How to Merge Photos on iPhone

Are you looking for a creative way to overlay one photo on top of another on your iPhone? While there’s no overlay option in the Photos app, there are plenty of easy-to-use free apps with photo layering options. This wikiHow teaches you how to make collages on iPhone using Snapseed and Canva.

Table of Contents

Using Canva

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/1/18/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-10-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-10-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/1/18/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-10- Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-10-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Open Canva. The app icon looks like a blue to purple gradient with the word “Canva” inside.

Although Canva allows overlaying images, it does not have the same editing features as Snapseed.
If you don’t have Canva, you can download the app for free from the App Store.
If this is your first time opening the app, you may be asked to sign in or create an account (it’s free). As for paying to use more features, you can decide later.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/1/1d/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-11.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone- Step-11.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/1/1d/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-11.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay- Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-11.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Tap the plus sign + located in the lower right corner of the screen.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/3/37/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-12.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone- Step-12.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/3/37/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-12.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay- Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-12.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Click Custom Size or similar below the “Suggested” heading. If you already have a plan on where to post your photos, such as Instagram or Facebook, you can tap to choose one of those options. Or you can also click Custom size if you already have an idea of a specific size.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/5/57/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-13.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone- Step-13.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/5/57/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-13.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay- Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-13.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Sampling. If you don’t have a specific design in mind, you can use templates as a starting point for images. However, if you already have an idea in mind, tap the blank template to open a new page.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/8/85/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-14.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone- Step-14.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/8/85/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-14.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay- Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-14.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Click Uploads . This card will be at the bottom of the screen with an arrow pointing up to the cloud.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/9/9f/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-15.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone- Step-15.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/9/9f/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-15.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay- Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-15.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Tap Upload media . You will be able to select media to add to the photo.

Tap the photo in the gallery and add it to the list. Repeat the operation with the other images you want to add to the Canva project.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/4/42/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-16-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-16-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/4/42/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-16- Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-16-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Click on the image to use in the project. This photo will become the background layer for you to add additional photos.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/68/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-17-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-17-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/6/68/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-17- Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-17-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Tap the plus sign + located in the lower left corner of the screen.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/c/c4/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-18.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone- Step-18.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/c/c4/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-18.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay- Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-18.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser -output”></div>”}

Click Uploads at the bottom of the screen with an arrow pointing up to the cloud (it’s probably already open if you’ve just visited).

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/f/fb/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-19-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-19-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/f/fb/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-19- Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-19-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Tap the photo that you want to use in the project. This photo will appear above the photo you added earlier.

If the image you want to use doesn’t appear in this location, tap Upload media to add it to the list.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/69/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-20-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-20-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/6/69/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-20- Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-20-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Edit photo. If you want to change the photo you’re working with, tap it so it’s highlighted in the blue frame. Then, pinch your fingers together if you want to zoom out and push your fingers apart to zoom in. Rotate your fingers if you want to tilt the photo, then drag and drop the photo to the desired position.

Tap the icons in the menu along the bottom of the screen to change the design of the two photos. You can tap Adjust to edit elements such as “Highlights”, “Vignette”, “Brightness” and “Contrast”. counter).
Click Effects to bring interesting effects to the photo like “Trippy” or click Filter to change the look of the photo.
Tap the other icons at the bottom of the screen to crop or change the transparency of the selected image. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Using Snapseeds

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/f/f3/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-1-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-1-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/f/f3/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-1- Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-1-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Open Snapseed. The application has a green leaf icon with many shadows. If you don’t already have the app, you can download it from the App Store for free.

Snapseed is a photo editing application developed by “Google LLC”, which is very effective in merging two photos together.
You can find “Snapseed” on the App Store by tapping the magnifying glass tab in the lower-right corner of the screen and then tapping Get .

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/5/53/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-2-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-2-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/5/53/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-2- Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-2-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Tap anywhere on the screen or tap Open in the upper-right corner of the screen. The gallery will open for you to navigate to the photo you want to incorporate.

The first image you will use will be the one on the bottom layer.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/3/3f/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-3-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-3-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/3/3f/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-3- Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-3-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Tap the photo you want to merge. This photo will open in the Snapseed viewer so you can start editing.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/8/8c/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-4-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-4-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/8/8c/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-4- Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-4-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Click Tops (Tools). This option is located in the center of the bottom of the screen, below the image. If the Tops section is already expanded, you can skip this step.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/f/f8/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-5-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-5-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/f/f8/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-5- Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-5-Version-2.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Tap Double Exposure . You may need to scroll through the menu to find an option with two overlapping circles.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/0/0a/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-6-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-6-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/0a/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-6- Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-6-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Tap the photo icon at the bottom of the screen and select a photo. The photo library will open allowing you to click on the image to be merged.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/2/26/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-7-Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures- on-iPhone-Step-7-Version-3.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/2/26/Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-7- Version-3.jpg/v4-728px-Overlay-Pictures-on-iPhone-Step-7-Version-3.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight” :546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Edit images to your liking. With your fingertips, you can pinch to zoom out the second photo; Push your fingers apart to magnify the image. Alternatively, you can rotate your finger to tilt the photo, then drag and drop the photo where you want it.

Tap the vertical card icons in the menu at the bottom of the screen to change the way the two images interact. You can use the default settings, either Lighten , Darken , Add , Subtract and Overlay .
Click on the water drop icon to change the transparency of the second photo while on top of the first. Proceed to drag the dot on the bar to the left to make the second photo darker and to the right to make it darker.

Steps

Using Canva

Using Snapseeds

Related Posts