Cut subjects out of photos
Lift a person, a plate, or a sign out of its background so it sits cleanly on the canvas.
collage app
A photo collage app for iPhone & iPad
Collages that aren't grids — cut things out and layer them.
free to download · iPhone & iPad ✎
Most collage apps hand you a grid and ask you to drop photos into boxes. Nooka gives you a blank canvas and a cutout tool. Lift a subject out of its background, overlap it with another, scribble across both, and the result looks made rather than generated.
What is a photo collage app?
A photo collage app combines several photos into one image. Grid-based apps arrange them into fixed boxes; Nooka is a freeform photo collage app for iPhone and iPad, so you cut subjects out, overlap them at any angle, and draw on top.
made in nooka
Collages made in Nooka
Layered, overlapping, and hand-drawn on — none of these would be possible in a grid.
why nooka
Collage without the grid.
Overlap and layer freely
Nothing snaps to a box. Rotate, resize, and stack until the composition reads the way you want.
Draw and sticker over the top
Handwriting and doodles across the seams are what stop a collage looking like a photo grid.
Keep collages in books
Group finished collages into a book on a shelf instead of losing them in your camera roll.
step by step
How to make a photo collage on iPhone
About ten minutes for a first collage. The one habit that matters is cutting things out rather than dropping in whole rectangles.
Add a page and import photos
Start a page and bring in three or four photos. Gather more than you will use — collages get better when you can discard.
Cut out the subjects
Use the cutout tool to lift the part that matters out of each photo. This single step is the difference between a collage and a grid.
Build a background first
Set a colour or drop in one large image as the base, then work on top of it. Composing onto something is easier than composing onto white.
Overlap deliberately
Let cutouts break each other's edges and run off the page. Overlap is what tells the eye this was assembled by hand.
Draw across the seams
Add handwriting, an outline, or a scribble that crosses two elements at once. It ties separate photos into one picture.
Export or keep it
Export the finished collage as an image to send or post, and keep the page in a book if you want to come back to it.
Freeform collage vs grid collage apps
Grid apps are fast and predictable. You pick a layout, drop in photos, and you are done in under a minute — which is exactly right when you want to post four holiday pictures.
They are also why most phone collages look alike. The grid decides the composition, so the only thing that varies is the photos.
Freeform collage takes longer and looks like nobody else's. Cutouts, overlap, scale differences, and handwriting are the variables a grid removes. Nooka is built for that second kind, which is why there is no template picker.
How to cut out a photo on iPhone
Two ways in Nooka. One-tap background removal detects the subject and lifts it out for you — best for people, pets, and objects with a clear edge.
The cutout tool lets you trace the shape yourself, which is what you want for a torn-paper edge, a partial crop, or anything the automatic pass gets wrong.
Zoom in before you trace. A clean edge does more for a finished collage than any sticker, and a rough one is the most common reason a page looks unfinished.
What makes a collage read well
Vary the scale. Three cutouts at the same size read as a row; one large anchor with two small companions reads as a composition.
Repeat one colour. Pulling a single colour through the background, a swatch, and a drawn line holds unrelated photos together.
Leave one quiet area. A collage with something happening in every corner gives the eye nowhere to rest, and that is usually what people mean when they say a page feels cluttered.
Nooka is for you if
- You want collages that don't look like everyone else's grid
- You like cutting things out and layering them by hand
- You want to draw and write on top of your photos
- You'd rather keep finished collages than lose them in the camera roll
Look elsewhere if
- You want a one-tap grid layout to post in thirty seconds
- You need Android or a web browser
- You want automatic AI-generated compositions
perfect for
Photo collagesCutout artTravel collagesAesthetic pagesMixed-media art
questions
Collage app FAQ
Can I make a collage without a grid?+
Yes. Nooka's canvas is freeform, so photos and cutouts go anywhere at any size and angle. There is no template picker and nothing snaps to a box.
How do I cut a subject out of a photo?+
Use one-tap background removal for a clean subject, or trace the shape yourself with the cutout tool when you want a torn edge or a partial crop.
How many photos can I put in one collage?+
As many as the page will hold — there is no fixed slot count. Most collages read best with one large anchor image and a handful of smaller cutouts around it.
How much does the collage app cost?+
The app is free to download, and the free tier covers a guided first page, one book, one canvas, and one photo per page. Nooka Pro removes those limits and adds cutouts, background removal, layer editing, and iCloud Backup. Current prices are on the pricing page.
Can I export a collage to Instagram?+
Yes. Export the finished page as an image and post or send it anywhere. The export is an ordinary image file with no watermark.
Does it work on iPad?+
Yes. Nooka runs on iPhone and iPad on iOS or iPadOS 17 or later. The larger canvas suits layered collage work, and Apple Pencil helps with precise cutouts.
Can I add text and drawings to a collage?+
Yes. Type captions, handwrite, and draw directly over your layers. Drawing across two overlapping cutouts is the quickest way to make a collage feel like one picture.
Does Nooka work offline?+
Yes. Collages are made and stored on your device, so nothing needs a connection.
Is this the same as a moodboard?+
The tools are the same; the intent differs. A collage is a finished picture. A mood board is reference material for something you are about to make. Nooka handles both — see the moodboard app page.
Full plan details are on the Nooka pricing page, and more help lives on support.