How to use image cards

Add an image to a journey map, set how it sits in its card, and swap it out whenever you need a different visual.

Image cards put a visual on the map: a storyboard frame, a screenshot, a photo of a research artefact, or anything that carries more than words can. Pick an image from Unsplash or Giphy or upload your own, then adjust how it fits the card.

An image card in a journey map lane

To add one, hover an empty cell and click + Add card, then choose Image. Image is the default in an Image lane (press Enter to confirm) and sits under BASIC CARDS in the picker in any other lane. The Add image chooser opens straight away so you can pick the image as you add the card.

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How to choose an image for the card

The Add image chooser gives you two built-in sources and an upload option. Unsplash and Giphy both work without a login, and the credit for a chosen image shows on the card automatically.

Add image chooser: Unsplash, Giphy, or upload

1

Pick a source

Stay on the Unsplash tab for stock photography, or click Giphy for animated GIFs. To use your own file instead, skip to uploading below.

2

Search, or upload your own

Type a term in the search field and click Search to browse results from the selected source, then click an image to place it on the card. To use a local file, click Upload a file or drag and drop it onto the dropzone. Uploads accept JPG, PNG, GIF, or SVG up to 3.5MB.

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How to adjust the way an image displays

With an image card selected, the left-most button on the floating toolbar opens the image display options. Use them to control how the image sits inside the card without changing the image itself.

Image display options on the toolbar

• Shape - crop the image to a preset shape: Original, Square 1:1, Portrait 3:4, Landscape 4:3, Circle, or Message.

• Align - position the image within the card, vertically (top, center, bottom) and horizontally (left, center, right).

• Padding - set the space around the image: None, Small, Medium, or Large.

• Reset - restore the display settings to their defaults.

To see the image on its own, click Full screen on the toolbar (the icon beside the display-options dropdown). The same Full screen button sits at the top of the card details panel.

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How to change the image

To swap in a different image, open the card details panel (click Show card details on the toolbar) and click Change image. This reopens the Add image chooser, where you pick a new image the same way you did the first.

Change image reopens the source chooser

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What image cards share with other cards

The display options and Change image are what's specific to an image card. Everything else on it is shared with every other card type:

• Accent colour, background style, and card header (the fill control and the buttons after it on the toolbar)

• Card details panel for personas, tags, and comments

• Duplicate, expand, shrink, and delete from the three-dot menu

• Multi-select with Shift+click

See How to add and edit cards for the canonical walkthrough of these mechanics.

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Related topics

How to add and edit cards

Parent how-to for shared card mechanics: toolbar, details panel, colours, and headers.

How to use text cards

Add narrative notes alongside your visuals and format the text.

How to use embed cards

Embed live external content like Figma frames or YouTube videos instead of a static image.

How to add and manage lanes

Add an Image lane that defaults to image cards, or any other lane type.

How to bulk edit cards

Select multiple cards and apply tags, personas, or colours in one go.