You’re building a website mockup at 2 AM, and you need placeholder images in 47 different sizes. Sound familiar? Instead of hunting through stock photo sites or creating blank rectangles in Photoshop, placeholder image generators deliver custom-sized images instantly through simple URLs. These tools have become essential for web developers, saving countless hours during the design and development process.
Whether you’re prototyping a new interface, testing responsive layouts, or building a demo for clients, the right placeholder image generator can transform your workflow. From customizable dimensions to themed images featuring cats and beards, these 10 tools offer unique approaches to solving the same fundamental problem: getting the right temporary images exactly when you need them.
1. Dynamic Dummy Image Generator
Dynamic Dummy Image Generator (dummyimage.com) stands out as one of the most flexible placeholder tools available. You can generate images by simply modifying the URL structure, specifying dimensions, background colors, text colors, and custom text all within the web address itself.
The service supports multiple image formats including PNG, JPG, and GIF, making it compatible with virtually any web development scenario. According to Smashing Magazine, URL-based image generators like this one have become standard tools in modern web development workflows because they eliminate the need for external files during the prototyping phase.
Pro Tip: Use hexadecimal color codes in your URLs to match placeholder images to your design system’s color palette, creating more realistic mockups that better represent the final product.
The generator allows you to create images in any dimension up to 3000×3000 pixels, which covers everything from small icons to large hero images. You can also add custom text that appears centered on the image, perfect for labeling different sections of your layout. The URL structure follows a simple pattern: dummyimage.com/WIDTHxHEIGHT/BACKGROUND/FOREGROUND.format, making it easy to remember and modify on the fly.
Key Features and Customization Options
Dynamic Dummy Image Generator offers several customization parameters that you can combine for precise control. The background and foreground colors accept both hexadecimal codes and common color names, while the text parameter lets you override the default dimension display with any custom message. This flexibility makes it particularly useful when you need to communicate specific information within your mockups.
The service generates images server-side, which means they’re created fresh each time they’re requested rather than being pulled from a static library. This approach ensures you always get exactly what you specify in the URL without worrying about cached versions or outdated files.
2. Lorem Flickr
Lorem Flickr takes a different approach by pulling actual photographs from Flickr’s massive image database rather than generating solid-colored rectangles. This service delivers real photos based on keywords you specify, giving your mockups a more realistic appearance during the design phase.
The URL structure is straightforward: loremflickr.com/WIDTH/HEIGHT/KEYWORD, where the keyword determines what type of images appear. You might request “nature,” “technology,” or “food,” and the service returns random photos matching those categories. This approach helps clients and stakeholders visualize how actual content will look in your design.
Key Insight: Using real photographs as placeholders rather than solid colors helps identify layout issues that only become apparent with actual image content, such as text readability over busy backgrounds or cropping problems with faces.
Lorem Flickr supports both color and grayscale images through simple URL modifications. Adding “/g” before your dimensions converts any image to grayscale, which can be useful when you want to reduce visual distraction during layout reviews or when designing for print media that will be reproduced in black and white.
Search Flexibility and Content Control
The keyword system in Lorem Flickr accepts multiple search terms separated by commas, allowing you to narrow down the types of images returned. For example, “nature,mountains” will return images tagged with both terms, while “nature,mountains/all” returns images with either tag. This granular control helps you generate placeholders that closely match your intended final content.
According to research from Nielsen Norman Group, using realistic placeholder content during design reviews leads to more accurate feedback from stakeholders because it better represents the final user experience. Lorem Flickr’s real-photo approach aligns with this best practice while maintaining the convenience of URL-based generation.
3. Placehold
Placehold.co has gained popularity for its clean, modern aesthetic and developer-friendly features. Unlike older placeholder services that default to garish colors, Placehold generates subtle, professional-looking images that won’t distract from your design work.
