Free Placeholder Images
& Lorem Picsum API

Generate custom placeholders via simple URLs. No signup required, free forever.

Solid color placeholders Lorem picsum images Avatar generator Grayscale & blur filters 6 formats (SVG, PNG, JPEG, WebP, AVIF, GIF) Retina @2x @3x support Custom text & fonts REST API

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Stock photos from Pexels — free for commercial use, no attribution required.
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Preview
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400/4f46e5/ffffff
<img src="https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400/4f46e5/ffffff" alt="Placeholder">
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Solid Color Placeholder Images

Generate customizable placeholder images with custom dimensions, background colors, text colors, and custom text. Perfect for wireframes, mockups, and prototypes.

Custom Size Placeholders

Use widthxheight format for rectangular placeholders, or a single number for square placeholders. Minimum size is 10px, maximum is 4000px.

600 × 400 rectangle placeholder
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400
400 × 400 square placeholder
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/400

Custom Colors

Add background and text colors after the size: /size/background/text. Use 6-digit or 3-digit hex codes (without #) or CSS color names like navy, coral, gold.

Black background, white text
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400/000000/ffffff
Using CSS color names
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400/navy/white
Transparent background (PNG)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400/transparent/333333.png
Dark mode placeholder
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400/1f2937/f3f4f6

Custom Text on Placeholders

Override the default dimension text with ?text= parameter. Use + for spaces and \n for line breaks.

Simple custom text
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400?text=Loading...
Text with spaces
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400?text=Hello+World
Multi-line text
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400?text=Line+1\nLine+2

Custom Fonts

Choose from 12 Google font families using ?font= parameter.

lato roboto montserrat poppins open-sans oswald raleway playfair-display ubuntu merriweather nunito source-sans-pro
Roboto font
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400?font=roboto
Combined with custom text
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400?text=Hello&font=poppins

Image Formats

Default format is SVG (smallest file size, infinitely scalable). Add file extension for raster formats. Supports all 6 major formats: SVG, PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, AVIF.

SVG (default) PNG JPEG GIF WebP AVIF
SVG placeholder (default, smallest)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400
PNG placeholder (transparency support)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400.png
JPEG placeholder
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400.jpg
WebP placeholder (modern browsers)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400.webp
AVIF placeholder (best compression)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400.avif
GIF placeholder
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400.gif

Retina / HiDPI Support

Generate high-DPI images for retina displays using @2x or @3x suffix. Works with PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, and AVIF formats (not SVG as it's already scalable).

2x Retina placeholder (1200×800 actual pixels)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/[email protected]
3x Retina placeholder (1800×1200 actual pixels)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/[email protected]

Lorem Picsum Images

The "Lorem Ipsum" for images. Serve beautiful stock photos via simple URLs with custom dimensions and filters.

Random Lorem Picsum

Get a random lorem picsum image resized and cropped to your dimensions. Each request may return a different image.

Random 600×400 lorem picsum
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/600/400
Random square lorem picsum
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/400

Specific Image by ID

Get a specific lorem picsum image using its unique ID. Browse the gallery to find image IDs.

Specific image by ID
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/id/1/600/400
Square crop by ID
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/id/1/400

Seeded Random Images

Use a seed value for consistent results. Same seed always returns the same image. Perfect for consistent mockups and designs.

Seeded image (always same result)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/seed/my-project/600/400
Different seed = different image
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/seed/user-123/600/400

Images by Category

Get random lorem picsum images from a specific category.

Abstract 8 Animals 108 Architecture 108 Business 58 Ecommerce 10 Food 108 Nature 108 People 108 Technology 108 Travel 8
Random nature image
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/category/nature/600/400
Random technology image
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/category/technology/600/400

Lorem Picsum Formats

Default format is JPEG. Add extension for PNG or WebP.

JPEG (default)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/600/400
PNG format
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/600/400.png
WebP format
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/600/400.webp

Image Filters

Apply grayscale and blur filters to lorem picsum images using query parameters.

Grayscale Filter

Convert any lorem picsum image to black and white with ?grayscale parameter.

Grayscale lorem picsum
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/600/400?grayscale
Grayscale specific image
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/id/1/600/400?grayscale

Blur Filter

Add blur effect with ?blur or ?blur= parameter. Intensity from 1 (slight blur) to 10 (heavy blur). Default is 5.

Default blur (intensity 5)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/600/400?blur
Light blur (intensity 2)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/600/400?blur=2
Heavy blur (intensity 8)
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/600/400?blur=8

Combined Filters

Apply multiple filters at once using & separator.

Grayscale + Blur combined
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/600/400?grayscale&blur=3

Avatar Placeholder Generator

Generate user avatar placeholders with optional initials and custom colors. Perfect for user profiles and testing.

Basic Avatar Placeholders

Generate square or circle avatars. Add /circle for round avatars.

Square avatar placeholder
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/avatar/150
Circle avatar placeholder
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/avatar/150/circle

Avatars with Initials

Display user initials (1-2 characters) with ?initials=. Background color is auto-generated from initials, or customize with ?bg= and ?color=.

