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Flat Origami Photo Holder

Fold top and bottom retaining edges around a small photo. Follow the original moving diagrams or read the complete illustrated guide below.

Preparation + 13 numbered steps

Materials

6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches

One 6 × 6-inch square (15.24 × 15.24 cm) of paper, a ruler and a pencil. No cutting. Use the measured landmarks below. A separate small photo or drawing is optional.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Flat Origami Photo Holder: fold top and bottom retaining edges around a small photo
Fold top and bottom retaining edges around a small photo

Follow along

Preparation

The interactive guide needs JavaScript. Read every illustrated step below.

Camera only; does not change the fold.
Help · controls & diagram

Play or drag the progress slider to watch a fold from 0% to 100%. Use the view buttons or drag the diagram to look from another angle.

Blue and gold track the original left and right halves of the sheet, not your paper colors. Dark shades show the reverse; orange highlights the moving packet and crease.

With the diagram focused: Space plays or pauses, ←/→ change steps, and Home resets.

Every step, at a glance

Compare your paper with each diagram after completing the action. Blue and gold track the original left and right halves of the sheet, not your paper colors. Dark shades show the reverse; orange highlights the moving packet and crease.

  1. 0. Prepare the holder
  2. 1. Crease across the middle
  3. 2. Reopen across the middle
  4. 3. Crease from side to side
  5. 4. Reopen from side to side
  6. 5. Fold the top retaining hem
  7. 6. Raise the bottom flap
  8. 7. Shape the lower right flap
  9. 8. Shape the lower left flap
  10. 9. Bevel the top right
  11. 10. Bevel the top left
  12. 11. Fold the right side behind
  13. 12. Fold the left side behind
  14. 13. Turn and fit a small photo
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldPrepare the holder

    PREPARATION · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Prepare the holder

    Lay the square with level edges, intended front color facing up. This version lies flat on a desk or inside a card.

    Layers: One square; keep the photo aside until the end.

    Check: The sheet is flat, with a horizontal top edge.

    Explore this step ↑
  2. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease across the middle

    STEP 1 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Crease across the middle

    Fold the square in half across the middle, matching the opposite edges or points. Press the fold.

    Layers: Move the complete half of the sheet.

    Check: The opposite edges or points coincide.

    Explore this step ↑
  3. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldReopen across the middle

    STEP 2 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Reopen across the middle

    Unfold completely along the crease you just made.

    Layers: Return the same half to the table.

    Check: The sheet is flat again.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease from side to side

    STEP 3 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Crease from side to side

    Fold the square in half from side to side, matching the opposite edges or points. Press the fold.

    Layers: Move the complete half of the sheet.

    Check: The opposite edges or points coincide.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldReopen from side to side

    STEP 4 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Reopen from side to side

    Unfold completely along the crease you just made.

    Layers: Return the same half to the table.

    Check: The sheet is flat again.

    Explore this step ↑
  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the top retaining hem

    STEP 5 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Fold the top retaining hem

    Fold the upper 0.75 inch down.

    Layers: Move the top strip only.

    Check: The upper edge is reinforced by a narrow hem.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldRaise the bottom flap

    STEP 6 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Raise the bottom flap

    Mark a horizontal line 2.25 inches above the original bottom. Fold the lower section up on it.

    Layers: Move the complete lower section.

    Check: The old bottom edge stops 0.75 inch below the top hem.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldShape the lower right flap

    STEP 7 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Shape the lower right flap

    On the raised flap, join its bottom-right folded corner to a point 2.25 inches left along its free top edge. Fold the upper-right triangle down and inward.

    Layers: Move only the raised flap. Leave the full backing sheet flat and the attached bottom crease still.

    Check: The old top-right corner reaches the bottom edge, 2.25 inches left of the right side.

    Explore this step ↑
  9. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldShape the lower left flap

    STEP 8 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Shape the lower left flap

    Mirror the diagonal on the left, joining the raised flap’s bottom-left folded corner to a point 2.25 inches right along the free top edge. Fold the upper-left triangle down.

    Layers: Move only the raised flap, never the backing.

    Check: Both diagonal flaps match around a short central rectangle.

    Explore this step ↑
  10. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldBevel the top right

    STEP 9 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Bevel the top right

    Fold the tiny upper-right corner inward on the diagonal joining points 0.75 inch from that corner along the top and right edges.

    Layers: Carry the hem and backing in the little corner together.

    Check: The top-right corner is beveled.

    Explore this step ↑
  11. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldBevel the top left

    STEP 10 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Bevel the top left

    Repeat the matching 0.75-inch diagonal at the upper left.

    Layers: Move both hem and backing in the corner.

    Check: The two small top corners match.

    Explore this step ↑
  12. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the right side behind

    STEP 11 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Fold the right side behind

    Fold the entire right strip behind on a vertical line 0.75 inch from the original right edge.

    Layers: Carry all layers in the strip, including the shaped lower flap.

    Check: The side has a straight folded edge.

    Explore this step ↑
  13. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the left side behind

    STEP 12 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Fold the left side behind

    Repeat 0.75 inch from the original left edge. Keep the holder flat; do not spread legs.

    Layers: Carry all layers in the matching strip.

    Check: The side folds are symmetric.

    Explore this step ↑
  14. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTurn and fit a small photo

    STEP 13 · Origami Club linked construction diagram

    Turn and fit a small photo

    Turn the complete holder over. Try a photo or drawing slightly smaller than 4.5 × 3 inches. Ease its four corners underneath the folded side tabs; reduce the photo size if it bows. Lay the holder flat.

    Layers: Turn every paper layer together. The separate photograph is not shown as folded paper.

    Check: The folded corner tabs retain the photo while its image faces up.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Construction reference: Origami Club; diagram credited to Fumiaki Shingu, Origami Club: Flat Origami Photo Holder (web diagram).

Construction diagram ↗

The reference diagram credits Fumiaki Shingu. Design authorship and a design-reuse license are not independently established; this is not a public-domain claim. Reference artwork and wording are not reproduced. Teaching text, geometry and rendered diagrams here are original.

Adaptation: Based on the Origami Club Photo stand diagram, steps 1–9 and 11–12. We deliberately omit step 10’s partial opening of the legs and use the complete folded object as a flat photo holder. The photo is a separate item, not part of the paper mesh. Center/quarter/eighth guide creases are replaced by ruler landmarks. Top hem: 0.75 inch; lower hinge: 2.25 inches above the original bottom; side-back folds: 0.75 inch from the sides. Lower corner diagonals meet the raised flap’s top and bottom at matching 2.25-inch offsets.

Original instructions and diagrams, made with AI assistance. About & reuse

Accuracy notes

Real-paper follow-along and paper weight have not been tested. Diagrams illustrate the sequence, not paper thickness, contact, collisions or exact layer visibility. Continuous rigid-axis folds preserve all original material, including carried hidden layers. Measured landmarks and flat-use adaptations are stated in the source notes. Zero-thickness teaching diagrams do not certify paper contact, thickness, retention or physical usability. Real-paper folding has not been tested.