How to Use Scanned Photos for a Montage

Choose the printed photos you would like to incorporate into your montage. Scan them into your computer using your preferred scanning software or a generic tool such as Windows Scanner and Camera Wizard. Many scanners have automatic functions that will immediately prompt you to preview and save the image when a scan is initiated.

Scan and save all of your photos to a specific folder within a designated area of your computer, such as Desktop or Documents. Choose a location that will be easy to access when opening and closing the images during the design of the montage.

Open your photos using a photo-editing program. Use a simple program such as Funtastic Photos for Mac or Windows Live Photo Gallery to do basic editing. Remove red-eye, crop images and adjust brightness if necessary.

For scanned photos that appear old and faded, you might want to change the tone to sepia or black and white. Use more advanced software to restore degraded scanned images, using color-correction and blending tools.

Create a simple montage by using a photo editor to copy and paste your favorite images into a new image or canvas. Place images at differing angles, or line them up in rows and columns. Add borders or text to build layers and create a more diverse set of graphic elements. Use your creativity to choose a one-of-a-kind layout that suits your style.

Design elaborate montages using a more sophisticated software program such as Adobe Photoshop. Use a mosaic filter or other stylistic tool to create a digitized or abstract look. Cut out figures or objects using Photoshop's pen and selection tools. Overlay the figures and add bold graphic shapes, background papers and textures. Use drop shadows to create depth and add perspective. Explore the tools available to get a feel for your final design.

Create a mosaic montage by using automated montage-maker software, or design your own. Create a mosaic by arranging the scanned photos in horizontal rows of tiled images, placing like colors by one another. Experiment with color contrasts and cropping to achieve the desired results.