Resources · Make integration

Unsplash Make integrationAutomate Unsplash with Make.

Need the right photo in your workflow without opening Unsplash every time? The Unsplash Make integration gives you 29 modules, 17 actions and 12 searches, to find images, sort them into collections and read their numbers. This guide connects your account and walks you through a first scenario.

Try the Unsplash integration on MakeSee the 29 modules

Verified Trustpilot reviews · AI, automation & growth agency

What you can automate

What can the Unsplash Make integration do for you?

The Unsplash Make integration links your Unsplash account to Make, so photos, collections and profile data can move into your other tools without copy and paste. You build a scenario, which is the automation itself: a chain of modules, each module being one step such as a search or an action on Unsplash.

A moodboard that fills itself. A content team adds a new article topic in its planner. Search Photos looks up matching images on Unsplash, and Add a Photo to a Collection files each result in a shared collection the designer opens later. Each photo that flows from one module to the next is called a bundle.

A tidy library of collections. Create a Collection opens a new board when a project starts, Update a Collection renames it when the brief changes, and Remove a Photo from a Collection clears out images the client rejected. Delete a Collection closes the board once the project ends.

A report on how your photos perform. If you publish on Unsplash, Get a Photo’s Statistics and Get a User’s Statistics can feed a spreadsheet or a dashboard, next to List a User’s Photos to cover your whole portfolio.

One limit to know up front: Unsplash has no trigger module in Make, so nothing starts on its own when something changes on Unsplash. The scenario starts from another app’s event or from a schedule. For anything the 29 modules skip, Make an API Call reaches the rest of the Unsplash API with the same connection. The same app often has an n8n node too, and the n8n vs Make comparison lays out how the two tools differ. For plans and credits, see Make pricing, and if you would rather learn the editor step by step, Make training starts from zero.

Connect

How do you connect Unsplash to Make?

  1. 01

    Register an app on Unsplash

    Make talks to Unsplash through a developer account. On your Unsplash apps page, click New Application, fill in the details, paste the callback URI https://www.integromat.com/oauth/cb/unsplash, then click Create Application.

  2. 02

    Copy your two credentials

    Unsplash now shows the Client ID and the Client secret of your new application. Copy both somewhere safe for a moment. They are the keys Make will use to act on your account, so keep them out of shared documents.

  3. 03

    Create the connection in Make

    In your scenario, add any Unsplash module and click Create a connection. The Connection name is optional, so pick something you will recognize. Paste the credentials or follow the on-screen steps. Every Unsplash module then reuses this connection.

First scenario

Build your first scenario with Unsplash

GoalWhen a new topic appears in your content planner, Make searches Unsplash for matching photos and adds them to a shared collection.

  1. 01

    Start a new scenario

    Open the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the big +. Add the module of the tool where your topics live, since Unsplash has no trigger of its own to open the flow.

  2. 02

    Add Search Photos

    Click the + on the right, search for Unsplash and pick Search Photos. Click Create a connection if this is your first Unsplash module, then map the topic from the first module as the search term.

  3. 03

    File the results

    Add Add a Photo to a Collection after the search. Once the connection exists, Make can list what it reads from your account, so pick the target collection and map the photo coming out of Search Photos.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Add a test topic in your planner, then click Run once. Open the bubble above each module to read the bundles it received: one per photo found, each landing in your collection.

  5. 05

    Schedule and switch on

    Set the clock on the first module, every 15 minutes by default, and turn the scenario on. From then on, each new topic gets its own set of photos without anyone searching by hand.

Modules

Every Unsplash module in Make

Unsplash gives you 29 modules. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

Unsplash1

Add a Photo to a Collection

Action

In Make“Adds a photo to a collection.”

Puts a photo into one of your collections, so the images a scenario picks end up where your team already browses them.

When to use it
right after Search Photos, to turn raw matches into a shortlist for an article, a campaign or a pitch deck.
Watch out
it runs once for every bundle it receives, so a search that returns many photos spends one operation per photo added.
Unsplash2

Create a Collection

Action

In Make“Creates a new collection.”

Opens a brand new collection on your account, which gives each project or client its own board from day one instead of one crowded folder.

When to use it
when a deal is signed in your CRM or a project card appears in your planner, so the photo board exists before anyone starts looking.
Unsplash3

Delete a Collection

Action

In Make“Deletes an existing collection.”

Removes a whole collection from your account, which keeps your library clean once a project is archived and its board no longer serves anyone.

When to use it
at the very end of a closing flow, after you have saved what matters elsewhere.
Watch out
it removes the whole board, photos included, so test it with Run once on a throwaway collection first.
Unsplash4

Get a Collection

Action

In Make“Gets a collection.”

Fetches one collection you already know, so later modules can reuse what it holds, for instance in a message or a report row.

When to use it
when a previous step hands you the collection and you need its current details before posting them in a team channel or writing them back to a project sheet.
Unsplash5

Get a Photo

Action

In Make“Gets a photo.”

Pulls the full record of a single photo, which gives the rest of your scenario what it needs to display, credit or store that image properly.