The service uses a simple URL pattern: placehold.co/WIDTHxHEIGHT, which generates a gray placeholder with white text showing the dimensions. You can customize colors, text, fonts, and file formats through additional URL parameters, making it versatile enough for various design scenarios.
| Parameter | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Background Color | Sets image background | /000000 |
| Text Color | Sets text color | /FFFFFF |
| Text Content | Custom message | ?text=Hello |
| Font Family | Changes typeface | &font=roboto |
Placehold supports multiple font families including Roboto, Open Sans, and Montserrat, which are among the most popular web fonts according to Google Fonts usage statistics. This font selection helps your placeholders match modern web design trends and creates more cohesive mockups.
Important Note: When using custom fonts in placeholder images, ensure the font family you specify is also included in your actual design to maintain visual consistency between mockup and production stages.
Format Options and Performance Considerations
Placehold generates images in PNG, JPG, and WebP formats, with WebP offering significantly smaller file sizes without visible quality loss. For developers working on performance-critical projects, using WebP placeholders during development helps identify potential loading issues early in the process.
The service also supports high-DPI displays through a pixel density parameter, allowing you to generate 2x or 3x resolution images for testing responsive images and retina display compatibility. This feature proves particularly valuable when building applications that need to look sharp on modern high-resolution screens.
4. Bacon Mockup
Bacon Mockup (baconmockup.com) brings humor to the placeholder image space by featuring—you guessed it—bacon. While this might seem frivolous, themed placeholder services like this one serve a practical purpose: they make it immediately obvious which images are temporary versus final content.
The service follows a simple URL structure similar to other generators: baconmockup.com/WIDTH/HEIGHT, delivering images of delicious bacon in your specified dimensions. The consistent bacon theme makes it impossible for anyone reviewing your work to mistake placeholder content for production-ready images.
Research from Interaction Design Foundation suggests that using distinctive placeholder content reduces confusion during design reviews and helps teams focus on layout and functionality rather than debating temporary image choices. Bacon Mockup’s unmistakable theme serves this purpose effectively.
Pro Tip: Use themed placeholder services like Bacon Mockup when presenting early-stage mockups to clients who might otherwise focus too much on temporary image selection rather than overall design and functionality.
When Themed Placeholders Make Sense
Themed placeholder images work particularly well in several scenarios. During internal design reviews, they add a touch of levity that can make long meetings more enjoyable. When building demos for technical audiences, they signal that you’re focused on functionality rather than visual polish. And when working with clients who tend to fixate on image selection, they redirect attention to more important design decisions.
The service maintains fast loading times despite serving actual photographic content, making it practical for development work where you might be loading dozens of placeholder images simultaneously. The images are optimized for web delivery and cached effectively for repeated requests.
5. Placeholders.dev
Placeholders.dev represents a new generation of placeholder image services built with modern web development practices in mind. The service offers extensive customization options through a clean API-like URL structure that feels natural to developers accustomed to working with RESTful services.
You can generate images using placeholders.dev/WIDTHxHEIGHT with additional parameters for background color, text color, text content, and image format. What sets this service apart is its support for CSS color names, making it easier to match placeholders to your design system without converting colors to hexadecimal.
According to CSS-Tricks, modern placeholder services have evolved to support design systems and component libraries, with features specifically designed for contemporary development workflows.
Placeholders.dev exemplifies this evolution with its developer-centric approach.
- Supports standard CSS color names for easy integration with stylesheets
- Generates images in PNG, JPG, WebP, and SVG formats
- Includes built-in CORS headers for cross-origin requests
- Offers both light and dark default themes
- Provides consistent image generation for reliable testing
Advanced Features for Modern Workflows
Placeholders.dev includes several features designed specifically for component-based development frameworks like React, Vue, and Angular. The service supports dynamic image generation through JavaScript, allowing you to programmatically create placeholder URLs based on component props or state variables.
Key Insight: Services that support SVG format enable resolution-independent placeholders that scale perfectly at any size, which is particularly valuable when building responsive designs that need to work across a wide range of screen sizes and pixel densities.
The SVG output option deserves special attention because it generates vector graphics rather than raster images. This means your placeholders remain crisp at any scale without increasing file size, and they can be styled with CSS just like any other SVG element in your page. For developers building highly responsive interfaces, this feature provides significant advantages over traditional bitmap placeholders.
