How to Create a Photo Montage with Microsoft Publisher

Using Microsoft Publisher is a quick and easy way of grouping some of your favorite pictures to display in a picture frame. I have personally created a Photo Montage of my son's wedding, using 5 of my favorite pictures. I choose a standard 81/2" by 11" page size so that I can display my Photo Montage in a standard 8 x 10 picture frame. Below I have outlined the step-by-step process in creating a Photo Montage using Microsoft Publisher 2003. Screenshots will vary on other versions of Microsoft Publisher.

Step1:
After Microsoft Publisher is open, select: New, Blank Publication. The default page orientation is portrait; to change it to landscape select File, Page Setup, and Landscape.

Step2:
To insert your first picture, select: Insert, Picture, From File. Select the picture with your mouse and then resize the picture by selecting it and dragging the mouse on the pictures' resize handles. You can now place the picture where you want it to appear on the page.

Step3:
Insert the next series of pictures using the same procedure as outlined above. Always use the resize handles on the pictures to get them to the correct size. Position each picture in such a way that they are evenly spaced. You don't want all the pictures on top of one another.

Step4:
After all your pictures are arranged on the page, you will now want to add a background. You can add a preset background from Microsoft Publisher or you can use your own background picture.

Step5:
To add a Microsoft Background, Select: Format, Background. Select the pattern and color that you would like to use as your background.

Step6:
To use your own custom background Select: More backgrounds located at the bottom of the Background panel. In the Fill Effect box, select the Picture Tab and then "Select Picture". Locate and select your picture file, then click on "Insert"