CollageIt for Mac

The demand for applications that manipulate or arrange photos is relatively low on the Mac platform because Apple's built-in photo software is so robust. However, CollageIt manages to find a niche for itself by offering a simple, straightforward tool to create collages from your existing photos. It takes only seconds to install and, once ready to use, CollageIt is immediately intuitive. Choose a format for your collage, drag and drop photos into the various slots on the collage, and save. You can either choose where each photo will be placed or hit the Random Layout or Shuffle buttons to mix it up. With minimal buttons and very clearly labeled Share on Facebook and Print buttons, it doesn't get any easier to prepare your collage.

We were impressed with the uncluttered layout. A collage-making program doesn't need dozens of buttons and PearlMountain understands that. Of course, simplicity comes at a cost. CollageIt is designed for one purpose, and if you have photos available it does it very well. Unfortunately, most Mac users store their photos in the iPhoto Library, which is not an option when selecting photos for your collage. Simply finding the photos needed to create a collage can present a challenge, but if you do have those photos, creating collage takes only seconds and you can share on Facebook, resize with ease, and export in one of six formats, including PDF and wallpaper. Very simple.

CollageIt is shareware; the lite version has some limitations on file size and commercial use. But don't let that stop you because we found everything else intact. Overall, CollageIt is a tidy piece of software that does exactly as advertised, offering quick and easy collage creation on the Mac to supplement the many features of iPhoto. Poor integration with iPhoto presents problems, but if you have photos on a separate disc or export them from iPhoto, making a college is a snap and sharing them is even easier.