When to use it
when someone pastes an Unsplash photo into a form or a ticket and you want its details in your asset library, without a person opening the page and copying things over.
Unsplash6

Get a Photo’s Statistics

Action

In Make“Gets a photo’s statistics.”

Brings back the statistics Unsplash keeps for one photo, which lets you follow how a specific image is doing without logging in to check.

When to use it
if you publish your own work on Unsplash and want the figures of a key shot written into a spreadsheet each time the scenario runs, next to the other photos you track.
Unsplash8

Get a User’s Profile

Action

In Make“Gets a user’s public profile.”

Reads the public profile of an Unsplash user, so your scenario knows who a photographer is before it stores, credits or contacts them.

When to use it
when you keep a list of photographers you like working with, and each new name added there should be completed with the public details Unsplash shows on their profile.
Unsplash9

Get a User’s Statistics

Action

In Make“Gets a user’s statistics.”

Collects the statistics of a whole Unsplash account, which gives a photographer or a brand one view of the entire profile rather than photo by photo.

When to use it
to feed a performance dashboard for your own account or for the photographers your brand partners with, with one row written each time the scenario runs.
Unsplash10

Get Stats

Action

In Make“Gets a month or total stats.”

Returns Unsplash figures either for one month or as overall totals, which helps when you want a big picture rather than one photo or one user.

When to use it
in a reporting scenario that compares a monthly snapshot with the running total.
Watch out
run it once with Run once and read the bundle to see exactly which figures come back.
Unsplash11

Like a Photo

Action

In Make“Likes a photo.”

Likes a photo in the name of your connected account, which turns your likes into a lightweight bookmark list that other scenarios can read later.

When to use it
when a teammate approves an image in a review tool, so the approval also shows up on Unsplash and List a User’s Liked Photos can find it again.
Unsplash12

Make an API Call

Action

In Make“Performs an arbitrary authorized API call.”

Opens the rest of the Unsplash API to your scenario, reusing the same connection, so you are not stuck when no listed module fits your need.

When to use it
when an endpoint you need is simply not covered by the other Unsplash modules.
Watch out
you have to know the endpoint and read the Unsplash API documentation yourself, since Make only handles the authorization for you.
Unsplash13

Remove a Photo from a Collection

Action

In Make“Removes a photo from a collection.”

Takes a photo out of a collection while leaving the collection itself intact, so a board stays accurate as decisions change.

When to use it
when a client rejects an image in your approval tool, so the shared board only keeps the pictures still in play and nobody reuses a refused shot by mistake.
Unsplash14

Track a Photo Download

Action

In Make“Tracks a photo download.”

Tells Unsplash that a photo has been downloaded, so the download your scenario makes is recorded on the Unsplash side as well.

When to use it
in any flow that actually saves an Unsplash image into your own storage or publishing tool, placed next to that saving step so each saved photo gets its download recorded once.
Unsplash15

Unlike a Photo

Action

In Make“Unlikes a photo.”

Removes a like your account left on a photo, which keeps your likes meaningful when you use them as a shortlist.

When to use it
as the undo of Like a Photo, for example when an image is withdrawn from a campaign and should no longer appear among the photos your other scenarios pick up from your liked list.
Unsplash16

Update a Collection

Action

In Make“Updates an existing collection.”

Changes an existing collection instead of creating a new one, which keeps its link and its photos while the details move on.

When to use it
when a project gets renamed or its scope changes in your project tool, so the Unsplash board carries the same name as the project your team is actually talking about.
Unsplash17

Update a Photo

Action

In Make“Updates a photo.”

Edits the details of a photo on Unsplash, which saves a photographer from reopening each upload when the information about it changes.

When to use it
when your own catalog is the reference and you want Unsplash to follow it.
Watch out
test on one photo with Run once and check the result on Unsplash before letting it run across a whole portfolio.
Unsplash18

List a Collection’s Photos

Search

In Make“Lists a collection’s photos.”

Returns every photo stored in a collection, one bundle each, which lets you push a curated board into another tool in a single pass.

When to use it
when a designer finishes a board and the images must reach a brief, a folder or a CMS.
Watch out
each photo becomes its own bundle, so every module placed after it runs once per photo.
Unsplash19

List a Collection’s Related Collections

Search

In Make“Lists a collection’s related collections.”

Finds the collections Unsplash considers close to a given one, a quick way to widen your search for visuals from a board that already works.

When to use it
when a creative team likes the direction of one board and wants other boards on the same theme sent along for inspiration.
Watch out
it can return nothing, so plan for an empty result.
Unsplash20

List a User’s Collections

Search

In Make“Lists a user’s collections.”

Brings back all the collections of one Unsplash user, which gives you an inventory of their boards without opening the profile.

When to use it
to keep an index of your own collections in a spreadsheet, or to see which themes a photographer you follow has already grouped together before you reach out about a project.
Unsplash21

List a User’s Liked Photos

Search

In Make“Lists a user’s liked photos.”

Reads the photos a user has liked, which turns a habit of clicking the heart into a usable source of images for your scenarios.

