Are you looking to get creative with your iPhone photos and wondering how to display two images together? Whether you want to create a before-and-after comparison, showcase different perspectives of a scene, or simply make an engaging visual story, combining photos side by side on your iPhone is a fantastic way to enhance your images.
You might be surprised to learn that you don’t need to download any extra apps to achieve this. Your iPhone offers several built-in features that allow you to easily put two pictures together. For those seeking more advanced options and creative control, user-friendly apps like Canva are also readily available.
In this guide, we’ll explore various methods to help you seamlessly combine two or more photos on your iPhone. We’ll cover quick techniques using screenshots and the powerful Shortcuts app, as well as delve into using Canva for more customizable and stylish results. By the end of this article, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge to choose the best method for your needs and start creating compelling visual content right from your iPhone.
Why Combine Photos Side by Side on iPhone?
Before we dive into the “how-to,” let’s briefly consider why combining photos side by side can be so effective. There are numerous creative and practical applications for this technique:
- Before & After Comparisons: Ideal for showcasing transformations, whether it’s a home renovation project, a fitness journey, or the progress of a creative work.
- Highlighting Details: Display a wide shot alongside a close-up to draw attention to specific elements within a scene.
- Creating Diptychs and Triptychs: Artistically arrange two or three related images to tell a story or explore a theme.
- Social Media Engagement: Side-by-side photos can be more visually appealing and informative on platforms like Instagram or Facebook, capturing your audience’s attention more effectively.
- Fun Photo Collages: Combine photos from an event or outing to create a memorable collage to share with friends and family.
Now that you see the potential, let’s learn how to put two photos side by side on your iPhone using different methods.
Method 1: The Quick Screenshot Technique for Simple Side-by-Side Photos
For a fast and straightforward way to combine photos, especially if you want a basic side-by-side layout without any extra apps, the screenshot method is surprisingly effective. This technique works best when you want to combine photos from a specific album (excluding the ‘Recents’ album). Here’s how to do it:
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Open the Photos App and Create an Album: Launch the Photos app on your iPhone and navigate to the ‘Albums’ tab. Select an existing album or create a new one by tapping the ‘+’ icon and choosing ‘New Album’. Name your album appropriately.
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Add Photos to Your Album: Tap on the album you’ve chosen and then tap the three dots in the upper right corner, selecting ‘Add Photos’. Choose the photos you want to combine and tap ‘Done’.
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Arrange Photos in Your Desired Order: Within the album, tap the three dots again and select ‘Sort’, then ‘Custom Order’. Now, you can rearrange your photos by dragging them into the positions you want them to appear side by side in your combined image.
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Take a Screenshot: Once you are satisfied with the layout of your photos within the album, capture a screenshot. Simultaneously press and hold the side button (power button) and either volume up or volume down button.
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Crop Your Screenshot: Open the screenshot from your Photos app. Tap ‘Edit’ in the top right corner, then tap the crop icon. Drag the cropping corners to frame only the photos you want to include in your side-by-side image, removing any unnecessary screen elements.
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Save Your Combined Photo: Tap ‘Done’ in the bottom right corner to save your cropped screenshot. This new image, featuring your photos side by side, will be saved to your camera roll.
This screenshot method is ideal for quickly merging photos when you need a simple combined image without extra editing features.
Alt: Arranging photos in a custom order in an iPhone album to prepare for the screenshot method of combining images side by side.
Method 2: Using the Shortcuts App to Combine Photos on iPhone
For those who frequently combine photos and want a more streamlined and efficient process, the Shortcuts app is a fantastic built-in tool on your iPhone. Shortcuts allows you to create custom workflows, and we can set one up to automatically combine photos side by side. Here’s how to create and use a Shortcut for combining images:
Setting up the Combine Images Shortcut:
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Open the Shortcuts App: Locate the Shortcuts app on your iPhone. If you can’t find it on your home screen, swipe to the App Library (all the way to the left) and search for “Shortcuts.”
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Create a New Shortcut: Tap the ‘+’ icon in the top right corner to start a new shortcut.
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Add the ‘Select Photos’ Action: Tap ‘Add Action’. In the search bar, type “Select Photos” and choose the ‘Select Photos’ action under the ‘Media’ category. Toggle on ‘Select Multiple’ within this action to allow you to choose more than one photo.
