Step 15: After placing the frame at a particular spot. Click Apply button.

Step 16: First, release the both layers, then click on the top layer(i.e, Layer1).

Step 17: Select the “Magic Wand Tool” from the tool bar with Tolerance : 7 and Anti-alias & Contiguous checked as below and click on the black frame

Step 18: It will form a selection on the black frame.

Step 19: Now delete the selected black frame layer(i.e, Layer1)

And click the “Yes” button.

Step 20: Since we have deleted the layer1 the black frame will be empty as shown here. However the selection will be active.

Step 21: Go to the background image layer at the bottom and press Ctrl + J. This action will cut the selected part from the background image and place it on a new layer automatically.

Step 22: Drag the newly created layer to its original place above the white frame layer with dropdown shadow.

Step 23: Hence the image with polaroid photo will be as below

Step 24: Duplicate both the white frame layer and black frame layer.

Step 25: Move it to the other part of the image and rotate both the layers togather according to your wish by selecting Ctrl+ T

Step 26: Now select the duplicated layer by holding down “ctrl” and clicking on the Image thumbnail/ Layer thumbnail on the layer.

So the selection will be active in the image of the duplicated layer.

Step 27: Let’s click on the Ctrl + image thumbnail and delete it. Then press Ctrl + J on the background image. Hence the cut-out image from the background image will be placed on the new layer.