# Image Collage > Arrange up to 30 images into one 2K or 4K picture with a smart or grid layout. Add numbers and labels to turn a batch of shots into a storyboard. Source: https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/image-collage The **Image Collage** node arranges many images into one large picture. Wire in 2 to 30 images, or a List of image URLs, and choose a smart or grid layout. The node returns a single 2K or 4K image. No image is ever cropped: every picture appears in full. - Found in: Image › Edit & Retouch - Output: image - API type: `image-collage` ## When to use it - Build a mood board or a contact sheet from a batch of [Generate Image](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/generate-image) results. - Combine several product shots into one image for a social post. - Compare variations side by side, such as a before and an after, or several takes of the same prompt. - Lay out a numbered storyboard with a label on each shot. ## Quick start ### Add the node Press Tab on the canvas and choose **Image › Edit & Retouch › Image Collage**. ### Connect the images Drag from each image node to the **Image** input. All images go into the same input, and the first one you wire lands at the top left. To collage a batch, wire a [List](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/automate/list) of image URLs instead. ### Choose the layout and the size Open the settings panel. Choose a **Layout**, an **Aspect Ratio** and a **Resolution**. Drag the rows of the connected images to set the reading order. ### Run it Click **Run** on the node. The collage appears on the node, and every earlier run stays available as a version. Workflow: Three generated shots become one numbered storyboard sheet. - Generate Image → Image Collage (image) - Generate Image → Image Collage (image) - Generate Image → Image Collage (image) ## Inputs | Input | Accepts | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | **Image** | Image nodes, such as Generate Image, Upload Image and Modify Image, or a List of image URLs | The pictures to arrange: 2 to 30 images, all on this one input. Required. | The output, **Image**, is the finished collage as a PNG. ## Settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Layout** | **Smart (justified — aspect-aware)**, the default, packs the images into rows that keep each image's exact shape. **Grid (uniform cells)** puts every image in an equal cell. See [Smart or Grid](#smart-or-grid). | | **Number images (storyboard)** | Off by default. When on, stamps 1, 2, 3 on the images in the collage's reading order. | | **Badge corner** | Where the number and the label sit on each image: **Top-left (storyboard convention)**, the default, or **Top-right**, which keeps the badge clear of a subject framed left of center. | | Connected images | Every connected input with its thumbnail. Drag the rows to set the reading order: the top row lands first, at the top left. | | Size, per image | **Auto**, **Big**, **Medium** or **Small**. A relative hint for the Smart layout: Big is about twice the size of Medium, and Small is about half. The Grid layout ignores it. | | **Label (optional)** | A caption per input, shown after the number, as in "3 · Close-up". Up to 80 characters. A label too long for its image is shortened with an ellipsis. | | **Aspect Ratio** | `1:1`, `4:3` (the default), `3:2`, `16:9`, `21:9`, `4:5`, `3:4`, `2:3` or `9:16`. The exact output shape in Grid, and a target shape in Smart. | | **Resolution** | **4K** (3840 px long edge), the default, or **2K** (2560 px long edge). | | **Gap** | Space between the images and around the edge, in pixels, from 0 to 200. The default is 24. | | **Background Color** | The color of the gaps and, in Grid, of the space around images that do not fill their cell. The default is white. | A List input moves as one block in the list of connected images. Its size and label apply to every image it contributes. The node also has a **Numbers** control on the node itself, with **None**, **Top-left** and **Top-right**. **None** turns the numbers off, and labels stay in their corner. ## Smart or Grid | | Smart | Grid | | --- | --- | --- | | Arrangement | Rows of different heights, each row filled edge to edge | Equal cells in rows and columns, with a partial last row centered | | Image shape | Every cell has the exact shape of its image | Each image is fit inside its cell, with background color around it | | Output size | Width from your settings; the height adapts to the rows | Exactly the resolution and aspect ratio you set | | Size hints | Used | Ignored | | Best for | Mixed portrait and landscape images, hero layouts | Clean, uniform tiles for feeds and slides | In Grid, the canvas is exactly the resolution and the ratio you choose: 4K at `16:9` is 3840 × 2160 pixels, and 2K at `1:1` is 2560 × 2560. The number of columns is the square root of the image count, rounded up, so 9 images make 3 columns and 10 images make 4. In Smart, the height of the collage floats so that no image is cropped. It never grows beyond twice the long edge of your target. When the images would not fit, they are scaled down evenly, never cropped. A wider target gives fewer, taller rows. ## Credits | Resolution | Credits | | --- | --- | | 2K | 20 | | 4K | 40 | The price does not depend on the number of images. Numbers and labels do not change it either. ## Tips - **Choose Smart for mixed shapes.** Portrait and landscape images pack into rows with no cropping and no wasted space. - **Make a hero image.** Set one image to **Big**: it tends to get its own tall row. Size hints show most with five or more images, and **Big** on the hero with **Small** on the others gives the strongest contrast. - **Equal sizes change nothing.** Setting every image to **Big** is the same as setting every image to **Auto**, because the hints are proportions between images. - **Match the ratio to the destination in Grid.** Use `1:1` or `4:5` for social feeds, `16:9` for slides and thumbnails, and `9:16` for stories and reels. - **Frame it or tile it.** Raise **Gap** for a gallery look, or set it to `0` for an edge-to-edge mosaic. - **Choose 2K for screens.** 2K is enough for on-screen use and costs less; choose 4K for print or large displays. - **Renumber by dragging.** Numbers follow the final reading order, not the order of the wires. ## From the API `POST /v1/image-collage` takes the same settings as the node: | Field | What it sets | | --- | --- | | `imageUrls` | The images, in reading order. Required. | | `layout` | `smart` or `grid`. | | `resolution` | `2K` or `4K`. | | `aspectRatio` | Any `W:H` ratio, not only the ones in the editor. | | `gap`, `backgroundColor` | The gap in pixels and the background color. | | `imageSizes` | One hint per image, in the same order as `imageUrls`: `0` Auto, `1` Big, `2` Medium, `3` Small. | | `numbered`, `badgePosition` | Turn the numbers on, and put the badges at `top-left` or `top-right`. | | `imageLabels` | One label per image, in the same order as `imageUrls`. Use `null` or an empty string for no label. | The route can also attach the finished collage to a character's boards with `attachToCharacterId`, `attachToColumn` set to `boards`, `attachName` and `attachBoardType`. Attaching does not change the price. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many images can Image Collage combine? From 2 to 30 images, wired from separate image nodes or from a List of image URLs. ### Does Image Collage crop my images? No. The Smart layout sizes each cell to the exact shape of its image, and the Grid layout fits each image inside its cell with background color around it. No image is cropped or stretched. ### How many credits does Image Collage cost? 20 credits at 2K and 40 credits at 4K. The number of images does not change the price. ### How do I make a storyboard with Image Collage? Turn on Number images to stamp 1, 2, 3 on the shots in reading order, and give each input a label such as Close-up. Each badge then reads "3 · Close-up". ### Why is my Smart collage not exactly the aspect ratio I chose? In the Smart layout, the aspect ratio is a target shape. The rows keep the natural shape of the images, so the final height adapts. Use the Grid layout when you need the exact ratio.