n8n Node for Pexels: Automate free photo and video search

Are you looking to automate searching and using high-quality photos and videos for your project? Today, I would like to introduce n8n-nodes-pexels – a new community node that helps you easily integrate the Pexels API into your n8n workflow.

Pexels – Giant Free Media Treasure Trove

Pexels is one of the world's largest platforms providing free high-quality photos and videos today. With over 3 million media files continuously updated, Pexels has become an indispensable resource for developers, designers, and content creators worldwide.

Pexels' strengths lie in quality and diversity: from stunning landscape photos, professional portraits, to impressive cinematic videos – all provided for free with a generous license.

Features of n8n Pexels Node

The n8n Pexels Node is designed to bring the full power of the Pexels API right into your hands within the automation workflow. Here are the main features:

🔍 Search Photos

Search photos by keyword with many flexible filtering options:

• Orientation: Select images by orientation (portrait, landscape, or square)
• Size: Filter by size (large, medium, small)
• Color: Find images by dominant color
• Sort: Sort by popularity or newest
• Pagination: Easily paginate search results

🎥 Search Videos

Similar to image search, but dedicated to videos:

• Filter by orientation (portrait, landscape, square)
• Filter by file size
• Select video length (short, medium, long)
• Full pagination support

📸 Curated Photos

Access Pexels editors' carefully curated photo collections – the highest quality photos, aligned with current trends.

🎬 Popular Videos

Discover the most loved video list on Pexels, perfect for projects needing trending content.

Detailed Installation Guide

Step 1: Get API Key from Pexels

Getting an API Key from Pexels is extremely simple and free:

1. Access: https://www.pexels.com/api/key/
2. Log in with your Pexels account (or sign up if you don't have one)
3. Your API Key will display right on the page – no forms or app registration needed
4. Copy the API Key and save it for use

Note: Keep your API Key secure and do not share it publicly. This is the unique key used to authenticate your requests to the Pexels API.

Step 2: Install node in n8n

There are two ways to install the node:

Method 1: Via npm (Self-hosted n8n)

Open the terminal and run the command:

bash

npm install n8n-nodes-pexels

Then restart n8n to make the node take effect.

Method 2: Via interface (n8n Cloud or Self-hosted)

1. Go to Settings → Community Nodes
2. Click Install a community node
3. Import: n8n-nodes-pexels
4. Click Install
5. Wait for the installation process to complete

Step 3: Configure credentials

After installing the node, you need to add credentials:

1. Go to Settings → Credentials
2. Click Add credential
3. Find and select Pexels API
4. Paste the API Key you got in Step 1
5. Name the credential (e.g., “Pexels Main Account”)
6. Click Save

Now you're ready to use the Pexels node in your workflows!

How to use in workflow

Create your first workflow

1. Create a new workflow in n8n
2. Add node Pexels from the nodes list
3. Select the credential just created
4. Select Operation appropriate (Search Photos, Search Videos, etc.)
5. Configure the necessary parameters
6. Connect with other nodes to process the results