Creating a montage template – step by step (Photoshop CS3/CS4)

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays.

Well it’s back to work now and I thought I would start things off by documenting how to create a montage layout in the least destructive way using Photoshop. This method will allow you to set up and save templates so you can drop your images in quickly and efficiently.

I’m going to make a montage that simulates a triptych aperture.

First, determine the size of your canvas in Photoshop. From the menu choose File/New and enter in the dimensions you want. For the purposes of this demonstration, I set up my canvas as 7x5” at 300ppi. Your canvas size should be the size of your intended print, so in my case a 7x5” is a little small, but you get the idea. If your intended print is on a standard 16x20” sheet, then make your canvas 20x16” at 300dpi.

Next I want to create a few guides to help me line everything up. In this example, I created two 50% guides, one horizontal and one vertical to show me where the center of the image is. To create a new guide, from the menu choose View/New Guide and enter in the location where you want the guide to appear. You can also drag a guide from the rulers on the left and top by selecting the move tool, clicking the ruler and dragging out onto your image. Guides don’t show up in the image when printed, you can toggle them on or off by clicking PC: Control and semicolon (Ctrl + ;), Mac: Command and semicolon (Command + ;).

Decide on a background color. Select a color and fill the background layer with the paint bucket tool. In my example, I used black, however you can use an image or texture if you want.

Next, make a new (blank) layer by clicking on the new layer icon in the layers palette. Rename this later to “Aperture1”. Choose the rectangular marquee tool and draw a rectangle to be one of your image apertures. Fill this selection with a color using the paint bucket. I chose red because it’s easy to distinguish. Next add a stroke to the layer. Click the fx button on the layers palette and choose stroke. In my example, I chose white, 5 pixels, and inside so I have square edges.

Copy the Aperture1 layer twice by dragging the layer to the new layer icon in the layers palette. Use the move tool to arrange them where you want them. Don’t forget to rename your new layers “Aperture2” and “Aperture3” respectively to stay organized. In my example, I also created a group which is basically a folder to hold the aperture layers. This is just an additional organizational step I use to keep my layers palette from getting too confusing.

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(Click to Enlarge Image)

At this point, save your design as a template for future use as a PSD. It’s important to save it as a PSD to keep the layers intact.

Now let’s add some photos! Drag in an image you want to use for the first aperture and position it directly over the Aperture1 layer. This positioning is very important. Name this layer “Image1”.

Now we’re going to make our Image1 layer a smart object so that we can scale our image without destructively resizing it. Alt-click on Image1 layer (note: make sure you’re clicking on the empty space next to the layer name, and not on the layer name or thumbnail,) and from the dropdown menu, select “Convert to Smart Object”. You can also click the Image1 and choose from the menu Layer/Smart Objects/Convert to Smart Object.


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Before we change the scale of our image, we need to create a clipping mask. A clipping mask is going to limit the viewable area of the photo from the Image1 layer into the rectangle we painted on the Aperture1 layer. Clipping masks only work with the layer directly beneath it, that’s why it’s important to position the Image1 layer directly on top of the Aperture1 layer. Creating a clipping mask is easy. Alt-click the empty space in the Image1 layer and from the dropdown menu, select “Create Clipping Mask”. You can also click on the Image1 layer and from the menu select Layer/Create Clipping Mask. (If you’re into keyboard shortcuts, you can type PC: Alt + Ctrl + G, Mac: Option + Command + G to toggle the clipping mask on or off.) Notice that Image1 layer is now indented with a small down-pointing arrow indicating it's now a clipping mask with the layer beneath. You are now rewarded by seeing your photo fit perfectly into the aperture!


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(Click to Enlarge Image)

You can now scale your photo and move it to fit as you desire by choosing from the menu Edit/Free Transform (PC: Ctrl + T, Mac: Command + T). Be sure to hold SHIFT or click the lock on the adjustment menu to lock the aspect ratio of your photo while you’re scaling it to fit. Remember how we made our image a smart object? If you decide you need to scale your image back up, you can scale it back up to 100% without loss of image quality thanks to it being a smart object.


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Repeat the above process to add in image 2 and image 3 and your montage is done! You can use montages like this for not only prints, but album & book pages or any type of layout. You also aren’t limited to solid colors and rectangles. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with!



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