How to put two photos side by side
Before and after, comparisons, collages for a post: how to join photos into one image with matching heights and how to keep the result a sensible size.
Before and after photos, two products compared, a scan of the front and back of a card, a set of holiday photos for one post: a lot of sharing works better as a single image than as several. Joining them is simple, as long as the photos are matched in size first.
Side by side, stacked or a grid
Side by side puts photos in a row and makes their heights equal. It suits comparisons and before-and-after pairs. Stacked puts them in a column and makes their widths equal, which suits tall phone screenshots and the front and back of a document. A grid fits several photos into equal cells, the usual collage.
The combine images tool does all three, with an optional gap between photos and a background colour for it. It scales the larger photo down to match the smaller one rather than enlarging anything, so nothing comes out blurry.
Getting an even split
Two photos of different shapes can’t match both ways. A portrait beside a landscape, matched by height, gives a narrow half and a wide half. For a clean 50/50 comparison, crop both photos to the same shape before combining them. Taking the before and after photos from the same spot, at the same zoom, does most of the work.
Keeping the size sensible
Two full-size phone photos side by side make an image 8,000 pixels wide. That is more than any screen or social network will show and it may be too large to upload. Resize the result to around 2,000 pixels wide for posting and see how to reduce image size without losing quality if it is still large.
Finishing touches
A thin border around the combined image, from add border, helps it stand out on a white page. For a combined image that’ll be a profile or cover photo, check the platform’s shape first; what size a profile picture should be covers the most common one.
Common questions
Why is one photo smaller than the other in the result?
Photos with different shapes can’t match in both height and width. Side by side matches heights, so a tall portrait next to a wide landscape ends up narrower. Crop them to the same shape first for an even split.
Will combining photos reduce their quality?
The larger photo is scaled down to match the smaller one, never the other way round, so nothing is enlarged and blurred. The result is saved once, at high quality.
How do I add a line between the photos?
Set a gap and a background colour. A white or black gap of a few pixels reads as a divider, which suits before-and-after comparisons.
Can I combine more than two?
Yes. Choose a grid for four or more photos, which fits each into an equal cell.