1. Gather the images in one folder
Contact Sheet II works from a folder, so copy the frames you want into one, in the order you want them. It sorts by filename, so rename files first if the order matters. It can also include subfolders, or use the files currently selected in Bridge.
2. Open Contact Sheet II
In Photoshop choose File › Automate › Contact Sheet II. Under Source Images, choose Folder and click Choose to select it. Tick Include Subfolders if you need them, and Group Images by Folder if you want each folder to start a new page.
3. Set up the page
Under Document, set the units, width, height and resolution. For a printable sheet on Letter, use 8.5 × 11 inches at 300 pixels per inch; for A4, 21 × 29.7 cm. Choose RGB mode. Tick Flatten All Layers unless you want each thumbnail and caption on its own layer, which makes the file much heavier.
4. Choose the grid
Under Thumbnails, choose whether to place across first or down first, then set columns and rows. Five columns by six rows is a sensible start on Letter. Leave Use Auto-Spacing on, and tick Rotate For Best Fit only if you want portrait frames turned sideways to fill the cells, which most clients find confusing.
5. Add captions
Tick Use Filename As Caption and choose a font and size. This is the only caption option: the sheet cannot show frame numbers, star ratings or exposure data.
6. Run it and save a PDF
Click OK. Photoshop opens each image in turn, so RAW files go through Camera Raw and a large folder can take several minutes. Each full page becomes its own document. Save each one with File › Save As and choose Photoshop PDF, or combine them later in a PDF tool.
Where Contact Sheet II falls short
- It needs a Photoshop subscription and a computer that can run it.
- Captions are filenames only. There are no frame numbers, ratings or exposure details.
- It ignores your Lightroom or Bridge ratings, so you have to copy picks into a separate folder first.
- Big RAW folders are slow, because every file is opened at full size.
- Each page is a separate document, so a long shoot becomes many files to save and combine.
- There are no film strip layouts or comp card templates.
A faster way
The contact sheet maker reads RAW previews, EXIF and .xmp star ratings straight from the folder, numbers every frame, and exports one multi-page PDF. It runs in the browser, so nothing is installed and nothing is uploaded. See a faster alternative to Contact Sheet II for a side-by-side comparison.