How to use the PicFame & Instagram apps to make collages on your iPhone
First of all…
Is everyone ready to get this candy-crazy holiday goin!? We are!
This is the first year that our twins have wanted to be completely different things for Halloween, and I love it! It’s been so fun “dressing-out” all of their little personalities and then watching them go ga-ga over themselves in the mirror afterwards. BEST part about Halloween (besides the candy) is living in a bit of an alternate universe for a day, via crazy elaborate costumes. ha!
I wanted to leave you with a few quick phone photo tips that you might find helpful, before you all head out for fun-filled days of parties and trick or treating.
Lately I’ve gotten really into all of the awesome apps that the iPhone has to offer. I’ll fully admit that before I owned an iPhone I used to say things like… “I just don’t think I will ever really NEED to have the internet on my phone” and “How the heck do people actually type on those tiny keys in their screens, without bumping all of the other unwanted keys along the way?” ha!
Well… fast-forward to about a year or so later, and I’m now a proud addict owner of an iPhone of my own.
Really, with my “job” as a blogger, it’s like my lifeline away from my desktop computer. I can stay totally connected with everything that’s going on, AND continue to network and share our going-on’s all at the same time. In fact, I feel like I share SO MUCH MORE about our day-to-day doings and even projects through my phone, then I ever would through just my desktop computer! Crazy how technology changes things ๐
I know that I’ve talked about this before, but I’ve been getting SO many questions about our photo collages on Facebook and twitter, that I thought I would do a quick post and address the most FAQ’s that we keep getting.
Let’s just touch on the Instagram app again quickly. I talked about this in a post earlier, but for those of you who missed it and want to know how to take pictures with your iPhone, and then add cool different effects to your photos… this app is for you. And it’s free!
My friend Kami taught me not too long ago that you can follow other friends and bloggers on Instagram as well, to see what they are up to, through cute, creative, pretty photos! LOVE, LOVE , LOVE! I’m totally visual and my Instagram feed for me, is basically like twitter on crack ๐
So how do you see all of OUR photos and updates? Well, you can follow us on Instagram by searching “houseofsmiths”, my feed will pop up, and you just have to push “follow.”
Easy as that!
Okay, so moving on to the app that most of our questions have been about. PicFrame.
I use this app ALONG with Instagram. PicFrame is basically an application where you can input multiple pictures from you iPhones camera and put them in a bunch of different types of collages. PicFrame is .99 cents and also has an additional option to buy “extras” like these fun labels, to customize and put anywhere on your photo collage. There are actually a few different apps that allow you to do labels, but this one is just easiest for me.
So what I do, is take a few photos, with my iPhone camera, of what I’m wanting to tweet, facebook or instagram about…upload them into my PicFrame app, add a funky custom lable, THEN upload it to Instagram… pick a pretty lil’ photo effect and I’m done. Easy peezy, and now it’s ready to share!
Here’s an example of one of my PicFrame-Instagramed tweets from the other morning.
And might I add, one of Cason’s personal favorites to, date.
๐
It must have been a rough night… for my ‘left side’.
Can you say Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?…yeesh.
These are some samples of other photo collages that I’ve done lately.
PicFrame for me, is basically a really great way to do “mini-blog posts” during my day. I can share our funny, creative, crazy moments in only minutes through these two apps!
When you purchase picframe it comes with the options to have different style backgrounds, rounded corners, and gives you the capability to widen or narrow each collage template as well. Pretty cool!
This little present on the bottom of the PicFrame app is where you’ll purchase your labels.
Once you purchase your apps you’ll see that most everything (as far as putting in your actual images and such) is really self explanatory and easy to do.
I hope that this mini tutorial helps answer all of those questions about how we make our fun collages, while we’re on the move! Now go and see what kind of photo collages YOU can make during the day!
Once again, have a
Happy SAFE Halloween everyone!
Anna@Directions Not Included says
Thanks for the tutorial. Your girls are BEAUTIFUL!
Tonya K says
This is too funny! I just downloaded a collage app on my phone last night to use with Instagram! (it's not PicFrame though but very similar). Love the collages!!
