Instagram Photostrips

I  ♥ Instagram.

I downloaded Instagram when I had my Droid, but I started using it regularly once I got my iPhone. I have an amazing DSLR that I use on a very regular basis, but the camera on the iPhone is pretty impressive and it's much easier to carry around while I'm chasing after the boys than a clunky camera bag.

I love it because, almost always, I see things that make me smile: Moments in my friends' lives while they're on the go. The drama of FB is absent, the commentary of twitter is gone and it's usually just sweet snapshots of people I care about.

I take TONS of pictures of the kids each week, and almost every day, I'll post a pic of one or both of them on IG. The problem is that just like any other digital camera, those pictures don't usually see the light of day. They live on my phone and I don't give them another thought after I post them. 

There are some great ideas on Pinterest about what to do with your Instagram pics-- some companies make books out of them, others make magnets. My favorite idea was photostrips like you would get from a photobooth-- the square shape of the pics lends itself to that kind of formatting. I came across a few blogs that had photo tutorials of how to make them, but none of them had a template available for download. So, I made my own & I'm sharing it with you!

 I created two templates. The first is of one photostrip-- It's 1.5"x6", holds 4 pics and all you need to do is open the file in Photoshop, insert your pic as a new layer and resize it so that fits into the boxes. The second is a set of 3 of the photostrips centered on a 5"x7" document-- these are great for printing at local photo places. I uploaded mine to Walgreens as a 5"x7" photo, had them print it, then just trimmed it down.

Here's how they looked when I picked them up:

 

I used my paper cutter (you could use scissors) to trim them:

 

   And here they are!

 

    You could print these on photo paper, card stock or anything else that you like! I love how they turned out and can't wait to hang them up at work.

I have one other project in the works for an Instagram Photo Display-- the next time Silhouette offers a 40% off coupon code, I want to order the Limited Edition Advent Calendar from 2012-- its clips are perfect for a photo arrangement and it would be easy to swap out the pics!

 

 How do you display your Instagram Photos?

   

Click here to download the .PSD template for one Photostrip. 

Click here to download the .PSD template for three Photostrips. 

**Because these are Photoshop files, you will not see a preview in Google Docs when you click on the link-- however, if you save the file, then open it in Photoshop, you shouldn't have any trouble viewing/manipulating the file.**