CSS Background Image
The background-image
property in CSS is used to set an image as the background of an HTML element. You can apply it to any block-level or inline-level element. Here are some basics and examples to help illustrate how it works:
Basic Syntax
selector {
background-image: url('path/to/image.jpg');
}
Examples
1. Setting a Background Image on a Div
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Background Image Example</title>
<style>
.background-div {
width: 300px;
height: 200px;
background-image: url('https://via.placeholder.com/300x200');
background-size: cover; /* Makes sure the image covers the whole div */
background-position: center; /* Centers the image in the div */
background-repeat: no-repeat; /* Prevents the image from repeating */
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="background-div"></div>
</body>
</html>
2. Multiple Background Images
You can also use multiple images, separated by commas. The images will stack on top of each other.
.multiple-backgrounds {
width: 300px;
height: 200px;
background-image: url('https://via.placeholder.com/300x200'), url('https://via.placeholder.com/150x100');
background-position: center, top right;
background-size: cover, auto;
}
3. Using Gradient Backgrounds
CSS gradients can be used as backgrounds as well. They’re not images per se but function similarly in terms of background properties.
.gradient-background {
width: 300px;
height: 200px;
background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #ff7e5f, #feb47b); /* Creates a gradient from left to right */
}
4. Background Image with Overlay
Sometimes you might want to add an overlay to make text more readable on top of the background image.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Background Image with Overlay</title>
<style>
.overlay-container {
position: relative;
width: 300px;
height: 200px;
background-image: url('https://via.placeholder.com/300x200');
background-size: cover;
background-position: center;
}
.overlay-container::before {
content: '';
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); /* Black overlay with 50% opacity */
z-index: 1;
}
.overlay-container .text {
position: relative;
z-index: 2;
color: white;
text-align: center;
padding: 20px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="overlay-container">
<div class="text">This is some overlay text</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>
Key Properties for Background Images
background-image
: Sets the image or images.background-position
: Defines the starting position of the background image.background-size
: Specifies the size of the background image (cover
,contain
, or specific sizes).background-repeat
: Determines if and how the image repeats (no-repeat
,repeat-x
,repeat-y
, orrepeat
).
Feel free to ask if you need more details or examples!
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