Making Photo Mosaics: A Tutorial

No, it is not Monday. lol

I have had several requests for instructions on making photo collages or mosaics, so I thought I would post a little tutorial here. For the past several weeks, I have been hosting a meme called Mosaic Monday. Each week, about 50 wonderful bloggers join the party. So far, subjects have included flowers, food, decorating, travel, scenery, butterflies, family and pets. Really, any subject that you enjoy photographing can make a great mosaic.

There are lots of options for making photo collages. You can do a Google search for "photo collage" and find a bunch. But here is what I do: I upload my photos to flickr, the photo-sharing website. Then I use a site called Big Huge Labs to create mosaics.

I strongly suggest that you sign up for an account at flickr, the photo-sharing website. I believe that the first 200 photos that you upload can be stored for free. After that, it costs $24.99 a year.

Once you have your photos on flickr, go to Big Huge Labs and find the Mosaic Maker. Then let the fun begin. ;)

Here are some directions to make the layout that I use most often in my mosaics -- a large central picture, with smaller pictures surrounding it.

At the top of the page, you will see the command "Choose Layout." Click on the drop down menu and choose the last option -- 4X4 with large center.

You can choose the colors for your frame by clicking on the white boxes that say background color and border color. A color wheel will appear, and you may scroll over it and click on any color you like.

For "Space between Images" I usually choose 2 pixels which gives a rather narrow border, but this one is totally subjective -- use whatever you like.

You will be asked to choose 13 photos to fill this layout. Note that the large center photo is No. 1, and then they go across from the top row, second row, etc.

Once you have chosen your photos, click "Create." If you wish to edit it, click on "Edit" at the top of the mosaic. Then you can go back and delete or change any photos, background colors, etc. When you are satisfied, click on "Save" at the top of the page.

I hope this helps all of you who want to learn how to make a mosaic, and I also hope to see you all at Mosaic Monday. :)

*****

I will be taking a few days off to recharge my batteries. I hope to be posting again on the 26th, when I will have Mr. Linky up for Mosaic Monday.

Enjoy your week, dear bloggers! :)

Mosaic Monday: Ah, Summer!

Ah, summer! This has been one of the most beautiful summers I can remember, with perfect growing conditions. We had a lot of rain in the spring, and even though we are enjoying warm and sunny days now, they are tempered by cool breezes. Days are filled with the drone of bees as they fly from flower to flower, and the evenings are cool and lit by the flicker of fireflies. These are the days we will remember when the sky is an unremitting gray, and the snow is turned to slush in the roadways.

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:

1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net. I can't wait to see your mosaics! Here is Mr. Linky:

Mosaic Monday: 4th of July

We had the most beautiful weather this weekend! Sunny, breezy, warm, and two whole days without any rain, which was quite a rare treat this summer. My husband grilled, we put out the hammock, and lazed around on the deck. I even got a lot of my flower pots filled, finally.

Our town did not have fireworks this year, which was disappointing. I always feel funny going to another town to see fireworks. Does that sound strange? It just seems like it should be a hometown thing -- something you share with your neighbors.

But even without fireworks, this holiday was the perfect summer weekend -- complete with strawberries, green grass, daisies, and dinner on the deck. It's what we dream of in the cold winter months. :)

How was your weekend?

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:

1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net. I can't wait to see your mosaics! Here is Mr. Linky:

Mosaic Monday: Happy Father's Day

Welcome to another Mosaic Monday. This is my stab at a masculine mosaic for Father's Day. Yes, I know. But when you take mostly flower photos, it's hard to find something in the files that's not pink, or frilly. :)

I do like to take landscape photos, though, and since my husband loves the countryside, I thought I would put his photo in the center (with my son, Liam) and surround him with the sorts of scenes he loves.

So Happy Father's Day to the best father in the world!

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:

1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net. I can't wait to see your mosaics! Here is Mr. Linky:

Mosaic Monday: Daisies

Welcome to another Mosaic Monday. I was leaving a comment on Karen's blog, A Scrapbook of Inspiration, last week, and she asked the question "What is your favorite flower?"

For me, that is something of a difficult question. ;)

Now you all know that I take way too many flower photos, and it's really hard for me to choose just one favorite. But I have to say that the daisy is one of my favorites for very sentimental reasons. As many of you already know, our Little Red House is my childhood home. When I was little, it was surrounded on three sides by meadows, which were filled with daisies in late spring. One of my fondest memories is of picking armloads of daisies with my mother, to fill her many pitchers around the house. So they really speak to me of warm spring days, filled with sunlight and laughter.

What favorites fill your mosaic this week?

