How to Import Images as Planes in Blender 3D (4.2 Update)

In Blender 4.2 (released in 2024) the “Images as Planes” addon became built into Blender. It is no longer an add-on which needs to be activated. Here’s an update for how to add an image plane.

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Images as Planes in Blender 4.2 or Later

There is no need to install or activate an add-on to add an image plane in Blender 4.2 or later.

While in Object Mode, press “Shift + A” to add a new object. Under “Image” choose the option for “Mesh Plane.”

A file browser will open and we navigate to the image file we want to import.

On the right side of the file browser, we have options for how to import the image (we will cover these in the next section). The most important setting is likely the “Material” setting.

If you don’t need to change anything, just press the “Import Images as Planes” button.

The image is brought into the 3D scene as a material texture added to a plane. The plane will automatically be in the proper aspect ratio for the image. With the default settings, transparency will be recognized for image files that support alpha (such as a PNG).

The plane will act just as any other plane object. We can enter Edit Mode or move, rotate and scale the plane.

Now let’s take a closer look at the settings for importing a mesh plane into Blender.

Import Mesh Plane Settings

When we import a mesh plane (image as plane) in Blender, we have options for how the plane and material are created. These are located on the right side of the file browser window where we select the image to import.

General Image Settings

Image Material Settings

The material settings for the plane are probably the most important settings for this add-on.

To learn more about emissive materials, it’s covered in my full guide to adding light to a Blender scene.

If “Overwrite Material” is checked (and it is by default) a new material will overwrite the old material if importing an image already in the scene.

Texture Settings

Below Materials is a group of settings for how the image texture node is set up for the mesh plane.

I’m not sure what would require you to change the interpolation setting. I always just leave it at “Linear.”

The Extension setting determines if you want the image to repeat or extend if the plane size is changed. Leaving the default “Clip” will prevent it from repeating.

The Alpha setting is how alpha transparent portions of the image will be handled. It defaults to “Straight” which will work for most scenes.

Import Image as Planes in Older Versions of Blender

Before Blender version 4.2, you had to use the “Import Image as Plane” add-on. It was a free add-on that came pre-installed in Blender but needed to be activated. Here’s how to activate add-ons in Blender.

Once installed, it followed the same general instructions, only the new object in the menu was called “Image as Plane.”

Conclusion

If you ever need to use an image in your scene as a background, decal or for other reasons, importing the image as a plane is a great method.

Please have a look around the site. I have lots of helpful Blender tutorials for free. If you’re interested in Blender add-ons, be sure to check out this list of my favorite free add-ons for Blender.

As always, stay creative!