Cassie says
Totally cool! Thank you for sharing this. I can't wait to try it.
tomiannie says
Great tips, thanks!
Tamara Jansen says
I'm still working with my blackberry. I love it because my kids have blackberries too and I am able to text them for free from China, India, or wherever I am travelling.
I still worry that it's like raising kids via blackberry. It still remains to be seen if it's possible to raise a great teenager with this parenting method ๐
Danielle says
Thank you sooo much for posting about PicFrame!! My friends have been using this and I see photo collages on blogs but I have been too shy to ask how the heck they do it! You have read my mind and are so kind to share with us!!! Thank you!! Happy Halloween to you and your adorable gals! I hope they get lots of treats tonight!! <3
Lookiewhatidid says
You r amazing. Thanks for sharing this idea. May share on Facebook? Your girls are adorable
Spencer Family says
Love the hair! Way to keep it real.
April Kennedy says
oh…thank you! just what I need…another app to get addicted to. and with your instructions…it sounds so easy and I need that!
Schnelle says
awwww they are so adorable!!
Kacey says
SO trying this! Thanks for walking us through it. ๐
Marcie says
Oooh my goodness your little bride looks so grown up! If she were taller she would be totally believable as a real bride! I desperately wish InstaGram was for Androids too… Have a wonderful, safe night of trick-or-treating!
Anonymous says
Some other fun photo apps are Hipstamatic and Retro Camera. You should check them out! I'm going to download PicFrame, thanks for the recommendation!
Kendra + Patricia says
I am bookmarking this information since my new IPhone arrives on Friday (I hope!)
Erica says
So cute! Your kids are just dolls!
Workman Family says
very cool..thanks for posting this! I will be playing soon!
Unknown says
You are seriously so cute! Even in your crazy hair collage, hahaha!!
Angie - Big Bears Wife says
I love their costumes! hope you had a great Halloween!
Lindsay says
You have such beautiful girls! They look adorable in their costumes!
Anonymous says
I have been using another app called diptic that does most of hte same things, excpet the labels. I love the labels! i downloaded it last night. Thanks!!
kami @ nobiggie.net says
Your crazy hair is the best bed head ever! I'm so glad you shared this! I've been wondering how to do this. Thanks Shell!
ps. I love the costumes!
Laura@The Oily Cupboard says
stumbled upon ur blog…and (doing nothing all day but catching up on posts) i mean doing my daily household chores and reading a few posts at a time….
I HAD TO GET THIS APP..it is sooo fun and I swear i've sent out like a billion pics to the family of the kids. thanks for sharing
Mindy says
THANKS so much for explaining so well how to make collages on my iphone. I'm totally addicted to Instagram & Camera+ but hadn't heard of PicFrame yet. Buying it as soon as I finish typing this!
One question that I have been trying to figure out for awhile though. Have you figured out a way to order your Instagram, etc. prints at a retailer (I usually order from Walgreens or Target)? I've tried ordering both the 4×6 print and the true digital print size (4 x 5.3)and they both cut off parts of the picture. I know the Instagram pics will have extra white space (easily trimmed off) but haven't figured out how to order them so part of the pic isn't cut off.
Thanks again for all of your amazing inspiration!
Paula C says
Hey! Thanks so much for blogging all these things all the time. I loved the party you threw and was wondering where you go the can lids for drinking, that was the best!
If I can be entered into the free gift, I would love just about ANYTHING from the we love citrus site, I'm already making an order now. I think my favorite thing would be the the hemp twine, or the jar lids with slats!
thanks!
Paula
paulacass27[at]gmail.com
Raimi says
Love this post. thanks for sharing your tips! Have a great weekend!
Raimi
Cara @WhimsySmitten.com says
I love the PicFrame labels/text but discovered after buying it that the Android version doesn't have the extras option to add text/labels, only the iPhone one does. Anyone know of a good Android app that does this?
Sweetsummer says
Cara- good thing you mentioned that about the android. I was going to buy it but would have been disappointed. Anyways the app Labelbox has some good ones