How to combine two photos on an iPhone

Have you seen those cool images in which people combine two images into a single one? Experienced image editors can do this without much trouble, but there are more straightforward methods for casual users. Today, we’ll show you how to combine two photos on an iPhone.

Editor’s note: We formulated these instructions using an Apple iPhone 12 Mini running iOS 17.2. Some steps and menus may look slightly different on other models and software versions.

How to combine two photos on an iPhone using Shortcuts

If you don’t feel like downloading yet another third-party app, here’s how to do side by side photos on iPhone. You can actually use Apple’s Shortcuts to do this.

1. If you don’t have the Shortcuts app, get it from the Apple App Store.
2. Launch Shortcuts.
3. Tap on the + icon in the top-right corner.
4. Use the search box to search for Select Photos. Tap on it.
5. Tap on the blue arrow next to Select photos.
6. Toggle on the Select Multiple option.
7. Tap on the search bar again, and look for Combine Images. Tap on it.
8. In the new Combine section, it should be set to do side by side photos on iPhone horizontally. If you prefer them vertically, tap on Horizontally and select Vertically. You can also tap on the blue arrow in this section and set the Spacing.
9. Use the search bar again and look for Save to Photo Album. Select it.
10. Your shortcut is ready. You can tap on the top section, which should read Save to Photo Album. To add the shortcut to your app list, tap on Add to Home Screen.
11. Name the shortcut and hit Add.
12. Now, go back to your home screen and tap on the shortcut you created.
13. Select the images you want to combine and hit Add.
14. Hit Done when ready.
15. Check the Photos app. Your combined image should be the last one in the Recents album.

If you need some more tips, we have a guide on how to use Shortcuts on an iPhone.

How to combine two photos on an iPhone using an app

If you feel like the Shortcuts app is a bit too confusing, and don’t mind using a third-party editing app, plenty of them can combine two photos on an iPhone. We’ll stick to the most popular one, though, which is Canva.

1. Download the Canva app from the Apple App Store.
2. Launch Canva.
3. Tap on the + icon to start a new project.
4. Pick one of the standard sizes or create a Custom size.
5. Swipe the suggestions away and tap on the + icon.
6. Select the Camera Roll tab.
7. Select the images you want to use and hit Add to page.
8. Organize and resize the images as you wish. You can also use all the other Canva tools to get creative, if you want to.
9. When done, tap on the Download icon.
10. Select Save Image.
11. Go to the Photos app. Your side by side photo will be in the Recents album.

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