Placeholder Image Generator
Generate custom placeholder images.
Placeholder Image Generator at a glance
Placeholder Image Generator is a free online image tool you can use right now to generate custom placeholder images โ no account, no install and no usage limit. It runs entirely inside your browser, so whatever you enter stays on your own device.
- Price
- Free โ no trial, no paid tier, no watermark
- Sign-up
- Not required
- Where it runs
- In your browser โ nothing is uploaded to a server
- Works on
- Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge โ desktop, tablet and phone
- Category
- Image Tools
Great for mockups and wireframes โ generated instantly in your browser.
About Placeholder Image Generator
Generate a placeholder image at whatever dimensions you need, with a custom background colour and label text showing the size.
Placeholders exist to test layout rather than to look good. Building a page against real photographs hides problems, because a real image is usually the right shape โ a placeholder that states its own dimensions makes it immediately obvious when a container is displaying an image at the wrong aspect ratio or scaling it unexpectedly.
Test the awkward cases deliberately. Generate a very wide image and a very tall one and put them through the same component: layouts that look correct with well-behaved images frequently break when a user uploads a panorama or a portrait screenshot. Finding that during development is considerably cheaper than finding it in production.
Images are generated in your browser rather than requested from a placeholder service, which means they work offline and do not depend on a third-party host staying available โ a real consideration, since several popular placeholder services have gone offline over the years and broken every mockup referencing them.
How to use Placeholder Image Generator
- Enter the width and height you need.
- Set the background colour and any label text.
- Download the image, or generate extreme aspect ratios to test your layout.
Frequently asked questions
Why use a placeholder instead of a real image?
Because a labelled placeholder makes layout problems visible. When the image states its own dimensions, it is immediately obvious if a container is distorting or unexpectedly scaling it โ which a well-shaped real photo hides.
What sizes should I test with?
Include deliberately awkward ones โ a very wide panorama and a very tall portrait. Layouts that work with typical images frequently break on extremes, and users upload extremes.
Does this depend on an external service?
No. Images are generated in your browser, so they work offline and cannot break because a third-party placeholder host disappears โ which has happened to several popular services.
Can I use these in production?
They are intended for mockups and testing. Shipping placeholder images to real users looks unfinished โ replace them before release.