How to make a photo contact sheet
Every photo from a shoot on one page, small, with filenames — for choosing, for filing, or for a client.
A contact sheet is a page of thumbnails. The name comes from printing a whole roll of negatives in contact with the paper, and the purpose has not changed: see everything at once and decide what deserves attention.
Step-by-step
- Add your photos — as many as you like.
- Choose the grid, how many across and down.
- Turn filenames on if you will need to find the originals again.
- Generate and print, or save as an image.
How many to a page
- 4×5, twenty images — large enough to judge sharpness and expression.
- 5×7, thirty-five — a good balance for reviewing a shoot.
- 6×9 and beyond — an index rather than a selection tool; you can tell photos apart but not much else.
Keep the filenames on
A contact sheet without filenames looks tidier and is much less useful. The point is usually to pick images and then go and find them, and "the third one on the second row" is a poor way to do that when the folder holds four hundred files.
Printing
Print at the largest paper size you have. Contact sheets are one of the few things genuinely improved by A3, because the constraint is always thumbnail size. If you are printing at A4, drop to a smaller grid rather than squinting.
Frequently asked questions
Are my photos uploaded?
No. The sheet is composed in your browser and the images never leave your device.
How many photos can it handle?
As many as your device's memory allows. Very large batches take longer to render, and are usually better split across several sheets.
Can I include filenames?
Yes, and it is worth doing. Choosing an image is only half the job; finding the original afterwards is the other half.
Open the image tools →