6. Placebeard.it
Placebeard.it takes the themed placeholder concept in a specific direction: images of bearded individuals. Like Bacon Mockup, this service uses a distinctive theme to make temporary content immediately identifiable, but it focuses on portrait-oriented images that work well for profile pictures, avatars, and user interface mockups.
The URL structure is refreshingly simple: placebeard.it/WIDTHxHEIGHT or placebeard.it/WIDTH for square images. The service returns black and white photographs of people with impressive beards, providing a consistent aesthetic that works well in professional mockups while remaining clearly temporary.
This service proves particularly useful when building social media applications, community platforms, or any interface that prominently features user avatars. The portrait orientation and human subjects make it easier to visualize how actual profile pictures will interact with your design, compared to abstract geometric patterns or random objects.
Common Mistake: Using landscape-oriented placeholder images when designing interfaces that will display portrait-oriented profile photos leads to layout surprises during implementation. Always match placeholder orientation to expected content orientation.
Portrait-Specific Considerations
When working with portrait placeholders, several design considerations become more apparent than with generic rectangular images. Face positioning within the frame affects how cropping algorithms will handle actual user photos, and the contrast between faces and backgrounds influences text readability when overlaying information on profile images.
Placebeard.it’s consistent use of black and white photography helps designers focus on these structural issues without being distracted by color coordination. The monochrome approach also makes it easier to test how your design handles images with varying levels of contrast and detail.
7. Placebear
Placebear delivers exactly what its name suggests: placeholder images featuring bears. This service has developed a dedicated following among developers who appreciate its combination of whimsy and functionality, providing images that are both distinctive and appropriately sized for any design scenario.
The URL structure follows the familiar pattern: placebear.com/WIDTH/HEIGHT, with optional parameters for grayscale conversion and specific image selection. The service maintains a curated collection of bear photographs that work well across different aspect ratios, ensuring your placeholders look intentional rather than awkwardly cropped.
According to user feedback on GitHub and developer forums, themed placeholder services like Placebear help maintain team morale during long development cycles by adding small moments of delight to otherwise routine tasks. The psychological benefit of seeing a friendly bear instead of a gray rectangle shouldn’t be underestimated.
Grayscale Options for Focus
Placebear supports grayscale image generation through a simple URL modification, which proves useful when you want placeholder images that don’t compete visually with your interface elements. Grayscale placeholders help design reviewers focus on layout, spacing, and typography rather than being distracted by colorful imagery.
Key Insight: Switching between color and grayscale placeholders during different design review stages helps teams focus on specific aspects of the interface—use color when testing visual hierarchy and grayscale when evaluating layout and spacing.
The service also allows you to request specific images from its collection by appending a number to the URL, which is helpful when you need consistent placeholders across multiple pages or components. This feature enables you to create mockups where the same “character” appears in different contexts, making your prototypes feel more cohesive.
8. Lorem Picsum
Lorem Picsum has become one of the most popular placeholder image services in modern web development, offering high-quality photographs from Unsplash through a simple API. The service combines the realism of actual photography with the convenience of URL-based generation.
The basic URL structure is elegant: picsum.photos/WIDTH/HEIGHT, which returns a random photograph in your specified dimensions. The service automatically handles image cropping and resizing, ensuring every generated placeholder looks professionally composed regardless of the aspect ratio you request.
What distinguishes Lorem Picsum from other photo-based placeholder services is its extensive feature set. You can request specific images by ID, apply blur effects, convert to grayscale, and even control the random seed to get reproducible results across page loads. These features make it suitable for both quick mockups and sophisticated prototypes.
- Delivers high-quality photographs from a curated collection
- Supports specific image selection for consistent mockups
- Includes blur and grayscale filters through URL parameters
- Provides reproducible random images using seed values
- Handles automatic cropping and resizing intelligently
- Offers WebP format for improved performance
Advanced Features for Professional Development
Lorem Picsum’s blur filter proves particularly useful when creating mockups where you want to suggest image presence without drawing attention away from interface elements. Adding “?blur” to your URL applies a subtle blur effect that maintains visual weight while reducing detail distraction.
