We’ve been talking a lot about square photos on the blog lately.

And while we’re at it, I thought that I might as well share how I print my square photos – without using Photoshop.

Previously, I always hesitated to use square photos because one 4×6 or two 3x4s were always so much more convenient and much less of a hassle to create than trying to wrestle with fitting a square size on a 4×6 sheet. But when I had to make my first 4×4 mini album two weeks ago, I decided to conquer the formidable square photos and give this size a shot.

Obviously, Photoshop is a great tool for printing your square photos. And while I’m somewhat familiar with Photoshop, I’m not fully comfortable with it yet so I still tend to gravitate towards something quick and easy when I need to print photos in a hurry.

So recently, I started using Picasa (a free software by Google) to create one 4×4 and two 2×2 photos that I can use in my mini album and it’s been a game-changer for me.

Here’s how I do it:

1. Upload your photos on your computer (not pictured).

2. Open Picasa and select photos to import.

NOTE: My computer automatically syncs new photos onto Picasa when I open the Picasa software. Since Picasa is not my primary photo organization system, I don’t mess around with the settings at all. I do my quick and simple edits in Picasa and export them out for printing or uploading. That’s it.

3. Select the photos that you want to create into a collage.

You can see that all my selected photos are held in the tray in the bottom left corner.

4. Individually crop your selected photos to the square size.

TIP: To crop, double click the photo you want to crop and select the crop tool. Use the drop down bar to select what size you want to crop to.

5. Apply the crop setting.

6. After cropping your photo, select CREATE > PICTURE COLLAGE in the task bar of Picasa.

7. Once your photos open up, select MOSAIC.

TIP: Before creating your collage, you can drag the photos around to choose which photo is the 4×4 size, and which ones are the 2×2 size. When you click on the photo you want to move, the selected photo will be highlighted with an orange box.

9. Select CREATE COLLAGE.

Violá! Your collage is created.

10. To finish, select your collage and export with the settings you prefer.

Since I usually print my collages, I save them in the original size to avoid losing any resolution.

There you have it – how I create square photos without using Photoshop.

I tried to be as comprehensive as possible, but if you have any questions about this process, let me know in the comments! If you have any other ways to create square photos, I would love to hear about them in the comments too.

P.S. If you want more options for photo sizes, Lauren also has a great Picasa tutorial here.

Earlier this week, I shared my very first 4×4 mini album.

Since I naturally gravitate to rectangular photos (instead of square ones that the album is meant for), I always thought that 4×4 albums and I were not a good fit, so I tended to shy away from the 4×4 size before. But after my recent experience completing my first-ever mini album in this 4×4 size, I daresay I’ve finally overcome my fear of square albums because I love it and can’t wait to make more.

If you are in the same spot as I am, wanting to try something new but being slightly hesitant about it, I totally understand. So here are my tips for tackling a mini album in an unfamiliar/intimidating size (like 4×4, or any size you are unsure of, really!).

Note: I already gave the album to its recipient, so check out this post if you missed seeing the full album with all the details and want to make sense of what I’m talking about.

1. Choose similar colors – have “base” colors and accent colors.

For example, for the 4×4 mini album, I chose to have more neutral colors such as black, white, and a cork/woodgrain texture from the journaling cards. My accent colors ended up being gold, mint green, and mustard. I kept my color scheme in mind when picking paper or embellishments for the album – it made the decision process much easier than having ten different options that all looked good. This also helped the album to have a cohesive look throughout.

2. Use repeated elements and similar embellishments.

My embellishments included stamping, Heidi Swapp’s acetate and paper die shapes, chipboard shapes from Studio Calico and some die shapes from Amy Tangerine.

3. Break the “rules”.

While the 4×4 We R Memory Keeper albums are meant for primarily square Instagram photos, I actually incorporated many 3×4 photos as well simply by adding 4×4 patterned paper as the background. So go ahead and use rectangular photos if you need to – don’t let the size confine you!

4. Don’t be afraid of the size.

Sometimes, fear is the biggest thing that keeps us from stepping out of our comfort zones and trying new things. So face that fear and just try whatever unfamiliar or intimidating size you’re thinking about.

What album sizes are most difficult or challenging for you to work with? What are your tips for tackling a new size? Let me know in the comments!

And since it was a farewell album, I had my friends write notes on 3×4 cards from the Midnight edition and scattered them throughout the entire album.

For embellishments, I used a mixture of acrylic shapes from Heidi Swapp, gold sequins, and chipboard shapes from Studio Calico.

I always wanted to try see-through pockets and I love that I finally got to do that for this mini album. You’ll also notice that I used the Tiny Attacher to adhere the “floating” elements in the see-through pockets. If I had to pick, my favorite parts are the see-through pockets and the vellum text!

I think I’m hooked and I can’t wait to make more mini albums in this size again.

What about you guys? Let me know in the comments: Do you like scrapbooking in this size? What are your favorite ways to use these 4×4 mini albums?