Unsplash plugin in Figma

Visual images can give a whole new look to your project, you can as well say that they’re a key component to designing.

However, it can be difficult to find images that are licensed and free to use. Most of the images you find on the internet are probably copyrighted, so you’ll need a certain kind of license to use them. Does this mean there aren’t any free images for us to use in our designs? No, not at all.

Here’s where the Unsplash plugin for Figma comes into play.

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What is the Unsplash plugin?

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Unsplash plugin allows you to use licensed images from the internet for free and put them into your projects. This is because Unsplash has a license, which you can read more about here.

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With Unsplash you can download and use all pictures for commercial or non-commercial use, all for free. No permission is needed.

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However, you cannot sell the pictures unless you’ve done significant editing to them – or use those images to create a service of your own. Those are prohibited.

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Unsplash Free and Unsplash Plus

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There isn’t much of a difference between Unsplash’s free version and Unsplash Plus. Unsplash Plus does offer more royalty-free images for you to use, more unique ones.

If you’re a designer who heavily relies on images for your projects, you might want to consider an Unsplash Plus subscription. It is quite affordable too.

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How to use the Unsplash plugin for Figma?

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Go to the official page of the plugin in the Figma community and click Try it out. Don’t forget to press the Save button next to it, so you can use Unsplash at any time you want.

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Once you have clicked Run, the plugin will open itself on your Figma canvas.

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There are three sections in the plugin: Editorial, Presets, and Search.

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In the editorial section, you can browse through plenty of editorial pictures. They’re colorful, high-definition, and extremely professional. Perfect to use if you’re generally looking for a nice touch for your design.

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In presets you can randomly generate images based on your category of choice. Simply click on the category and voila, the new image will be added to your project.

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