Unsplash photo search in n8n
Searches Unsplash by keyword or browses a curated topic, numbered collection, or photographer's portfolio, returning photo dimensions, orientation, license, and photographer credit.
What this workflow does
Import it and n8n runs the Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator Actor on Apify every day at 08:00 with the starter input below. Each row comes back with title, photographer name, orientation, width and 4 more. A Google Sheets append is included and stays off until you add your sheet. The only credential it needs is your Apify API token.
Read from the workflow file, built for Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator version 1.1.1. Updated 2026-11-14.How the rows travel
6 nodes, in the order n8n runs them. The yellow stop is the call to the Apify Actor; the dashed stop is optional.
- Daily trigger Schedule trigger
- Configure input Code
- Run Apify Actor HTTP Request
- Normalize + dedupe Code
- Rows ready No operation
- Google Sheets (optional) Google Sheets, off until you switch it on
Input
The Configure input node holds the starter input. Change it there; every setting the Actor accepts is listed below.
{
"maxItems": 25,
"mode": "search"
}| Setting | Type | Required | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mode | string | Yes | search | What to scrape. Each mode has its own list field below. 7 choices. |
| searchQueries | array | No | ["nature"] | One or more keywords, e.g. nature, coffee shop, minimal workspace. Each query is searched separately. |
| topicSlugs | array | No | – | One or more curated Unsplash photo topics. 14 choices. |
| collectionIds | array | No | – | Collection IDs or collection URLs, e.g. 1065396 or https://unsplash.com/collections/1065396/.... |
| usernames | array | No | – | Photographer usernames with or without @, or profile URLs, e.g. v2osk or https://unsplash.com/@v2osk. |
| photoIds | array | No | – | Unsplash photo IDs, slugs, or photo page URLs, e.g. fWBZ9r4vO9M. Used as lookup targets in byPhoto and as seed photos in byRelated. |
| startUrls | array | No | – | Any mix of supported Unsplash search, topic, collection, photographer, or photo URLs. |
| orientation | string | No | any | Only keep photos of this orientation. The filter is exact and works in every mode. One of: any, landscape, portrait, squarish. |
| color | string | No | any | Filter keyword searches by Unsplash's dominant-colour tag. Not supported on topic, collection, or portfolio feeds. 12 choices. |
| freeOnly | boolean | No | false | Exclude Unsplash+ (paid/locked) photos. Their full-size files require a separate Unsplash+ plan. |
| searchOrderBy | string | No | relevant | Sort keyword search results by best match or newest first. One of: relevant, latest. |
| userOrderBy | string | No | pinned | Sort a photographer's photos. Pinned matches the order shown on their Unsplash profile. One of: pinned, latest, oldest, popular. |
| includePhotoDetails | boolean | No | false | Add tags, camera EXIF, geolocation, topics, and view/download counts. Costs extra requests per photo and is slower. |
| includePhotographerStats | boolean | No | false | Add each photographer's lifetime view and download totals. One extra request per photographer. |
| maxItems | integer | No | 20 | Hard cap on emitted photos across all queries and URLs. |
What each row holds
Every field the Actor returns stays in the row (8 in its dataset schema). Normalize + dedupe trims text, drops empty fields and adds _source and _scrapedAt. The main fields:
| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| title | Title |
| photographerName | Photographer Name |
| orientation | Orientation |
| width | Width |
| height | Height |
| likes | Likes |
| imageUrl | Image Url |
What the first run costs
With the starter input (maxItems = 25) a first run costs about $0.42 on the Apify Free plan: $0.40 to start the run at 4 GB of memory and $0.02 for the results, plus platform usage.
The Actor lists $0.99 per 1,000 results; its catalogue page breaks the price down by Apify plan. The Apify Free plan includes $5 of usage a month.
The Actor behind it
Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator: Searches Unsplash by keyword or browses a curated topic, numbered collection, or photographer's portfolio, returning photo dimensions, orientation, license, and photographer credit.
The same job from an AI agent
The matching agent skill gives Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other agents the same Actor, input and fields. Install it in one line:
npx skills add https://scraperfinder.com --skill unsplash-photo-search-by-topic-collection-and-creator The unsplash photo search skill, with manual install and run steps
Questions people ask
How do I import this workflow into n8n?
Copy https://scraperfinder.com/n8n/unsplash-photo-search-by-topic-collection-and-creator.json. In n8n, open a new workflow, click the three-dot menu, choose Import from URL and paste it. Or download the JSON file and use Import from File; both give the same 6 nodes.
Do I need an Apify account?
Yes. The workflow calls the Unsplash Photo Search by Topic, Collection & Creator Actor through the Apify API with your own token, and each run is billed to your Apify account. The Free plan includes $5 of usage a month.
What does a run cost?
With the starter input (maxItems = 25) a first run costs about $0.42 on the Apify Free plan: $0.40 to start the run at 4 GB of memory and $0.02 for the results, plus platform usage. The Actor's Store page shows the current price.
Can I change what it collects?
Yes: edit the input object in the Configure input node. The Actor takes 15 settings; the table on this page lists each one with its default. Raise maxItems once the first rows look right.
Does it work without Google Sheets?
Yes. The rows wait in the Rows ready node, so you can connect any other node there: a database, Airtable, a webhook or an email. The Google Sheets node is only one option.