Featured Images

Configuring Image Settings

Set up your API keys and customize featured image behavior in VidToArticle.

Overview

VidToArticle can automatically attach relevant featured images to your generated articles by using your own Unsplash and/or Pexels API keys. This guide explains where to configure those keys and how the image settings behave.

If you have not created your keys yet, start with:

  • Getting Unsplash API Key
  • Getting Pexels API Key

1. Open Image Settings in VidToArticle

  1. Log in to VidToArticle.
  2. Go to the Settings area in the app.
  3. Look for the Image Settings or Featured Images section.

You will see separate inputs for Unsplash and Pexels API keys, plus additional options that control how images are chosen.

2. Add your Unsplash API key

  1. In the Unsplash API Key field, paste the Access Key from your Unsplash developer application.
  2. Double-check that there are no extra spaces before or after the key.
  3. If there is a Test or Save button, click it to store the key.

After saving, VidToArticle can:

  • Query Unsplash for images relevant to your article topics.
  • Use those images as featured images when you download or publish articles (for example, to WordPress).

3. Add your Pexels API key (optional)

  1. In the Pexels API Key field, paste your Pexels API key.
  2. Save the settings.

If both Unsplash and Pexels are configured, VidToArticle may:

  • Prefer one provider as the primary source.
  • Fall back to the other if no suitable images are found or if you hit rate limits.

(The exact behavior can evolve over time, but the general idea is to maximize the chance of finding a good image.)

4. Configure image selection behavior

Depending on the current UI, you may see additional options such as:

  • Enable automatic featured images – toggle on/off automatic image selection.
  • Safe search / content filters – keep images suitable for general audiences.
  • Fallback behavior – what to do if no image is found (for example, skip the image instead of using a random one).

Set these options according to your brand and content guidelines.

5. How images are used in VidToArticle

Once your settings are saved:

  • When you generate an article, VidToArticle can search for an image that matches the video or article topic.
  • The chosen image is associated with the article and:
    • Can be included when publishing to WordPress via the VidToArticle Publisher plugin.
    • May be included in downloads or previews, depending on your plan.

If no API keys are configured, VidToArticle falls back to generating articles without automatic featured images.

6. Updating or removing keys

  • To update a key, simply paste the new value into the field and save.
  • To disable a provider, clear the key field (if supported) or toggle off that provider and save.

Remember that:

  • You can always revoke or rotate keys from the Unsplash and Pexels dashboards.
  • If you revoke a key there, you should also update it here to avoid failed image lookups.

7. Troubleshooting

If images stop appearing or you see errors related to image fetching:

  1. Verify that your Unsplash / Pexels keys are still valid on their respective dashboards.
  2. Check whether you have hit rate limits for the current period.
  3. Confirm that the keys in Settings → Image Settings exactly match the values from the provider.
  4. Temporarily disable one provider to see if the other works correctly.

If problems persist, contact support via the in-app support section with a description of the issue and any error messages you see.