With the help of the Instant Images plugin you can use images from Unsplash, Pixabay and Pexels directly from the WordPress Dashboard. This plugin can save you a lot of time and is already active on more than 100,000 websites.
Plugin Installation
To get started, go to your WordPress dashboard and install the Instant Images plugin from the official repository.
After you activate the plugin, it can be accessed from several places. The easiest and quickest way is on the Edit page.
When using the Block Editor, add a standard Image block and click on Media Library. You will find the Instant Images tab. Select your preferred provider and search for an image. After you type in your keywords you need to press Enter or click on the search icon.
If you click on a photo that you like, it will be automatically downloaded to your server. Now you can display it.
But before you close this video, let me explain a few settings that you should know about.
Instant Images Tips & Settings
When you add new images like I just showed you, these images will have a random file name. Depending on your project this might be the way you want it to be. But if you don’t, here’s what you can do.
When you are in the Instant Images modal, every image has this small Cog icon in the bottom-right corner.
When you click on it, you can change the desired file name. You can also change the title, alternative text and caption. The Caption field is the best location to include photo attribution.
After you click on the Upload button, the new image will contain all your selections.
Some WordPress themes like my own PressBox have a setting to display the caption field for featured images.
Instant Images Options Page
The plugin has a small management page, which is available from the Media section.
In the top-right corner you have a Settings button.
You can select the default image provider and paste your API keys if you have any.
Additionally you can hide the Instant Images tab from the Media Modal. You might want to do this if you don’t want your content editors to be able to download new images on the Edit screen.
In conclusion
This is a fantastic free plugin that I wish I knew about a long time ago. I commend Darren Cooney (@KaptonKaos) for this fantastic plugin and I hope that he gets all the recognition that he deserves.
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