Photo Strip Maker — Classic Photo-Booth Strips Online
The vertical photo-booth strip is one of the most enduring formats in casual photography — a stacked sequence of square photos with crisp white borders, often with a caption at the bottom. PikDraw's Photo Strip Maker recreates that aesthetic in your browser with full control over cell size, border, gap, background colour and caption, ready to print for wedding favours or post to Instagram stories.
What is the Photo Strip Maker — Classic Photo-Booth Strips?
The Photo Strip Maker is a vertical layout tool that combines 2–6 square photos into a single tall image with consistent borders and an optional caption. It is designed to mimic the look of mall photo-booths and 1950s-era automated photography kiosks.
Key features
- 2–6 photos stacked vertically with uniform cell sizing
- Customisable background and caption colours
- Adjustable cell size (200–1200px), border (0–120px), and gap (0–80px)
- Optional bottom caption with custom text
- Classic grayscale toggle for vintage booth vibes
- Live preview updates as you tweak
- PNG export at full resolution
- 100% browser-side — no uploads
How it works
Each photo is cover-cropped into a square cell of your chosen size, then stacked vertically with a configurable gap. The strip sits on a coloured background with adjustable border thickness on all sides. If a caption is provided, it is drawn underneath the cells using a clean sans-serif. The final canvas is exported as PNG at full resolution.
Why use this tool
Most photo-booth apps are mobile-only, paywall the caption feature, and stamp a watermark on the output. PikDraw is browser-based, free, watermark-free, and gives you precise pixel-level control over every layout dimension.
Common use cases
- Wedding and party favours printed at 4×6" or 2×6"
- Instagram story sequences and 'day in the life' posts
- Friendship and couple keepsake prints
- Photo-booth-style social media posts without the booth
- Vintage-style scrapbook pages
- Event recap thumbnails for blogs and newsletters
How to use this tool
- Upload 2–6 Photos — Drop any combination of phone snaps, selfies or scanned prints. The first photo lands at the top of the strip, the last at the bottom.
- Pick a Vibe — Choose a background colour, caption colour, and toggle grayscale for the classic black-and-white booth look.
- Tune the Layout — Adjust cell size, border thickness, and gap between cells. Add an optional caption for the bottom of the strip.
- Download PNG — Export a high-resolution vertical strip ready for printing or sharing on Instagram stories.
Who should use this
Couples printing wedding favours. Friend groups making birthday keepsakes. Bloggers and content creators producing Instagram story sequences. Anyone who misses the look of a real mall photo booth and wants the same aesthetic from phone snaps.
How to get started
Upload 2–6 photos, tweak the cell size and border, add an optional caption, and click download. The result is a single PNG you can print or share immediately.
Best practices
- For prints, use a 600–800px cell size and turn off grayscale unless you want the classic look.
- Keep border and gap proportional — 30px border with 18px gap looks balanced at default cell size.
- Crop your source photos to roughly square before uploading if subject placement matters.
- Use a dark background with white caption for a moody, modern strip.
Pro tips
- Classic photo booths use 4 photos — try 4 cells with grayscale on for instant nostalgia.
- Use a 600–800px cell size if you plan to print; 400–500px is plenty for social media.
- Add a date in the caption (e.g. 'Sarah & Jay • 06.26') for wedding favours and event memories.
- Pair with our Polaroid Frame tool to mix two layout styles in a single moodboard.
Expert insights
💡 Four Is Classic
The original photo-booth strip is always four photos. Start there for instant nostalgia.
🔍 Cover Crop
Photos are auto-cropped to fill each square cell — crop manually beforehand if framing matters.
⚡ Grayscale = Vibe
Toggle grayscale for the authentic 90s mall photo-booth aesthetic.
✓ Print Size
Use 700px cells with 30px border for sharp 4×6" prints at 300 DPI.
⭐ Caption Sells It
Add a date and names — 'Em & Jay • 06.26.26' turns a strip into a keepsake.
Limitations to be aware of
- Each cell is forced square — non-square photos are cover-cropped.
- Only a single line of caption is supported.
- No drag-to-reorder yet — remove and re-add to change order.
- PNG only; export as JPG with our convert tools if you need a smaller file.
Frequently asked questions
- How many photos can I combine?
- Between 2 and 6 photos. The classic photo-booth strip uses 4, but you can stack up to 6 for a longer keepsake.
- Are the photos cropped?
- Yes. Each photo is cover-cropped into a square cell so the strip stays uniform. Crop your photos beforehand if you need a specific composition.
- Can I change the order?
- Photos appear in upload order. Remove and re-add to reorder, or upload them in the sequence you want.
- What output format?
- PNG — the strip is a single high-resolution PNG with the background colour baked in.
- Can I add a caption?
- Yes, a single line of caption text appears at the bottom of the strip. Leave it blank to skip.
- Does it work offline?
- Once the page is loaded, all rendering happens locally in your browser. No uploads, no server.
- Can I print the strip?
- Absolutely. Use a 600–800px cell size for sharp 4×6" prints. The resulting PNG is print-ready.
- Is the tool free?
- Yes. No signup, no watermark, no usage cap.