So, let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:

1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net. I can't wait to see your mosaics! Here is Mr. Linky:

Mosaic Monday: Flower Power

Welcome to another Mosaic Monday!   We have had so much rain this spring that sometimes I've felt as if it was just another three months of cabin fever.  But the upside is that the flowers have been glorious.  Oh, how I love spring.  :)

So, let's have some mosaic fun!  Here are the instructions:

1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post.  This will lead you to the static link for your post.  The static link is the page with only that post on it.  Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it!  It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me:  mrcarroll(at)optonline.net.  I can't wait to see your mosaics!  Here is Mr. Linky:

Mosaic Monday: Country Living

Welcome to another Mosaic Monday!  I'm so glad you are all playing along.  I decided to make my mosaic about country living this week -- all the sorts of things that I love about living life with the seasons.  Misty mornings, rainy days, sheep in the meadow and geese on the pond...  flowers, country churches, historic buildings...  oh, and a few of my favorite antiques as well.  :)

In the meantime, let's have some mosaic fun!  Here are the instructions:

1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post.  This will lead you to the static link for your post.  The static link is the page with only that post on it.  Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it!  It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me:  mrcarroll(at)optonline.net.  I can't wait to see your mosaics!  Here is Mr. Linky:

Mosaic Monday: Blue and Yellow

Welcome to another Mosaic Monday.  :)

We have had some really beautiful spring weather here for the past week or two, and the spring blooms have progressed from blues and yellows to pinks and whites, and soon will be every color in the rainbow.  

Here are some of my favorite shots from early spring.  Next week I should have some more up-to-date photos.  My Siberian iris have started to bloom, and the peonies are big fat buds right now.  This week I hope to get my deck pots filled.  Spring is my favorite time of year.  :)

In the meantime, let's have some mosaic fun!  Here are the instructions:

1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post.  This will lead you to the static link for your post.  The static link is the page with only that post on it.  Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it!  It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me:  mrcarroll(at)optonline.net.  I can't wait to see your mosaics!  Here is Mr. Linky:

Mosaic Monday: Pretty in Pink

Welcome to  Mosaic Monday!  I was so excited to have company this week that I think I may have overdone it with the pink.  LOL  But no matter, it's always fun to make a mosaic in your favorite color or, in this case, with my favorite subject.   :)

The Garden Conservancy held an Open Day in our area on Saturday, and I was able to visit three beautiful gardens.  No, these flowers are not from those gardens.  But I promise to show you some photos from two of the gardens later this week.

In the meantime, let's have some mosaic fun!  If you are participating in Mosaic Monday, here are the instructions:

1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post.  This will lead you to the static link for your post.  The static link is the page with only that post on it.  Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate Mr. Linky box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."

That's all there is to it!  It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me:  mrcarroll(at)optonline.net.  I can't wait to see your mosaics!  Here is Mr. Linky:

A Reminder

Don't forget Mosaic Monday!  If you want to participate, I will try to have my post up, along with Mr. Linky, by Sunday night at 8:30pm.  I'm really looking forward to seeing all your mosaics!

Mosaic Madness

Yes, I've been going a little nuts over mosaics lately.  :)  But many of you have been nice enough to tell me that you enjoy them.  Thank you so much!

I've been wondering if you might like to join me for Mosaic Monday.  Maybe I could post on Sunday night with a Mr. Linky, and you could add your own mosaics, and we could all have lots of mosaic fun...

What do you think?  Let me know.  If enough of  you would like to try it, I'll go ahead and put up Mr. Linky on Sunday night.  You can make mosaics at Big Huge Labs.  It helps if you upload your photos to flickr first, but that is not mandatory.  If anyone has questions, feel free to email me at mrcarroll(at)optonline.net.

Edited to add:  I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you want to make the mosaic from your own photos or from your favorites on flickr.  But if you decide to do your favorites on flickr, please include the attribution links in your post.  Big Huge Labs will provide you with the html code for these.  All you have to do is cut and paste them into your post.

Mosaic Monday: Green and White

Yes, Mosaic Monday is getting to be a pretty steady routine around here. :)

 I hope everyone had a nice weekend.  We went for a walk yesterday, in our favorite park.  The weather was beautiful, and the scent of wild honeysuckle was in the air.  Heavenly!

We're looking forward to more beautiful spring weather this week.  I'm planning to do a little weeding in the garden, and fill my pots and planters on the deck.  

What have you got planned for the week?

Mosaic Monday: Spring Blossoms

Welcome to another Mosaic Monday.  :)

Spring is my favorite time of year, and we have been having some beautiful spring weather here in New Jersey.  The hostas are beginning to sprout, and the crabapple blossoms are perfuming the air.  We've had lots of rain, and everything is a glorious green.  The lawn at our Little Red House is dotted with wild violets, and dandelions.  

Drop by tomorrow to see some of my rummage sale finds.  Happy Monday, dear bloggers!