How to Make a Continuous Collage Instagram Post

Creating a continuous or seamless collage on Instagram is one of the most effective ways to stop the scroll and keep an audience engaged with your content. This guide walks you through the entire process, from planning your design to using free and professional tools to bring your swipeable panorama to life.

What is a Continuous Collage Post (And Why Should You Use One)?

A continuous collage, also known as a seamless carousel or panoramic post, is a series of images in a single Instagram carousel post that connect to form one long, uninterrupted picture. As a user swipes from one slide to the next, the image flows seamlessly, encouraging them to swipe all the way to the end to see the full picture.

So, why go through the extra effort? The benefits are significant:

• It Boosts Engagement Time: The simple act of swiping through multiple slides increases the time a user spends on your post. Instagram's algorithm notices this engagement and is more likely to show your content to a wider audience.
• It's a Scroll-Stopper: A photo that’s clearly cut off and continues onto the next slide creates a powerful sense of curiosity. People can't help but swipe to see what's next, making your post stand out in a crowded feed.
• It's Perfect for Storytelling: Seamless collages allow you to guide a narrative from left to right. You can reveal a story, share a step-by-step tutorial, or unveil a big picture moment by moment.
• It's an Amazing Visual Showcase: From wide landscape photos and detailed product showcases to powerful before-and-after transformations, this format gives your visuals the space they deserve.

Step 1: Plan Your Creative Concept and Layout

Before you even open a design tool, take a moment to plan your idea. A great continuous collage isn't just a gimmick, it uses the format to enhance the content. A quick pencil sketch on a piece of paper can save you hours of design headaches later.

Creative Ideas for Your Collage:

• Tutorials and How-Tos: Guide your audience through a process one step at a time, with visual elements physically connecting each step.
• Before-and-After Reveals: Show the "before" on the first couple of slides, with the swipe revealing a stunning "after."
• Product Features: Display your product in a lifestyle scene that spans multiple slides, highlighting different features as the user swipes.
• Text-Based Storytelling: Lay out a question or quote across several slides, creating suspense that keeps people swiping until they reach the final answer or message on the last slide.
• Data Visualization: Use sweeping lines and graphics to connect different points in a timeline or infographic.

As you plan, think about the transitions. The most compelling designs have an element that strategically crosses the border between two slides. This visual cue acts as an invitation, telling the user there’s more to see just a swipe away.

Step 2: Get Your Dimensions Right

This is the most important technical step. Getting the dimensions wrong will break the seamless effect. A standard Instagram post is 1080 pixels wide. Your canvas width will be 1080 multiplied by the number of slides you want in your carousel (you can have up to 10).

You can choose between a square (1:1 aspect ratio) or a portrait (4:5 aspect ratio) layout. We recommend using the portrait format (1080px wide by 1350px tall), as it takes up more screen space and is generally more eye-catching.

Here’s the simple math:

Total Canvas Width = 1080px × (Number of Slides)

Simply choose your preferred height (1080px for square, 1350px for portrait) and use the formula above for the width.

Common Canvas Sizes for Portrait (4:5) Posts:

• 2 Slides: 2160px wide x 1350px tall
• 3 Slides: 3240px wide x 1350px tall
• 4 Slides: 4320px wide x 1350px tall
• 5 Slides: 5400px wide x 1350px tall

Once you’ve decided on your dimensions, you’re ready to start designing.

Step 3: Create Your Collage Using Your Favorite Tool

You don't need to be a professional graphic designer to make a beautiful seamless collage. Here’s how to do it with three popular tools, from a free and easy web-based option to a professional industry-standard application.

Method 1: Creating Your Collage with Canva (Beginner-Friendly)

Canva is a fantastic free tool that makes this process accessible to everyone. The key is to make full use of its Rulers and Guides to mark where each slide will be cut.

