How to Make a Polaroid Collage

Create the polaroid photo look, with white frames, captions and a scattered layout, for Instagram, gifts or printing.

Polaroid-style collages feel warm and nostalgic: square photos with a thick white border, a handwritten caption underneath and a casual scattered layout. They're perfect for couples, friends and trip memories.

Here's how to get the look with photos from your phone.

What makes a photo look like a polaroid

• A square photo inside a white frame.
• A thicker bottom border, with space for a caption.
• A handwritten-style caption such as a date, a place or a short note.
• A soft, warm filter: slightly faded colours and lifted blacks.
• A background such as cork, wood, paper texture or a soft colour.

Make a polaroid collage in FotoCollage

1. Start a new project and choose a frame or shape style for the photos.
2. Add your photos and apply a warm or vintage filter to all of them.
3. Pick a textured or paper background.
4. Add text under each photo with names, places or dates.
5. Export and share, or print it as a poster.

A quick version online

Our free collage maker can't tilt photos, but you can get a clean "polaroid grid": choose the 2×2 or 3×3 layout with square size, set spacing to around 40 and use a white or cream background. The thick white gaps read as polaroid frames.

Polaroid collage ideas

• A year with your partner, one polaroid per month.
• Trip memories with the city under each photo.
• A dorm or bedroom wall print with friends.
• Baby's first year in 12 polaroids.