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Add the ‘Combine Images’ Action: Tap ‘Add Action’ again. Search for “Combine Images” and select the ‘Combine Images’ action, also under ‘Media’.
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Configure the ‘Combine Images’ Action: In the ‘Combine Images’ action settings, choose your preferred arrangement. For side-by-side photos, select ‘Horizontally’. You can also adjust the ‘Spacing’ between the photos if desired.
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Name and Save Your Shortcut: Tap ‘Done’ to save your shortcut. You might want to rename it to something descriptive like “Combine Photos Side by Side” for easy access later.
Using Your Combine Images Shortcut:
- Open the Shortcuts App: Launch the Shortcuts app.
- Run the Shortcut: Find your “Combine Photos Side by Side” shortcut and tap on it to run it.
- Select Your Photos: Your photo library will open. Select the two or more photos you want to combine and tap ‘Add’.
- View and Save Your Combined Image: The Shortcut will automatically combine your selected photos according to your settings. The final combined image will be displayed, and it will also be saved directly to your Photos library.
Using the Shortcuts app is a much faster method for combining photos once it’s set up, especially if you perform this task regularly.
Alt: Setting up the ‘Combine Images’ action within the Shortcuts app on iPhone, configured to arrange photos horizontally for a side-by-side layout.
Alt: Selecting multiple photos from the iPhone photo library when using a Shortcut to combine images side by side.
Method 3: Canva for Creative and Customizable Side-by-Side Photos
If you’re looking for more creative control and design options, Canva is an excellent free app for creating stunning photo collages and side-by-side images on your iPhone. Canva offers a user-friendly interface with a wide array of templates and customization features. Here’s how to use Canva to combine photos:
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Download and Open Canva: Download the Canva app from the App Store and open it. Create a free account or log in if you already have one.
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Start a New Project: Tap the ‘+’ button to begin a new design. You can choose from pre-set sizes for social media posts, presentations, or create a custom size by tapping ‘Custom size’ at the top.
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Choose a Grid Layout: In the Canva editor, tap ‘Elements’ at the bottom. Scroll down or search for ‘Grids’. Select a grid layout that suits your needs for side-by-side photos. A simple two-frame grid is perfect for putting two photos together.
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Add Your Photos: Tap on each grid frame. A ‘+’ icon will appear. Tap it and choose ‘Camera Roll’ to access your iPhone photo library. Select the photos you want to add to your side-by-side layout.
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Adjust and Customize: Once your photos are in the grid, you can adjust their positioning by double-tapping within a frame and moving the photo around. You can also resize or crop the photos within the frames. Canva offers many customization options, including adding text overlays, stickers, filters, and changing background colors.
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Save and Share: When you are happy with your design, tap the download icon in the top right corner. Choose ‘Save Image’ to save your combined photo to your iPhone’s camera roll. From there, you can easily share it on social media or wherever you like.
Canva is ideal for creating visually appealing and customized side-by-side photo combinations with a professional touch.
Alt: Selecting a grid layout in the Canva app on iPhone, a step in creating a side-by-side photo collage.
Method 4: Explore Other Photo Collage Apps
While the screenshot method, Shortcuts app, and Canva offer robust ways to combine photos side by side, there are many other dedicated photo collage apps available in the App Store. Apps like PicCollage, Layout from Instagram, and MOLDIV also provide user-friendly interfaces and various templates for creating photo combinations.
These apps often offer unique features like pre-designed templates, artistic filters, and fun stickers to further enhance your side-by-side photo projects. Exploring these apps can be beneficial if you want to experiment with different styles and find an app that perfectly matches your creative preferences.
Conclusion
Combining photos side by side on your iPhone is easier than you might think, thanks to these versatile methods. Whether you opt for the quick screenshot technique, the efficient Shortcuts app, or the feature-rich Canva, you now have the tools to create compelling visual stories and comparisons directly from your phone.
Experiment with these different approaches to find the one that best suits your needs and creative style. Start combining your photos today and unleash your visual storytelling potential on your iPhone!
Alt: Example of a creative photo collage made on iPhone, showcasing the possibilities of combining photos for visual storytelling.
