Settings Explained Complete Reference

Complete documentation of every setting in Auto Featured Image. Use this as your comprehensive reference guide.

Accessing Plugin Settings

Navigate to Auto Featured Image> Settings in your WordPress dashboard.

1. Post Type Selection

Generate for Post Types

Purpose: Choose which post types should have auto-generated featured images.

How to Configure:

Check the boxes for post types you want to enable
Custom post types appear automatically if registered
Click Save Changes

2. Generation Methods

Primary Image Source

Purpose: Define how featured images should be created.

Option A: Find in Post

What it does: Uses the first image found in post content

Settings:

Scan Depth
First Image Only (default)

When to use: - Content already has images - Image selection should be automatic - Want fastest performance

Option B: Generate from Post Title

What it does: Creates a custom graphic with post title text

Note: Please check this detailed Guide on How to Generate featured Image from Post Title.

When to use: - Opinion pieces - Tutorials without screenshots - Announcements - News articles

Option C: Find or Generate

What it does: It tries to find images in content, if it is not present then it generates from Title

It is a combination of Option B and Option C

Option D: Find or Use Default Image

What it does: It tries to find images in content, if it is not present then it uses the default images configured in settings

3. Default Image Configuration

Purpose: Set fallback images when no other method succeeds.

Site-Wide Default

Upload Default Image: Add Image Button

4. Auto-Generation Toggles

Purpose: Control when automatic generation occurs.

Automatic Generation

Auto-generate on post publish
When: New post status changes to 'published'
Condition: Only if no featured image exists

Manual Generation

Show "Generate Featured Image" button in post editor page (Pro)
Location: Featured Image column
Allows manual trigger per post

5. Bulk Operations

Purpose: Process multiple posts at once.

Bulk Generation Settings

Post Selection:

Post Types: [Select: Posts | Pages | Products]
Post Status: [Select: Published | Draft | Pending | All]
Date Range:
From: [Date Picker]
To: [Date Picker]

Filters: - Categories: [Multi-select dropdown] - Tags: [Multi-select dropdown] - Author: [Dropdown] - Custom Taxonomy: [If applicable]

6. External APIs (Pro Only)

Purpose: You can connect to External API such as Pixabay and Unsplash to Import the images for your post directly from these platforms.

7. License (Pro Only)

Purpose: Manage your Pro license.

License Key: _____-_____-_____-_____

Status: ● Active / ○ Inactive
Expires: 2026-12-31

8. Error Logs

Purpose: View and manage the error log generated during the usuage of plugin

Default Settings Recommendations

For Blogs with Image-Heavy Content

✓ First Image from Content ✓ Auto-generate on publish ✗ Auto-generate on update (unless needed) ✓ Import external images Minimum dimensions: 400x300

For Text-Based Content

✓ Generate from Post Title ✓ Stock Image Search (Pro) ✓ Default fallback image Background: Branded color/image Font: Brand font, 48px

For E-commerce Sites

✓ First Image from Content (for products with images) ✓ Category-based defaults (Pro) ✓ Custom dimensions: 800x800 ✗ Auto-generate on update (preserve manual images)

For News/Magazine Sites

✓ First Image from Content ✓ Stock Image Search fallback (Pro) ✓ Auto-generate on publish Batch processing: 20 posts Enable caching for stock searches

Troubleshooting Settings

Settings Not Saving?

Check file permissions on wp-content/uploads
Disable caching plugins temporarily
Clear browser cache
Check for JavaScript errors in console

Custom Post Types Not Showing?

Verify post type is registered correctly
Check post type supports 'thumbnail'
Re-save permalinks (Settings > Permalinks)

API Keys Not Working?

Verify keys are correct (no extra spaces)
Check API quotas/limits
Test keys using external tool
Review API provider status page

Quick Start Guide
Understanding How Auto Featured Image Works
Generating Featured Images from Post Content
Creating Featured Images from Post Titles
Using Stock Image Search