Instructions:

1. Create a Custom Design: On the Canva homepage, click “Create a design” and select “Custom size.” Enter the dimensions you calculated in the previous step (e.g., 3240 x 1350 for a three-slide portrait collage).
2. Turn on Rulers & Guides: Once your blank canvas loads, go to File >, View settings >, Show rulers and guides. A ruler will appear along the top and left sides of your canvas.
3. Add Your Guides: This is the secret to a perfect slice. Click on the left ruler and drag a vertical guide onto your canvas. Place your first guide at the 1080px mark. Drag a second guide and place it at 2160px, a third at 3240px, and so on, for every 1080 pixels. These purple lines show you exactly where each slide begins and ends, but they won't appear on your final design.
4. Design Your Collage: Now for the fun part! Add your photos, text, and graphics. Use the guides to make sure no important text or faces are accidentally cut in half (unless that's the effect you're going for!). Deliberately place some visual elements across the guide lines to create that enticing, seamless bridge.
5. Download the Full Image: Once you’re happy with your design, click “Share” > “Download.” Choose PNG for the highest quality and download your full, wide image.
6. Split the Image: Canva doesn't have a built-in tool for slicing images, so you'll need a free third-party tool. Search for "PineTools Split Image Online" or a similar website. Upload your downloaded image, select to split it "Horizontally," set the "number of blocks" to match your slide count, and download your perfectly sliced images.

Method 2: Creating Your Collage with Adobe Photoshop (Professional-Grade)

If you have Photoshop, the Slice Tool was made for this job. It’s faster, more precise, and gives you a professional-grade result.

Instructions:

1. Create a New Document: Go to File >, New. Enter your custom width (e.g., 5400px) and height (e.g., 1350px). Click Create.
2. Use the Guide Layout Feature: Go to View >, Guides >, New Guide Layout. In the dialog box, make sure the "Columns" option is checked. Set the "Number" of columns to how many slides you want (e.g., 5). Set the Gutter to 0. Photoshop will automatically create precise vertical guides for you.
3. Select the Slice Tool: Find the Slice Tool in the toolbar. It might be hidden under the Crop Tool (just click and hold the Crop Tool icon to reveal it).
4. Slice from Guides: At the top of the screen in the options bar, click the button that says “Slices from Guides.” Instantly, Photoshop will create perfectly sized, individual numbered slices based on your guides. It’s that simple.
5. Design Your Masterpiece: Lay out your photos, typography, and graphics. You'll see the slice lines as you work, so you always know where the breaks are going to happen.
6. Export Your Slices: When your design is complete, go to File >, Export >, Save for Web (Legacy). In the window that appears, select each slice (hold Shift to select all) and choose PNG-24 from the preset dropdown menu for maximum quality. Click “Save.” Photoshop will automatically save each slice as a separate, numbered image file in a dedicated folder. Ready to upload!

Method 3: Using Mobile Apps (for Quick On-the-Go Creation)

If you want to create a quick collage straight from your phone, you can use apps designed for this very purpose. Search the App Store or Google Play for apps like "Panorama Crop" or "Swipeable."

General Workflow:

1. Select a Wide Photo: The flow usually starts by uploading a single wide photo from your camera roll (like a panorama).
2. Choose Your Slide Count: The app will prompt you to select how many pieces to split it into.
3. Slice and Save: The app does the work for you, saving the individual squares or rectangles to your camera roll in the correct order.

While this is the easiest method for a simple photo panorama, you lose the detailed design control that you get with services like Canva or Photoshop.

Step 4: Post on Instagram and Write a Great Caption

You’ve done the creative work, and now you have a set of numbered images ready to go. The upload process is simple, but be mindful of the order.

1. Open Instagram and tap the "+" icon to create a new post.
2. Tap the "Select Multiple" icon (it looks like a stack of squares).
3. Select your images in the correct numerical order (1, 2, 3...). Instagram shows a number on each image thumbnail as you select them, so you can double-check the sequence before proceeding.
4. Tap “Next.” Swipe through the preview to admire your seamless effect!
5. Add a compelling caption. Encourage people to swipe to the end with a call-to-action like “Swipe to see the full transformation!” or “Swipe left to find out what happens next!” Don’t forget your relevant hashtags.
6. Hit “Share” and watch the engagement roll in.

Final Thoughts

Making a continuous collage is a powerful way to make your Instagram feed more dynamic and engaging. By planning your creative concept, nailing the dimensions, and using the right tools, you can create show-stopping content that holds your audience's attention and tells a better story.

Once you’ve designed your stunning new carousel images, getting everything scheduled and published without a hitch is the final step. At Postbase, we designed our visual content calendar so you can see exactly how multi-image posts like your new collage will look in your feed ahead of time. You can schedule your images across all your social platforms reliably and then track performance in our clean analytics dashboard to see just how much your audience loved it.