There are four types of layouts and three variants of columns for portfolio:

 

To change the number of columns, select the first item in Appearance > Theme Options > Portfolio (Columns Layout), there they are described with an image how they are organized.

The same applied for Single portfolio item layout. You can apply the text to the left, right, top or bottom, to change this settings simply choose one option in “Item Details Layout” (Appearance > Theme Options > Portfolio).