Creating a Photo Mosaic: 5 Tips

A photo mosaic is one of the most beautiful ways to save a moment for posterity. It can also be used to better a concept or idea, going where words can’t reach. Indeed, there are many reasons for creating a photo mosaic, whether a wedding or a corporate event. So, if you’d like to create a smashing mosaic, here are some vital tips, regardless of the occasion.  

Poetry with Images

It doesn’t matter if you want to create a touching memoir of a special moment or an engaging picture of employees or coworkers. You can always search for a professional photo book maker service and see how it looks. Yet, the tips below work for any occasion and will help you if you’re doing it for the first time. 

Get the Right Tools

It’s time to get acquainted with photo editing software. Luckily, Photoshop isn’t the only fish in the sea, although it’s still one of the biggest. There are quite a few top-notch options out there these days. Better still, some of them are free. Canva, Fotor, and Gimp are some of the best options in the free-to-use corner. Ideally, the same software should have all the tools and functions to edit images individually and in bulk.

Simple Is Best

Choosing the right source images is half of the battle when creating a smooth-looking mosaic. Prefer pictures with clearly defined block colours and pronounced textures with well-marked shadows. Intricate images will pose a challenge when filling in smaller spaces in the large picture. You’ll also need some space to create shadows in the large picture, and photos with too much information won’t help you with that. 

Think Ahead

While choosing pictures for your mosaic, consider colours, brightness, and contrasts. Remember that these pictures should fit as seamlessly as possible within a larger frame. Let’s say you choose a big picture with many trees and bushes. Then, look for photos where the colour green is predominant.

Go Natural

Auto-colorization typically makes your mosaic look somewhat artificial. Auto-colorization might look good at a distance, but it can saturate smaller pictures. Since the smaller pictures were carefully chosen, you won’t want to ruin them with bizarre colours and contrasts. Use the palette already provided by your source images, and play with them to create more natural shades. 

Aim for Variety

Variety is essential for creating a rich mosaic. It means you’ll need many photos to create all the colours and contours you want. The ideal number of pictures may change according to the size of the mosaic you wish to create. However, it’s advised to select at least 150 pictures, even for small compositions, as a rule of thumb. Feeding your mosaic with a few pictures will make them look bigger and, overall, more confusing.  

Snapping Out

Creating your first mosaic might feel a bit daunting, but fear not. There are plenty of quality tutorials and tools to help you. Most software is intuitive when creating such an arrangement, providing previews and tips to improve your work. 

Featured Photo by Tomas Martinez on Unsplash