# How to Combine Screenshots on Mac: Side by Side and Vertical

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Source: https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/blog/combine-screenshots-side-by-side-mac/
Source observed: 2026-09-19T03:00:34.129Z
Last checked: 2026-09-19T17:04:14.248+00:00
Indexed: 2026-09-19T03:05:21.957+00:00

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# How to Combine Screenshots on Mac (Side by Side & Vertical)

**April 8, 2026 · LazyScreenshots Team**

We show how to place screenshots side by side, stack them vertically, or combine them in a grid using Preview, macOS Shortcuts, ImageMagick, or Python.

## Why combine screenshots?

Combining helps with before-and-after comparisons, multi-step walkthroughs, UI bug reports showing two states, and giving an AI coding assistant context across multiple screens. macOS has no single-click combine-images button, but several approaches work without installing an app.

## Method 1: Preview — manual canvas resize

1. Open the first screenshot in Preview.
2. Go to **Tools → Adjust Size** and note the pixel width and height.
3. Double the width for a side-by-side result or double the height for a vertical stack, then click **OK**.
4. The image gains a white or transparent empty area.
5. Open the second screenshot, press **Cmd+A**, then **Cmd+C**.
6. Return to the first image and press **Cmd+V**.
7. Drag the pasted image into the empty area.
8. Use **Tools → Adjust Size** again to trim excess space if needed.

This requires no downloads and suits a one-off task, but different dimensions require manual calculations and visual alignment.

## Method 2: macOS Shortcuts — Combine Images

On macOS Monterey and later:

1. Open **Shortcuts**.
2. Click **+** to create a shortcut.
3. Add **Select Photos**, or **Get Selected Files in Finder**, and enable **Select Multiple**.
4. Add **Combine Images**.
5. Choose **Horizontally**, **Vertically**, or **In a Grid**.
6. Optionally set image spacing, such as **20 pixels**.
7. Add **Save File** and choose the output location.

Run the shortcut from the menu bar, assign a keyboard shortcut, or add it to Finder's Quick Actions. The action aligns different-sized images to their top edge horizontally or left edge vertically; in side-by-side mode, a shorter image receives white padding.

## Method 3: ImageMagick from the command line

For developers with Homebrew, ImageMagick provides precise and scriptable control:

```bash
# Install ImageMagick (one-time)
brew install imagemagick

# Side by side (horizontal)
magick shot1.png shot2.png +append combined-horizontal.png

# Vertical stack
magick shot1.png shot2.png -append combined-vertical.png

# Side by side with 20px gap
magick shot1.png -splice 20x0 shot2.png +append combined-gap.png

# Combine three or more
magick shot1.png shot2.png shot3.png +append combined-three.png

# Resize before combining (make both 800px wide)
magick shot1.png -resize 800x shot2.png -resize 800x -append combined-resized.png
```

| Flag | Effect |
|---|---|
| `+append` | Combine horizontally (side by side) |
| `-append` | Combine vertically (stacked) |
| `-resize WxH` | Resize images before combining |
| `-splice WxH` | Add spacing between images |
| `-gravity center` | Center-align images of different sizes |

ImageMagick can batch-combine, add borders, resize, and add labels.

## Method 4: `sips` + Python

macOS includes `sips` and Python, but the Pillow library must be installed separately:

```bash
# Get dimensions with sips
sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight shot1.png
sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight shot2.png

# Create a combined canvas using sips and CoreImage via Python
python3 -c "
from PIL import Image
import sys
img1 = Image.open('shot1.png')
img2 = Image.open('shot2.png')
h = max(img1.height, img2.height)
combined = Image.new('RGBA', (img1.width + img2.width, h), (255,255,255,0))
combined.paste(img1, (0, 0))
combined.paste(img2, (img1.width, 0))
combined.save('combined.png')
"
```

Install Pillow first with `pip3 install Pillow`. For a truly zero-install workflow, use Preview or Shortcuts.

## When to combine vs. capture smarter

- **Before/after comparisons:** Combine when both states need to be visible at once.
- **Multi-step walkthroughs:** A scrolling screenshot or screen recording may capture the flow in one image or recording.
- **AI context across screens:** Paste multiple screenshots directly into the AI chat instead of combining them.
- **Bug reports:** Annotated screenshots with arrows and highlights may communicate better than two raw images.

Slack and GitHub often handle separate images well; documentation and blog posts benefit from one scannable combined image.

## Quick reference: all methods compared

| Method | Install required | Batch support | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preview (canvas resize) | None | No | One-off, quick combine |
| macOS Shortcuts | None | Yes (multi-select) | Repeatable workflow, non-technical users |
| ImageMagick CLI | Homebrew + ImageMagick | Yes (scriptable) | Developers, automation, precise control |
| Python + Pillow | `pip3 install Pillow` | Yes (scriptable) | Custom logic, integration with other scripts |
| Dedicated screenshot tool | App install | App-dependent | Capture + combine + annotate in one step |

## Tips for clean combined screenshots

- **Match dimensions first.** Use the `sips -z height width file.png` command or Preview's Adjust Size dialog. Match widths for vertical stacking and heights for side-by-side images.
- **Add a separator.** A 1–2px gray line clarifies the boundary. In ImageMagick:

  ```bash
  magick shot1.png -bordercolor "#333" -border 0x1 shot2.png +append combined.png
  ```

- **Crop before combining.** Remove irrelevant chrome, empty space, and sidebars.
- **Keep file sizes reasonable.** Two Retina images can exceed 10 MB. Compress for Slack or documentation with:

  ```bash
  sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 80 combined.png --out combined.jpg
  ```

  This typically cuts size by 70% or more.

We let you capture, annotate, and enhance screenshots in one step. LazyScreenshots costs **$29 one-time**.

[Try LazyScreenshots — $29 one-time](https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/)

### Related

- [How to Crop a Screenshot on Mac](https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/blog/crop-screenshot-mac/)
- [How to Resize and Compress Screenshots on Mac](https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/blog/resize-compress-screenshots-mac/)
- [How to Make Screenshots Look Professional on Mac](https://www.lazyscreenshots.com/blog/make-screenshots-look-professional-mac/)

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