Stills launches a Figma plugin for real stock imagery
Published 6 September 2026 · Source dated 15 January 2026
Stills shipped a Figma plugin that drops in real licensed stock photos without leaving your file. It's part of their 2026 trend report push toward raw, human imagery over polished stock.
Stills, the stock imagery platform, quietly shipped a Figma plugin that lets you search and drop in licensed real photos without leaving your file — no more generic placeholder shots in your mockups. It's bundled with their 2026 visual trend report, which leans into raw, human, 'Americana' style imagery over polished stock. For junior designers, this matters less because of the trend itself and more because image sourcing is moving inside the design tool, not a separate tab. If you're building portfolio pieces, swapping fake placeholder images for real, licensed ones is a cheap way to make work feel finished. Penpot doesn't have an equivalent yet, so this is one area where Figma's plugin ecosystem still has the edge.
Coach
install the Stills plugin (or any stock-image plugin) in Figma, swap one placeholder image in a portfolio file for a real licensed photo, and see if the piece reads as more finished.
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