Image Placeholder Generator — free online tool
Generate custom placeholder images with any size, background color, and label text — download as PNG or SVG. Free, instant, no sign-up required.
Ready to generate
Set your options and click GenerateClick a preset or enter a custom width and height in pixels.
Choose background and text colors, set a label, toggle border and font size.
Click Generate, then download as PNG or SVG, or copy the HTML snippet.
Image Placeholder Generator creates dummy images of any dimension directly in your browser using the HTML Canvas API. No server upload, no account — just set width, height, colors, and label, then export as PNG or SVG for immediate use in prototypes and templates.
A placeholder image is a dummy graphic used during development to fill layout space before real images are ready. It typically shows dimensions, a solid color background, and optional text — making it easy to visualize layouts without actual photography.
You can export your placeholder as a PNG file (rasterized via HTML Canvas) or an SVG file (scalable vector, very small file size). SVG is ideal for responsive mockups since it scales infinitely without quality loss.
The tool supports dimensions up to 9999×9999 pixels. Very large canvases (e.g. 8000×8000) may use significant browser memory — use them only if needed. For most UI/web use cases, anything under 3000px on any side is perfectly fine.
Yes. All images are generated entirely in your browser using your own inputs — there is no third-party content involved. You own whatever you create with this tool and can use it in any project, commercial or otherwise.
The HTML snippet generates a ready-to-paste <img> tag using a Base64 data URL. You can paste it directly into HTML without needing to host the image anywhere — it carries the image data inline.
Once the page has loaded, all generation happens in your browser with no network requests. You can disconnect from the internet and the tool will continue working perfectly, making it safe for use in local development environments.
An image placeholder generator is a developer utility that creates dummy images on demand — generic, color-filled graphics used to occupy space in layouts before real photos or illustrations are available. Rather than hunting for stock images during the design phase, developers drop in a placeholder at the exact dimensions needed, keeping mockups pixel-accurate from day one.
This tool runs entirely in your browser using the HTML5 Canvas API. There is no server upload, no third-party service call, and no account required. You set the width, height, colors, and optional label text, and the image is generated locally in milliseconds. Export to PNG for raster use or SVG for scalable vector files.
Real projects almost never have final assets ready when layout work begins. Art direction, client approvals, and photography take time. Placeholder images solve this by letting developers and designers build pixel-perfect layouts using exact dimensions, then swap in real assets later with zero structural changes.
Using the correct dimensions in your placeholder also reveals layout bugs early — overflow issues, text wrapping problems, and aspect-ratio mismatches that would be invisible with a generic image. Many developers also use color-coded placeholders (different background colors per component) to visually distinguish sections during wireframing.
The tool ships with 10 preset sizes covering the most common web use cases:
You can also type any custom dimensions from 1×1 up to 9999×9999 pixels.
Both formats serve different needs. PNG is a raster format — it stores pixels at the exact resolution you specified. It works everywhere: email templates, image tags, CSS backgrounds, CMS uploads. Choose PNG when you need compatibility and are sure of the display size.
SVG is a vector format — it is resolution-independent and renders crisply at any size. The SVG output from this tool is minimal (under 300 bytes for most cases), loads instantly, and scales without any quality loss. Use SVG in <img> tags, CSS background-image, or directly inline when you need a crisp placeholder that looks sharp on Retina/HiDPI displays.
The "HTML Snippet" output generates a complete <img> tag with the image embedded as a Base64 data URL. This means the image travels with your HTML — no external file needed, no hosting required. It is ideal for single-file prototypes, email templates, or documentation where you want everything self-contained.
Keep in mind that data URLs for large PNG images can be several kilobytes long, which increases HTML file size. For production use, switch to an actual hosted image once your real assets are ready. For SVG placeholders, the data URL is tiny (usually under 500 bytes) and is fine to keep inline even in production mockups.
When you click Generate, the tool creates an HTML5 <canvas> element at your specified dimensions, fills it with the background color using fillRect(), then draws centered text using the Canvas 2D text API. The font size is calculated automatically based on the shorter dimension (so large canvases get larger text) or set manually if you toggle the manual option.
PNG export uses canvas.toBlob('image/png'), which triggers a native browser download at full resolution. SVG export builds a minimal SVG string with a <rect> and <text> element — no canvas involved, and the output is fully human-readable. Both operations run locally with no server roundtrip.