Auto-colored initials avatar
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/avatar/150/circle?initials=JD
Custom colors avatar
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/avatar/150/circle?initials=AB&bg=4f46e5&color=fff

Device Size Presets

Common device dimensions for quick prototyping. Click any preset to copy the placeholder URL.

Mobile Device Placeholders

iPhone 15 Pro
393 × 852
Copied!
iPhone 15 Pro Max
430 × 932
Copied!
iPhone 14
390 × 844
Copied!
iPhone 13 Mini
375 × 812
Copied!
Android (common)
360 × 800
Copied!
Pixel 7 Pro
412 × 915
Copied!
Samsung Galaxy S23
384 × 854
Copied!

Tablet Placeholders

iPad Pro 12.9"
1024 × 1366
Copied!
iPad Pro 11"
834 × 1194
Copied!
iPad Air
820 × 1180
Copied!
iPad Mini
768 × 1024
Copied!
Android Tablet
800 × 1280
Copied!

Desktop & Social Media Placeholders

Full HD
1920 × 1080
Copied!
MacBook Air
1440 × 900
Copied!
Facebook Share
1200 × 630
Copied!
Twitter Card
1200 × 675
Copied!
Instagram Square
1080 × 1080
Copied!
Instagram Story
1080 × 1920
Copied!

JSON REST API

Free JSON API endpoints for programmatic access. No API key required, no signup needed.

List Images API

Get a paginated list of all images with metadata. Returns 30 items per page by default.

List all images
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/api/v1/list
Paginated results
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/api/v1/list?page=2&limit=50
Filter by category
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/api/v1/list?category=nature

Image Info API

Get detailed information about a specific image including author, dimensions, and download URLs.

Get info by ID
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/api/v1/info/1
Get info by seed
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/api/v1/seed/myseed/info

Other API Endpoints

List all categories
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/api/v1/categories
List available fonts
https://placeholdpicsum.dev/api/v1/fonts

Code Examples

Ready-to-use code snippets for HTML, CSS, and Markdown.

HTML Examples

Placeholder image in HTML
<img src="https://placeholdpicsum.dev/600x400" alt="Placeholder">
Lorem picsum image in HTML
<img src="https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/600/400" alt="Lorem Picsum">

CSS Background

Hero background image
background-image: url('https://placeholdpicsum.dev/photo/1920/1080');

Markdown

Image in README
![Screenshot](https://placeholdpicsum.dev/800x400)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about PlaceholdPicsum placeholder image service.

PlaceholdPicsum is a free placeholder image generator and lorem picsum API service. Generate solid color placeholders or lorem picsum images via simple URLs with custom sizes, colors, text, and filters. Perfect for web developers, designers, and anyone who needs placeholder images for mockups, wireframes, or prototypes.

PlaceholdPicsum supports 6 image formats: SVG (default, smallest file size, infinitely scalable), PNG (transparency support), JPEG (best for photos), GIF, WebP (modern browsers, great compression), and AVIF (best compression, newest format). Simply add the file extension to the URL like /600x400.png or /600x400.webp.

Yes, PlaceholdPicsum is completely free to use. No signup required, no API key needed, no usage limits. Use it for personal projects, commercial projects, client work, or anything else. All placeholder images and lorem picsum API endpoints are free forever.

The maximum image dimension is 4000 × 4000 pixels. The minimum is 10 × 10 pixels. You can create any rectangular or square image within these limits. For retina displays, use @2x or @3x suffix (e.g., /[email protected]) which will generate images at 2x or 3x the specified dimensions.

Yes! Append @2x or @3x to the size for retina images. For example, /[email protected] generates a 1200×800 pixel image, and /[email protected] generates an 1800×1200 pixel image. Retina support works with PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, and AVIF formats (not SVG as it's already infinitely scalable).

Yes! Use seeded random images with /photo/seed/your-seed/600/400. The same seed always returns the same image, which is perfect for consistent mockups and designs. You can use any string as a seed - project names, user IDs, or any identifier that makes sense for your use case.

You can apply grayscale and blur filters to lorem picsum images. Use ?grayscale for black and white images, and ?blur or ?blur=5 for blur effect (intensity 1-10). Combine both filters with ?grayscale&blur=3. Filters work with all lorem picsum image endpoints.

Add background and text colors after the size: /600x400/000000/ffffff (black background, white text). Use 6-digit or 3-digit hex codes without the # symbol, or CSS color names like navy, coral, gold. For transparent backgrounds, use transparent as the background color with PNG format.

Yes! PlaceholdPicsum provides a free JSON REST API. Endpoints include: /api/v1/list to list all images with pagination, /api/v1/info/{id} for image details, /api/v1/categories for available categories, and /api/v1/fonts for available fonts. No API key required, CORS enabled for browser requests.

Absolutely! PlaceholdPicsum is free for both personal and commercial use. Use it in client projects, production websites, apps, presentations, or any other commercial application. There are no attribution requirements for solid color placeholders. Lorem picsum images are sourced from Pexels and are free for commercial use.