Unsplash Image Scraper

What does Unsplash Image Scraper do?

Extract image metadata and download URLs from Unsplash using search keywords, topic feeds, curated collections, or user profile URLs. Collect photo dimensions, color data, descriptions, photographer details, likes, and direct image links from public Unsplash pages. The output is ready for AI training datasets, design asset libraries, marketing research, and stock photo analysis.

Why use Unsplash Image Scraper?

• Structured image datasets - Collect metadata from thousands of photos without manual browsing or copy-paste.
• Automation-ready output - Export results to JSON, CSV, Excel, or connect via API to downstream tools.
• Flexible sourcing - Pull images from search queries, topic pages, collections, or specific photographer portfolios.
• Clean data - Null, empty, and redundant fields are automatically filtered so the dataset is ready to use.

What data can you extract from Unsplash?

Field	Description
url	Direct link to the photo page on Unsplash
image_url	Regular-sized web-optimized image URL
download_url	Direct download link for the photo
id	Unique photo identifier
description	Photographer-provided or alternate description
width	Original image width in pixels
height	Original image height in pixels
color	Dominant hex color code extracted from the image
likes	Total likes count on the photo
username	Photographer's Unsplash username
user_name	Photographer's full display name

How to use Unsplash Image Scraper

1. Open the Actor on Apify Store.
2. Provide a search keyword, an Unsplash URL, or leave the defaults for a sample run.
3. Set the maximum number of images and pages.
4. Run the Actor.
5. Download the dataset or connect it to your workflow via API, webhooks, or integrations.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
url	String	No	-	Unsplash URL (search, topic, collection, or user profile). Overrides the keyword when provided.
keyword	String	No	"spring"	Search term for photos when no URL is given.
results_wanted	Integer	No	20	Maximum number of images to collect.
max_pages	Integer	No	5	Maximum result pages to paginate through.
proxyConfiguration	Object	No	Apify Proxy (residential)	Proxy settings for reliable extraction at scale.

Output Data

Field	Type	Description
id	String	Unique photo identifier
slug	String	URL-friendly photo slug
created_at	String	ISO timestamp of upload
updated_at	String	ISO timestamp of last update
width	Integer	Photo width in pixels
height	Integer	Photo height in pixels
color	String	Primary hex color of the image
blur_hash	String	Placeholder blur hash
description	String	Photo description or alt text
alt_description	String	Alternate automated description
url	String	Photo page on Unsplash
image_url	String	Regular-sized image URL
download_url	String	Direct download link
likes	Integer	Total likes received
username	String	Photographer's Unsplash username
user_name	String	Photographer's full name

Usage Examples

Keyword Search

Extract photos using a search term:

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

Search URL with Higher Volume

Extract 50 images from a specific search page:

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

Photographer Portfolio

Collect photos from a specific artist or organization:

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

Curated Collection

Extract images from a themed collection:

{
  "url": "https://unsplash.com/collections/317099/nature",
  "results_wanted": 100
}

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"
}

Tips for Best Results

• Start with a small results_wanted count (20-50) for testing, then increase for production runs.
• Enable Apify Proxy with residential groups when collecting large volumes to avoid rate limits.
• Use complete public Unsplash URLs for reliable parsing of search, collection, topic, or profile pages.
• If a field is missing in the output, the source page likely does not publish that information.

Integrations

• Google Sheets - Send scraped image data to spreadsheets.
• Webhooks - Trigger downstream workflows after each run.
• Make or Zapier - Connect results to no-code automations.
• API - Access datasets programmatically from your own systems.

Datasets can be exported in JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, and other formats from the Apify Console.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I scrape multiple pages of images?

Yes. The Actor paginates automatically. Use results_wanted and max_pages to control the depth.

Does the Actor download the actual image files?

No. It extracts image URLs and download links so you can fetch the files separately. This keeps the dataset lightweight and avoids storage overhead.

Can I export the data to CSV or Excel?

Yes. Apify datasets support JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, and other formats for download.

What happens if a photo is missing a description?

The Actor falls back to the alternate description. If both are empty, the field is excluded from the output.

Is it legal to scrape Unsplash?

Unsplash provides publicly accessible image data. You are responsible for complying with applicable laws, website terms, and copyright rules.

Related Actors

• Pixabay Image Scraper - Extract high-resolution image URLs, tags, and creator metadata from Pixabay.
• Pexels Stock Image Scraper - Bulk download royalty-free images from Pexels with photographer details and metadata.
• OpenVerse Image Scraper - Collect Creative Commons and public domain images from OpenVerse with license and attribution data.

Support

For issues, feature requests, or custom Actor work, use the Issues tab on the Actor page or contact the developer through Apify.

Legal Notice

This Actor is designed for legitimate data collection from publicly available sources on Unsplash. Users are responsible for using the data responsibly and complying with applicable laws and website terms.