How to Create Animated Scrapbook Instagram Reels With Photoshop
You might have seen the animated photo collage trend on Instagram Reels (or even TikTok). It involves layering photo cutouts at different points on a video timeline, creating an animated scrapbook effect.
There are a ton of ways to create this style, but using Photoshop is one of the easiest. you’re able to add effects to your images or use plain images and simple animation. This animation technique is a great way to show off your editing skills and create a trendy video that looks stylish. Let’s show you how to do it.
Choose Your Photos
We recommend using six to eight photos. They should be in portrait orientation or be a high-enough quality and size to crop into portrait orientation for the Reel. For a true scrapbook collage feel, try using a film camera or anymodern technique for analog-style photosand scan those images in. you could evenmake your photos look vintage in Photoshop.
Once you’ve chosen your photos, put them in a separate folder on your computer so it’s possible to easily find them. This saves time and gives you the chance to curate your photos before making your animation. You can follow a theme—like fashion, travel, or animals—or pick any photos that take your fancy, as long as they all contain a subject you can isolate.
Below is the final result of the example tutorial in this article.
How to Make an Animated Scrapbook Reel in Photoshop
Open Photoshop with a new file. Set the size to 1920h x 1080w. This will be a 16:9 ratio which is perfect for both Instagram Reels and TikToks. Set the background to be transparent and the color profile to RGB. Keep the other settings as their default.
Before you begin to create your video animation, take note not to make thesecommon mistakes when sharing videos on Instagram.
1. Import Your Photos
Screenshot by Ruby Helyer, Author. No attribution.
Import your chosen photos by dragging and dropping them into Photoshop. Crop your photos individually by selecting theCroptool (C) in the toolbar. In the upper settings bar, choose16:9in the ratio box. This ensures your cropped image is in the correct ratio for your final animation. Crop the image by pressingEntertwice.
After cropping, resize your images to fit the artboard for a smoother process. Go toImage>Image Size, set the width to1080and the height will automatically scale to 1920. SelectOK. Do this for all the photos so they are the right size and ratio for the Reel.
Once all your photos are sized correctly, move them all to the transparent artboard. PressCtrl+A(Windows) orCmd+A(Mac) to select the entire image, then copy it by pressingCtrl+C(Windows) orCmd+C(Mac).
On your transparent artboard, pressCtrl+V(Windows) orCmd+V(Mac) to paste the image as a new layer. Do this for each photo, so each one is on its own layer. Delete the transparent background layer by right-clicking it and choosingDelete Layer.
Choose the order you want the photos to appear in the animation by reordering the layers. Click and drag a layer to move it up or down on the layers panel.
2. Cut Out the Subjects
Now it’s time to make the cutouts. First, hide all but one image layer by selecting theEyeicon on the layers. Then duplicate the remaining layer by right-clicking and choosingDuplicate Layer. Hide the bottom layer, so only the duplicated one is visible.
This trend uses cutouts such as people, hands, coffee cups, or any major subject in an image. Choose whatever you want to cut out. Erase the background of the image and anything that you don’t want in the animation.
Choose one of the selection tools—such as theLassotool,Object Selectiontool,Polygonal Lassotool, or another of your choice—from the toolbar and select around the area you want to be cut out. it’s possible to use theSubject Selecttool for obvious subjects like people or animals.
Once your chosen subject is selected, go toSelect>Inverse, this will select the background area—the reverse of the subject—then pressDelete. Your subject will be left on a transparent background. Use theErasertool to erase anything accidentally left behind.
The good thing about this trend is that the images animate quickly, so you don’t have to be too neat with your selections.
Repeat this process for every image you’re using. You should have double the layers you started with, and each full photo layer will have a duplicated layer with only the subject visible. Click theEyeicon on all layers to make them all visible. You’ll only see the top layer.
Rename your layers. For example, full photo layers can be titled “[Subject] bg” and cutout layers can be titled “[Subject] cutout” to differentiate them when animating later.
3. Animate Your Scrapbook Reel
Go toWindow>Timelineto open the timeline. SelectCreate Video Timeline. If you don’t see that option, press the dropdown arrow next to Create Frame Animation to select it from there. Each photo layer will become a layer in the timeline.
To change the frame duration—we’re using 1.4 seconds per image, but you can pick anything—move the vertical red time indicator line to 0:00:01:04. Move your cursor to the right edge of any layer until it changes to a square bracket with arrows. Then click and drag the edge of the layer to the time indicator. Do this for all the layers so they’re all the same length.
Select the second background layer from the bottom and move it to the right so the left-hand edge lines up with the right-hand edge of the first background layer. Ignoring all the cutout layers, repeat this process with all the background layers. They should create steps going up to the right of the timeline, with the remaining cutout layers flush to the left.
PressPlayon the timeline to check there are no gaps between the images.
Drag the cutout layers so they each sit overlapping the edges of two background layers. The frames should run in pairs across the timeline.
On the layers panel, select the cutout layer from the first frame and drag it to the top of the layers panel. Then on the timeline, drag that layer to the end of the timeline, so it overlaps the final background layer. Drag the right edge of that layer in, so it’s half the length of the others and so it ends at the end of the timeline.
This will create a perfect animation loop.
4. Add Audio (Optional)
Your animated scrapbook-style Reel is complete. You can save it as a video without sound and add music directly from Instagram or TikTok. You can also add music in Photoshop with the audio layer and export your completed video with the sound already added.
To add audio to the animation, scroll to the bottom of the timeline, select the music note on the audio layer, and chooseAdd audio. Find your audio in your files and selectOpen.
Drag the Work Area end to the edge of the last image. SelectEnable Audio Playbackon the timeline options and pressPlayto see how the music lines up with the frames.
5. Export Your Animated Reel
To export your video—with or without audio—go toFile>Export>Render Video. Set the size to1080 x 1920and selectRender. Once your video has been saved, send it to your phone and upload it to Instagram.
If you’d like to take advantage of the video editor in Photoshop, check out our complete guide onhow to edit videos in Photoshop.
Make a Cool Scrapbook Animation Reel With Photoshop
The scrapbook Reel trend might look complicated, but it’s not that difficult to make one with Photoshop; just stick to this tutorial. You can even add other effects with Photoshop’s filters and adjustments if you want. Your video result will look complex, but now you know just how easy it is to create.
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