BYTETOOLS

Placeholder Image Generator

Generate placeholder images at any size online — solid, gradient or checkerboard with the dimensions as text. Download PNG or copy a data URI for markup.

What is the Placeholder Image Generator?

This generator creates clean placeholder images at any pixel size you type — solid color, two-color gradient, or a grey checkerboard — with the dimensions (or your own text) drawn in the centre.

  • Any dimensions up to 4000×4000 pixels
  • Solid, linear-gradient and checkerboard styles
  • Automatic centred dimension label or custom text
  • One-click PNG download
  • Copyable base64 data URI for img tags and CSS
  • Works offline — no placeholder CDN required

How to use the Placeholder Image Generator

  1. 1

    Enter the width and height in pixels.

  2. 2

    Pick a style — solid, gradient or checkerboard — and its colors.

  3. 3

    Optionally type custom label text (defaults to the dimensions).

  4. 4

    Download the PNG or copy the data URI for direct use in HTML/CSS.

About the Placeholder Image Generator

This generator creates clean placeholder images at any pixel size you type — solid color, two-color gradient, or a grey checkerboard — with the dimensions (or your own text) drawn in the centre. It replaces placeholder services with something faster and dependency-free: no external requests, no rate limits, and it keeps working offline.

Beyond downloading a PNG, you can copy the image as a base64 data URI ready to paste into an <img> tag, a CSS background or an email template. That makes mockups fully self-contained — no broken image icons when a placeholder CDN is blocked, slow or discontinued.

Like every ByteTools utility it runs 100% locally in your browser. Nothing is generated on a server and nothing you create is uploaded, logged or stored.

Frequently asked questions

What is a placeholder image used for?

Placeholders hold the space where real content will eventually go — in wireframes, layout prototypes, CMS templates and test data. Showing the dimensions on the image lets everyone see instantly whether the slot matches the asset spec.

Why use this instead of a placeholder service URL?

Service URLs depend on a third-party server: they slow pages down, break when the service is offline or blocked, and leak your traffic. A locally generated PNG or data URI is instant, permanent and private — your mockups keep working forever, even offline.

What is a data URI and when should I use one?

A data URI embeds the entire image as base64 text directly inside your HTML or CSS, so no separate file or network request is needed. It is perfect for small placeholders in prototypes and emails. For very large images a normal PNG file is more efficient.

Can I put custom text on the placeholder?

Yes — type anything into the label field and it replaces the default dimension text. Common uses are slot names like 'Hero banner' or 'Avatar 128px', which make wireframes self-documenting.

What size placeholder should I generate?

Generate at the exact pixel size the final asset will be, so the layout behaves identically when the real image arrives. For responsive images, use the largest size the slot can render (for example 1200×630 for an Open Graph image slot).

Related tools