Pro Tip: Use Lorem Picsum’s seed parameter (?random=1, ?random=2, etc.) to generate different but consistent placeholder images across development sessions, preventing layout shifts in your mockups while maintaining variety.
The service’s image ID system allows you to bookmark specific photographs that work well for your project and reuse them consistently. This capability bridges the gap between completely random placeholders and carefully selected final images, giving you control over visual consistency during the design process.
Performance-conscious developers will appreciate Lorem Picsum’s WebP support, which can reduce image file sizes by 25-35% compared to JPEG according to Google Developers documentation. Simply add “.webp” to your URL to receive images in this modern format, helping you build faster-loading prototypes.
9. Placekitten
Placekitten rounds out our list with perhaps the most universally beloved theme: kittens. This service delivers adorable cat photographs in any dimension you specify, combining the practical benefits of URL-based placeholder generation with the mood-lifting properties of cute animals.
The URL structure is straightforward: placekitten.com/WIDTH/HEIGHT for color images or placekitten.com/g/WIDTH/HEIGHT for grayscale versions. The service maintains a collection of kitten photographs that work well across various aspect ratios, ensuring your placeholders look natural rather than awkwardly cropped.
Beyond its obvious appeal, Placekitten serves a legitimate purpose in web development. The service’s images feature high contrast and varied compositions, making them useful for testing how your design handles different types of visual content. Kitten photos often include faces, which helps you evaluate how your layout accommodates images with important focal points.
Key Insight: Placeholder images featuring faces (whether human or animal) help designers identify and fix common issues like inappropriate cropping, inadequate contrast for overlaid text, and poor focal point positioning that might not be apparent with abstract placeholders.
Psychological Benefits in Development
Research in workplace psychology, as discussed by the American Psychological Association, shows that small positive experiences throughout the workday can significantly impact overall job satisfaction and productivity. While placeholder image selection might seem trivial, choosing a service that brings a smile to your face during debugging sessions contributes to a more positive development experience.
Placekitten has become particularly popular in educational settings and coding bootcamps, where instructors appreciate how the kitten theme makes learning web development more engaging. Students are more likely to experiment with different image sizes and layouts when the results include adorable cats rather than gray rectangles.
The service also supports the grayscale option, which maintains the appeal of kitten imagery while reducing visual distraction during design reviews focused on layout and typography. This flexibility makes Placekitten suitable for both lighthearted personal projects and more serious professional work.
Choosing the Right Placeholder Generator
With ten different placeholder image generators at your disposal, selecting the right one for each project depends on your specific needs and working context. For quick mockups where you just need dimensions and colors, services like Dynamic Dummy Image Generator or Placehold offer maximum flexibility with minimal complexity.
When you need realistic content to demonstrate how actual photographs will interact with your design, Lorem Picsum and Lorem Flickr provide high-quality images that help stakeholders visualize the final product. These services work particularly well for client presentations where abstract placeholders might create confusion about the intended design direction.
Themed services like Placekitten, Placebear, and Bacon Mockup excel in scenarios where you want to ensure everyone recognizes which content is temporary. They’re also valuable when you need to maintain morale during long development cycles or when working with teams that appreciate a touch of humor in their tools.
Important Note: Bookmark multiple placeholder services rather than relying on a single option, as different projects and contexts benefit from different approaches. Having variety in your toolkit makes you more adaptable to changing project requirements.
For developers building component libraries or working with design systems, Placeholders.dev offers the modern features and format options that integrate smoothly with contemporary development workflows. Its support for SVG output and CSS color names makes it particularly well-suited for projects where consistency and scalability matter.
The key is recognizing that these tools aren’t interchangeable—each brings unique strengths to specific situations. By understanding what each service offers, you can select the optimal placeholder generator for any given task, improving your efficiency and the quality of your mockups.
Whether you’re prototyping a new feature, building a demo, or testing responsive layouts, having the right placeholder image generator bookmarked saves time and reduces friction in your development process.