diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 0581c42f0..b9bedb501 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -49,6 +49,9 @@ TELEGRAM_CHANNEL=
 
 FATHOM_SITE_ID=
 FATHOM_TOKEN=
+
+UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY=
+
 LOG_STACK=single
 SESSION_ENCRYPT=false
 SESSION_PATH=/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 75f4d77f7..ce2d15213 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -125,6 +125,20 @@ FATHOM_SITE_ID=
 FATHOM_TOKEN=
 ```
 
+### Unsplash (optional)
+
+To make sure article and user header images get synced into the database we'll need to setup an access key from [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/developers). Please note that your Unsplash app requires production access.
+
+```
+UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY=
+```
+
+After that you can add an Unsplash photo ID to any article row in the `hero_image_id` column and run the sync command to fetch the image url and author data:
+
+```bash
+php artisan lio:sync-article-images
+```
+
 ## Commands
 
 Command | Description
diff --git a/app/Console/Commands/SyncArticleImages.php b/app/Console/Commands/SyncArticleImages.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8d57ad150
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Console/Commands/SyncArticleImages.php
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Console\Commands;
+
+use App\Models\Article;
+use Illuminate\Console\Command;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;
+
+final class SyncArticleImages extends Command
+{
+    protected $signature = 'lio:sync-article-images';
+
+    protected $description = 'Updates the Unsplash image for all unsynced articles';
+
+    public function handle(): void
+    {
+        if (! config('services.unsplash.access_key')) {
+            $this->error('Unsplash access key must be configured');
+
+            return;
+        }
+
+        Article::unsyncedImages()->chunk(100, function ($articles) {
+            $articles->each(function ($article) {
+                $imageData = $this->fetchUnsplashImageDataFromId($article->hero_image_id);
+
+                if (! is_null($imageData)) {
+                    $article->hero_image_url = $imageData['image_url'];
+                    $article->hero_image_author_name = $imageData['author_name'];
+                    $article->hero_image_author_url = $imageData['author_url'];
+                    $article->save();
+                }
+            });
+        });
+    }
+
+    protected function fetchUnsplashImageDataFromId(string $imageId): ?array
+    {
+        $response = Http::retry(3, 100, throw: false)
+            ->withToken(config('services.unsplash.access_key'), 'Client-ID')
+            ->get("https://api.unsplash.com/photos/{$imageId}");
+
+        if ($response->failed()) {
+            logger()->error('Failed to get raw image url from unsplash for', [
+                'imageId' => $imageId,
+                'response' => $response->json(),
+            ]);
+
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        $response = $response->json();
+
+        // Trigger as download...
+        Http::retry(3, 100, throw: false)
+            ->withToken(config('services.unsplash.access_key'), 'Client-ID')
+            ->get($response['links']['download_location']);
+
+        return [
+            'image_url' => $response['urls']['raw'],
+            'author_name' => $response['user']['name'],
+            'author_url' => $response['user']['links']['html']
+        ];
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Models/Article.php b/app/Models/Article.php
index 9fa33d422..485274134 100644
--- a/app/Models/Article.php
+++ b/app/Models/Article.php
@@ -44,7 +44,10 @@ final class Article extends Model implements Feedable
         'body',
         'original_url',
         'slug',
-        'hero_image',
+        'hero_image_id',
+        'hero_image_url',
+        'hero_image_author_name',
+        'hero_image_author_url',
         'is_pinned',
         'view_count',
         'tweet_id',
@@ -100,13 +103,19 @@ public function excerpt(int $limit = 100): string
 
     public function hasHeroImage(): bool
     {
-        return $this->hero_image !== null;
+        return $this->hero_image_url !== null;
+    }
+
+    public function hasHeroImageAuthor(): bool
+    {
+        return $this->hero_image_author_name !==  null &&
+            $this->hero_image_author_url !== null;
     }
 
     public function heroImage($width = 400, $height = 300): string
     {
-        if ($this->hero_image) {
-            return "https://source.unsplash.com/{$this->hero_image}/{$width}x{$height}";
+        if ($this->hasHeroImage()) {
+            return "{$this->hero_image_url}&fit=clip&w={$width}&h={$height}&utm_source=Laravel.io&utm_medium=referral";
         }
 
         return asset('images/default-background.svg');
@@ -309,6 +318,12 @@ public function scopeTrending(Builder $query): Builder
             ->orderBy('submitted_at', 'desc');
     }
 
+    public function scopeUnsyncedImages(Builder $query): Builder
+    {
+        return $query->whereNotNull('hero_image_id')
+            ->whereNull('hero_image_url');
+    }
+
     public function shouldBeSearchable()
     {
         return $this->isPublished();
diff --git a/config/services.php b/config/services.php
index 1105eb382..2a575db66 100644
--- a/config/services.php
+++ b/config/services.php
@@ -40,4 +40,8 @@
         'token' => env('FATHOM_TOKEN'),
     ],
 
+    'unsplash' => [
+        'access_key' => env('UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY'),
+    ],
+
 ];
diff --git a/database/migrations/2024_09_27_095949_add_hero_image_additional_columns_to_articles.php b/database/migrations/2024_09_27_095949_add_hero_image_additional_columns_to_articles.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fb7f1174e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2024_09_27_095949_add_hero_image_additional_columns_to_articles.php
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    /**
+     * Run the migrations.
