How to Post Side-by-Side Photos on Facebook

Placing two photos side-by-side on Facebook is a simple way to make your content more dynamic, tell a better story, or showcase a comparison. This guide will show you a few different ways to do it, from letting Facebook handle it automatically to taking full control with easy-to-use design tools. We’ll cover the direct approach, the custom collage method, and why this format is so effective for building your brand.

The Easiest Method: Using Facebook’s Automatic Layouts

The simplest way to get a side-by-side effect is to upload multiple photos directly to Facebook and let its algorithm arrange them for you. Facebook automatically creates a multi-photo layout or a "collage" whenever you upload two or more pictures in a single post. While you don’t get precise control, it's fast, easy, and often looks great on its own.

Here’s how Facebook’s layout generator typically works:

• Two Photos: Facebook will usually stack these either horizontally (side-by-side) or vertically (one on top of the other), depending on the photos' orientation (portrait vs. landscape). For two landscape photos, you'll almost always get a vertical stack. For two portrait photos, they'll usually appear side-by-side.
• Three Photos: The layout commonly features one prominent photo with two smaller thumbnails next to or below it.
• Four Photos: This almost always results in a clean 2x2 square grid.

This method is perfect when you aren't particular about the exact arrangement and just want a quick, clean way to share multiple images.

How to Do it on a Desktop Computer:

1. Navigate to your Facebook Page, Group, or personal profile and click the "What's on your mind?" box to start a new post.
2. Click the Photo/Video icon. This looks like a small green mountain landscape.
3. Your file explorer will open. Select the two (or more) photos you want to upload. You can select multiple images by holding down the Command key (Mac) or Ctrl key (Windows) while you click on each file. Click "Open."
4. Facebook will automatically generate a preview of the collage. You can now drag and drop the images within the preview to change their order. The first image in the grid often appears as the largest or primary photo in layouts with three or more pictures.
5. Add your caption, tag people or pages, and click the Post button when you’re ready.

How to Do it on a Mobile Device (iOS or Android):

1. Open the Facebook app and tap the "What's on your mind?" field at the top of your feed.
2. Tap Photo/Video from the menu that appears at the bottom.
3. This will open your phone’s photo gallery. Tap to select the photos you want to include. A number will appear on each one to show the order you’ve selected them in. Tap Next.
4. Just like on desktop, you'll see a preview of how Facebook arranges the photos in a collage. You can tap and hold an image to drag it to a different position.
5. Write your caption and click Post to share it.

The Limitation: The biggest drawback here is the lack of control. Facebook makes the final decision on the layout, and sometimes it doesn't align with your vision, especially if you have images with different aspect ratios. If you need a guaranteed side-by-side look, the next method is for you.

Full Control: Create a Side-by-Side Collage Before You Post

For those who need perfect placement every time, the most reliable method is to combine your photos into a single image before you upload it to Facebook. By using a free graphic design tool or collage app, you create one final JPG or PNG file that contains both of your images arranged exactly how you want them. This gives you complete creative freedom over size, spacing, borders, backgrounds, and more.

Step-by-Step Guide Using Canva (It's Free!)

Canva is a powerful and user-friendly online design tool that is perfect for this task. It has a free version with thousands of templates and tools.

Step 1: Choose Your Canvas Size

Go to Canva.com and click “Create a design.” You can choose a pre-sized template like "Facebook Post" (940 x 788 pixels is a common size) or click “Custom size” to enter your own dimensions. For a simple side-by-side image, a landscape dimension like 1200 x 630 pixels works well for the Facebook feed.

Step 2: Find a Grid Template

Once you have a blank canvas, look at the menu on the left side of the screen. Click on Elements. In the search bar, type "grids" and hit enter. You will see visual representations of different layouts. Scroll until you find the one that shows two spaces side-by-side. Click on it, and it will snap to fill your entire canvas.

Step 3: Upload and Place Your Photos

Next, click on Uploads in the left-hand menu. Click the "Upload files" button and select the two photos you want to use from your computer. Once they appear in your uploads gallery, simply drag each photo into one of the empty frames in the grid you just added. Canva will automatically crop and fit the image to the frame.

Step 4: Adjust and Customize

You can fine-tune your design:

• Reposition photos: Double-click on a photo within its frame to pan it around until it's perfectly centered.
• Add spacing: Click on the entire grid, and a spacing tool will appear in the top toolbar. You can use a slider to add a border between the photos and around the edges.
• Add a background color: If you add spacing, you can click on the canvas background and choose a different color to fill the gaps.
• Add text or logos: Use the Text and Elements tabs to add your branding, a title, or other graphical elements on top of the image.

Step 5: Download and Post

Once you’re happy with your creation, click the Share button in the top-right corner, then click Download. Choose JPG or PNG as the file type (PNG is usually better for images with sharp lines or text) and click the purple “Download” button. You now have a single, perfectly formatted image file ready to be uploaded to Facebook just like any other single photo.

Other Great Collage Tools

• Adobe Express: A fantastic free alternative to Canva with similar grid and collage features.
• Layout from Instagram: A simple, no-frills mobile app dedicated to creating photo collages quickly.
• PhotoGrid: Another popular mobile app with hundreds of collage templates, filters, and editing tools.

Smart Ways to Use Side-by-Side Photos to Boost Engagement

A side-by-side format is more than just a creative choice, it’s a powerful marketing tool. Here are a few ways to use these posts to spark conversation and showcase your brand:

1. The "Before and After" Transformation

This is the classic use case and for good reason - it’s incredibly effective. It provides a clear, immediate visual of the value you offer. This works for countless industries:

• Health and Fitness: Client progress shots.
• Home Services: A messy backyard before landscaping and the beautiful result after.
• Beauty and Salons: A pre- and post-haircut or makeover.
• Design Services: An outdated logo next to a rebranded one.

2. 'This vs. That' Encourages Interaction

People love sharing their opinions. Frame a post as a choice and ask your audience to weigh in. A fashion brand could post a T-shirt in two different colors and ask, "Which one are you wearing this weekend? Left or Right?" This simple tactic invites comments and boosts your post's visibility.

3. Showcase Product Variations or Features

For e-commerce businesses, a side-by-side collage is perfect for showing options. Display a product in different colors, sizes, or styles in a single, clean image. You can also use one side for a shot of the product and the other to highlight a key feature with a close-up or a graphic overlay.

4. Tell a Simple Story

Use two photos to communicate a process or narrative. A bakery could show a photo of the raw ingredients next to a photo of the finished, delicious cake. An artist could show a pencil sketch next to the final painted piece. This adds depth to your content and brings your audience into your world.

Final Thoughts

Creating compelling side-by-side photo posts on Facebook is a straightforward skill that adds a professional and engaging touch to your social media presence. Whether you let Facebook automatically generate a collage for a quick update or use a tool like Canva to craft the perfect comparison shot, this format helps you tell stronger visual stories. Master this simple technique, and you'll find it becomes a go-to tool in your content creation kit.

Once you’ve perfected creating these eye-catching images, planning when and where they go live is the next step for a polished content strategy. Through years of managing social media, we know that having great content is only half the battle, consistency is what builds momentum. That's why we built Postbase. Our visual calendar lets you plan, schedule, and see all your beautifully designed posts across all platforms in one uncluttered view, making sure your hard work goes live exactly when it’s supposed to, every time.

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