Get Unsplash Images Automatically With n8n

Here’s how to fetch Unsplash images automatically with n8n. Basically just two nodes do all the work:

n8n workflow for unsplash images

Overview

I’m fetching images from the photos/random endpoint. This means that Unsplash will give me a random image based on the keywords I provide.

The chat not is how I’m inputting the keywords in this example, but you can get those keywords however you like, obviously … even hard code them if you want.

Then:

Node #1: Set Unsplash

You don’t really need this node. I use it to separate the API key from the call itself, and also to put a wrapper around the keywords so that I can connect something else here if I need to.

set unsplash

Node #2: Unsplash Request

This is the main http request node that’s making the call. Here’s what’s in it:

  • Method: GET
  • URL: https://api.unsplash.com/photos/random
  • Auth: none
  • Send query parameters: yes
  • Specify query parameters: Using fields below
  • Query parameters:
    • query – hooked to the previous node – {{ $json.keywords }}
    • content_filter – high
  • Send headers: yes
  • Specify headers: Using fields below
    • Authorization – Client-ID {{ $json.api_key }}
    • Accept – application/json

Then in the Settings tab:

  • On Error: Continue

Node #3: Image to Markdown

This is a JavaScript code node. I use it to handle the error that the API call might produce and also to get the image in the correct Markdown format:

const data = $json;

let output = "";

if (!data.error && data.urls?.regular) {
  const imageUrl = data.urls.regular;
  const altText = data.alt_description || "";
  output = `![${altText}](${imageUrl})`;
}

return [
  {
    image: output
  }
];

Gives you something like this as a result:

![a red car parked in a parking lot](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1694632810877-eda20346a219?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3w3OTgwNDJ8MHwxfHJhbmRvbXx8fHx8fHx8fDE3NzQ0NDIzNjZ8&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080)

Alternative node #3

If you just want to get the URL, you could use a simple Set node:

fetch image set

That is it. You can use that image URL later in your workflow or do whatever with it. 👍

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