+     */
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('articles', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->after('hero_image', function () use ($table) {
+                $table->string('hero_image_url')->nullable();
+                $table->string('hero_image_author_name')->nullable();
+                $table->string('hero_image_author_url')->nullable();
+            });
+        });
+
+        Schema::table('articles', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->renameColumn('hero_image', 'hero_image_id');
+        });
+    }
+};
diff --git a/database/seeders/UserSeeder.php b/database/seeders/UserSeeder.php
index 48e5d4632..5c3fe18a4 100644
--- a/database/seeders/UserSeeder.php
+++ b/database/seeders/UserSeeder.php
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ public function run(): void
                             [
                                 'submitted_at' => now(),
                                 'approved_at' => now(),
-                                'hero_image' => 'sxiSod0tyYQ',
+                                'hero_image_id' => 'sxiSod0tyYQ',
                             ],
                             ['submitted_at' => now(), 'approved_at' => now()],
                             ['submitted_at' => now()],
diff --git a/phpunit.xml b/phpunit.xml
index decef64a6..f9d9d51db 100644
--- a/phpunit.xml
+++ b/phpunit.xml
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
         <env name="APP_HOST" value="localhost"/>
         <env name="APP_URL" value="http://localhost"/>
         <env name="AUTH_PASSWORD_RESET_TOKEN_TABLE" value="password_resets"/>
+        <env name="BCRYPT_ROUNDS" value="4"/>
         <env name="CACHE_STORE" value="array"/>
         <env name="DB_CONNECTION" value="mysql"/>
         <env name="DB_DATABASE" value="testing"/>
@@ -32,6 +33,6 @@
         <env name="TELEGRAM_CHANNEL" value="null"/>
         <env name="FATHOM_SITE_ID" value="1234"/>
         <env name="FATHOM_TOKEN" value="5678"/>
-        <env name="BCRYPT_ROUNDS" value="4"/>
+        <env name="UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY" value="null"/>
     </php>
 </phpunit>
diff --git a/resources/views/articles/show.blade.php b/resources/views/articles/show.blade.php
index 26daea2ca..b473b2936 100644
--- a/resources/views/articles/show.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/articles/show.blade.php
@@ -85,6 +85,12 @@ class="w-full bg-center {{ $article->hasHeroImage() ? 'bg-cover' : '' }} bg-gray
                         </div>
                     </div>
                 </div>
+
+                @if ($article->hasHeroImageAuthor())
+                    <p class="text-xs text-black/50 text-center mt-2">
+                        Photo by <a class="underline font-medium" href="{{ $article->hero_image_author_url }}?ref=laravel.io&utm_source=Laravel.io&utm_medium=referral" target="_blank">{{ $article->hero_image_author_name }} </a> on <a class="underline font-medium" href="https://unsplash.com/?ref=laravel.io&utm_source=Laravel.io&utm_medium=referral" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>
+                    </p>
+                @endif
             </div>
         </div>
 
diff --git a/tests/Integration/Commands/SyncArticleImagesTest.php b/tests/Integration/Commands/SyncArticleImagesTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a545d8d00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Integration/Commands/SyncArticleImagesTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+<?php
+
+use App\Console\Commands\SyncArticleImages;
+use App\Models\Article;
+use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\DatabaseMigrations;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Config;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;
+use Tests\TestCase;
+
+uses(TestCase::class);
+uses(DatabaseMigrations::class);
+
+test('hero image url and author information is updated for published articles with hero image', function () {
+    Config::set('services.unsplash.access_key', 'test');
+
+    Http::fake(function () {
+        return [
+            'urls' => [
+                'raw' => 'https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1584824486509-112e4181ff6b?ixid=M3w2NTgwOTl8MHwxfGFsbHx8fHx8fHx8fDE3Mjc2ODMzMzZ8&ixlib=rb-4.0.3'
+            ],
+            'user' => [
+                'name' => 'Erik Mclean',
+                'links' => [
+                    'html' => 'https://unsplash.com/@introspectivedsgn',
+                ]
+            ],
+        ];
+    });
+
+    $article = Article::factory()->create([
+        'hero_image_id' => 'sxiSod0tyYQ',
+        'submitted_at' => now(),
+        'approved_at' => now(),
+    ]);
+
+    (new SyncArticleImages)->handle();
+
+    $article->refresh();
+
+    expect($article->heroImage())->toContain('https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1584824486509-112e4181ff6b');
+    expect($article->hero_image_author_name)->toBe('Erik Mclean');
+    expect($article->hero_image_author_url)->toBe('https://unsplash.com/@introspectivedsgn');
+});
+
+test('hero image url and author information is not updated for published articles with no hero image', function () {
+    Config::set('services.unsplash.access_key', 'test');
+    
+    $article = Article::factory()->create([
+        'submitted_at' => now(),
+        'approved_at' => now(),
+    ]);
+
+    (new SyncArticleImages)->handle();
+
+    $article->refresh();
+
+    expect($article->hero_image_url)->toBe(null);
+    expect($article->hero_image_author_name)->toBe(null);
+    expect($article->hero_image_author_url)->toBe(null);
+});