When to use it
when your team likes images as a quick way to flag them, and a scenario should collect those picks into a collection, a folder or a review sheet for the next step.
Unsplash22

List a User’s Photos

Search

In Make“List a user’s photos.”

Returns the photos a user has published, one bundle per photo, the starting point for anything you do across a whole portfolio.

When to use it
before Get a Photo’s Statistics, to report on every image of your account in one run.
Watch out
a large portfolio means many bundles, and each module that follows spends one operation per photo.
Unsplash23

List Collections

Search

In Make“Lists all collections.”

Browses the collections available on Unsplash in general, without a keyword, useful when you want to discover boards rather than hunt for one.

When to use it
to feed an inspiration digest for a creative team.
Watch out
without a filter the list is broad, so Search Collections fits better as soon as you know the theme you want.
Unsplash24

List Featured Collections

Search

In Make“Lists featured collections.”

Gets the collections Unsplash itself puts forward, a curated selection that saves you from sorting through everything published.

When to use it
when a social media manager wants fresh, already curated boards pushed into a team channel as a starting point for posts, instead of browsing the site whenever ideas run dry.
Unsplash25

List Photos

Search

In Make“List all photos.”

Lists photos from Unsplash in general, without a search term, which works as a feed of new material rather than a targeted search.

When to use it
for a broad visual watch shared with a design team.
Watch out
the results are not tied to your topic, so switch to Search Photos whenever a keyword describes what you need.
Unsplash26

Search Collections

Search

In Make“Searches collections.”

Looks up collections that match a keyword, which surfaces boards other people have already curated on your theme.

When to use it
when a new campaign theme is approved and you want existing boards on that subject gathered before your team builds its own.
Watch out
it may return several collections or none at all, so read what comes back with Run once before acting on it.
Unsplash27

Search Photos

Search

In Make“Searches photos.”

Finds Unsplash photos that match a keyword, the most direct way to put fitting images in front of a writer or a designer automatically.

When to use it
whenever a topic, a product name or a headline arrives from another app.
Watch out
each match is a separate bundle, so check with Run once how many come out before chaining modules that should run only once.
Unsplash28

Search Random Photos

Search

In Make“Searches random photos.”

Picks photos at random from Unsplash, a simple way to bring variety into visuals that would otherwise repeat.

When to use it
for a placeholder image on a draft page, a background for an internal newsletter, or a fresh visual for a recurring social post.
Watch out
results change from one run to the next, so do not rely on them for anything that must stay stable.
Unsplash29

Search Users

Search

In Make“Searches users.”

Finds Unsplash users that match a name or a keyword, the way into a photographer’s profile when you only know part of who you are looking for.

When to use it
before Get a User’s Profile or List a User’s Photos, when a teammate types a name in a form.
Watch out
several accounts can match, so confirm the right person before acting.
Need help

Need help automating Unsplash with Make?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

Unsplash and Make: common questions

01Is the Unsplash Make integration free?
Yes, Unsplash is a standard app in Make, so it works on the Free plan. That plan allows 2 active scenarios, runs them at most every 15 minutes, stops each run after 5 minutes and caps transfer at 512 MB. Paid plans go down to a 1 minute interval, remove the limit on active scenarios and allow runs of up to 40 minutes. Make counts usage in operations, one per module per bundle, so a search that returns many photos uses more of your plan. Unsplash has its own subscription terms, described on its pricing page.
02What do you need to connect Unsplash to Make?
You need an Unsplash account and a developer account, where you register an application. When you create it, you paste the callback URI given in the Make documentation, then copy the Client ID and the Client secret that Unsplash displays. In Make, you add any Unsplash module, click Create a connection, give it a name if you like and enter those credentials. The connection is then shared by all 29 Unsplash modules, so you only set it up once.
03Does the Unsplash Make integration react in real time?
No, because Unsplash has no trigger module in Make, neither scheduled nor instant. Nothing on Unsplash can start a scenario by itself. You have two ways to start one anyway. Open the flow with a trigger from another app, such as a new row in a planner or a new ticket, then chain the Unsplash modules after it. Or leave the first module on a schedule, every 15 minutes by default, down to 1 minute on paid plans, and let a search module run on each pass.
04What if the Unsplash module you need is missing in Make?
Use Make an API Call. It reaches any endpoint of the Unsplash API with the connection you already created, so the listed modules are not a ceiling. You describe the request yourself, which means reading the Unsplash API documentation to know the path and what to send. The Make documentation for Unsplash lists no specific limit for the listed modules, so if a result surprises you, run the module with Run once and read the bundle before changing anything else.
05Make or n8n for Unsplash?
It depends mostly on where your team already builds its automations. On Make, Unsplash comes with 29 modules covering photos, collections, users and statistics, plus Make an API Call for the rest, and the editor lets you test each step with Run once before switching the scenario on. The same app often has an n8n node too, so check what that node covers for your use case. This page does not rank the two tools; the comparison linked above explains how they differ.
Same platform

Other docs you might need on this stack.

Browse all integrations