Unsplash Image Scraper

Extract high-quality image metadata and download URLs from Unsplash with ease. Collect image dimensions, descriptions, primary colors, likes, photographer details, and direct download links at scale. Perfect for stock photography research, AI training dataset generation, design asset collection, and marketing analysis.

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Features

• Multi-URL Support — Extract images from search result URLs, topic feeds, curated collections, and user profiles.
• Keyword Search — Search for photos dynamically using any keywords or search phrases.
• Photographer Insights — Collect artist details including name, username, portfolio link, bio, and profile picture.
• Deep Image Metadata — Extract hex color codes, likes count, aspect ratio dimensions, and description text.
• Clean Datasets — Automatically filters out null, empty, or redundant data values for ready-to-use results.
• Dynamic Pagination — Automatically navigates through search results to meet your desired target count.

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Use Cases

AI Training Datasets

Build high-quality image datasets for machine learning models, computer vision systems, and text-to-image AI generators.

Design and Creative Assets

Aggregate and curate lists of free, high-resolution imagery for blogs, mobile applications, web designs, and slide presentations.

Social Media and Marketing Research

Monitor trending visual content, color schemes, and engagement metrics (likes) to optimize your brand's visual marketing strategy.

Photographer and Artist Portfolio Analysis

Identify popular photographers and analyze their most engaged and liked photos on the platform.

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Input Parameters

The actor accepts the following input parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
url	String	No	—	Unsplash URL to scrape (e.g. search, collection, topic, user profile). If provided, it overrides the keyword.
keyword	String	No	"spring"	Search keyword (e.g., 'spring', 'nature') to search for photos if no URL is provided.
results_wanted	Integer	No	20	Maximum number of images to extract.
max_pages	Integer	No	5	Maximum number of result pages to paginate.
proxyConfiguration	Object	No	{ "useApifyProxy": true }	Proxy settings to bypass rate limits and geographic restrictions.

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Output Data

Each item in the dataset contains the following fields:

Field	Type	Description
id	String	Unique identifier of the photo
slug	String	Unsplash slug for the photo
created_at	String	Date and time when the photo was uploaded
updated_at	String	Date and time of the last update
width	Integer	Photo width in pixels
height	Integer	Photo height in pixels
color	String	Primary hex color code of the image
blur_hash	String	Image placeholder blur hash
description	String	Description or alt description of the photo
alt_description	String	Alternate image description
url	String	URL of the photo page on Unsplash
image_url	String	Direct URL to the regular-sized image
download_url	String	Direct download link for the photo
likes	Integer	Number of likes the photo has received
username	String	Photographer's Unsplash username
user_name	String	Photographer's full name

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Usage Examples

Basic Search Extraction

Extract the first 20 photos for a keyword query:

{
    "keyword": "nature",
    "results_wanted": 20
}

Scraping from a Search URL

Extract 50 images directly from an Unsplash search page URL:

{
    "url": "https://unsplash.com/s/photos/spring-flowers",
    "results_wanted": 50,
    "max_pages": 10
}

Scraping a User Profile

Extract photos uploaded by a specific artist or organization:

{
    "url": "https://unsplash.com/@nasa",
    "results_wanted": 30
}

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Sample Output

{
    "id": "abc123XYZ",
    "slug": "pink-flowers-in-bloom",
    "created_at": "2026-05-01T12:00:00Z",
    "updated_at": "2026-05-15T08:30:00Z",
    "width": 6000,
    "height": 4000,
    "color": "#f3a5b0",
    "blur_hash": "LhPZ$#~q%MIU?wIUt7WBoffRj[ay",
    "description": "A beautiful close-up of pink cherry blossoms in full bloom during spring.",
    "alt_description": "pink cherry blossoms",
    "url": "https://unsplash.com/photos/pink-flowers-in-bloom",
    "image_url": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-12345-abcde?w=1080&fit=max",
    "download_url": "https://unsplash.com/photos/abc123XYZ/download",
    "likes": 342,
    "username": "nature_photographer",
    "user_name": "Jane Doe"
}

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Tips for Best Results

Leverage Proxies

• Always enable proxy configuration when running large extractions to prevent IP rate limits.
• Residential proxies are recommended for scraping high quantities of images.

Optimize Results Count

• Start with a small results_wanted count (20-50) for testing parameters.
• Increase the count for larger production extractions once you verify the URL format is correct.

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Integrations

Connect your Unsplash data with major platforms:

• Google Sheets — Export data directly to spreadsheets for easy sharing and curation.
• Airtable — Build highly customized, visual search databases.
• Make & Zapier — Create automated workflows that trigger notifications or save files to Google Drive/Dropbox when new images are scraped.

Export Formats

Download your image datasets in multiple formats:

• JSON — Ideal for AI training, software integrations, and developer APIs.
• CSV / Excel — Best for research spreadsheets and business reporting.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I scrape multiple pages of images?

Yes. The scraper handles pagination automatically. Adjust results_wanted and max_pages to control the depth of extraction.

Does the scraper download the actual files?

No, the scraper does not store the raw image files to conserve storage space. Instead, it extracts the direct high-quality download_url and image_url fields so you can download or hotlink the images as needed.

What happens if a photo is missing a description?

If a photo does not have a primary description, the scraper will fall back to its alternate description. If both are missing, the field is excluded from the output.

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Support

For issues, questions, or custom feature requests, contact support through the Apify Console.

Resources

• Apify Documentation
• API Reference

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Legal Notice

This actor is designed for legitimate data collection purposes. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with website terms of service and applicable copyrights. Use data responsibly and respect rate limits.