Creating a CSS image grid can seem daunting, but don't worry, it's easier than you think. With a few simple steps, you can arrange your images in a visually appealing way.
To start, you'll need to understand the basics of CSS grid, which is a layout system that allows you to create flexible and responsive grids. This is where it all begins.
The grid-template-columns property is crucial in creating a grid, as it defines the number of columns and their widths. For example, if you want a grid with two columns, each taking up half of the available space, you would use grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;.
Creating a CSS Image Grid
To create a proper alignment, web developers often face severe issues. That's why it's essential to follow the step-by-step guidelines to make it easier.
The CSS Grid is a powerful tool for creating a grid-like structure, but it's not the only option. The CSS Flexible Box Layout Module, or flexbox, can also be used to create a grid-like structure.
To create a responsive image gallery with uniform image dimensions, you can use a flex container with multiple cells or items, each containing images. Each image should be wrapped inside a figure element with an optional figcaption element.
Here's a summary of the key CSS properties to use:
- flex-wrap: ensures that flex items will wrap onto another line
- gap: sets a gap between rows and columns
- justify-content: aligns the items to the center or the end of the flexbox axis
By using these properties, you can create a responsive image gallery with uniform image dimensions and a grid-like structure.
Start Creating
Now that you have a plan, it's time to start creating your CSS image grid.
Place the images on different areas with the help of the grid-column and grid-row properties and the numbered lines in the grid.
Gallery Container Creation
Creating a gallery container is a crucial step in building a CSS image grid. This is where we define the layout and structure of our gallery.
To start, we need to decide which element will contain all the items with images, and in this case, it's the .img-gallery element. We'll make it the flex container by giving it a flex display.
The flex-wrap property is essential here, as it ensures that flex items will wrap onto another line. This is especially useful when dealing with multiple images of varying sizes.
The gap property sets a gap between rows and columns, and in this case, it's set to 1.5em. You can adjust this value to suit your design needs.
By default, the direction or main axis of a flexbox container is “row,” which is why all the flex items immediately line up horizontally.
Styling and Layout
You can use the aspect-ratio CSS property to maintain the relationship between the width and height of each image in a fixed-height gallery. This property ensures that the images don't appear stretched out.
To add styles to the images, you can use properties like border-radius. This is useful for creating a visually appealing design.
Maintaining image aspect ratios is crucial in a responsive image gallery. You can use flexbox with media queries to achieve a specific layout while still maintaining image aspect ratios. This is demonstrated in the second example, which creates a horizontal masonry-like grid.
Here are some key CSS properties to keep in mind when styling and laying out an image grid:
By using these properties and techniques, you can create a visually appealing and well-structured image grid that adapts to different screen sizes and devices.
Styling Images
Styling images is a crucial part of creating a visually appealing image gallery.
To maintain the relationship between the width and height of each image, you can use the aspect-ratio CSS property.
Using the object-fit property will make the images fit within the available area as a cover, preventing them from appearing stretched out.
Adding styles to the images can be done using properties like border-radius to suit your design needs.
You may also use the object-fit property and set it to cover to prevent images from appearing stretched out.
Progressively Enhancing Layout
You can start using CSS Grid today, and still support older browsers like IE9 by progressively enhancing your layout. This means creating a layout that works for everyone, regardless of their browser.
To do this, you can use a combination of CSS Grid and other layout methods like Flexbox. For example, you can use Grid for modern browsers and Flexbox for older browsers.
Here's a simple example of how to create a single-column layout that works for both Grid and Flexbox:
- Use `display: flex` for older browsers and `display: grid` for modern browsers.
- Use `flex-direction: column` for older browsers and `grid-template-columns: 1fr` for modern browsers.
By using this approach, you can create a layout that works for everyone, regardless of their browser.
Here's a summary of the different layout methods you can use:
Responsive Design
To create a responsive image gallery, you should use a flex container with multiple cells or items, each containing images wrapped inside a figure element with an optional figcaption element.
Specifying the width and height attributes of the images is a good practice to prevent cumulative layout shifts (CLS) issues and improve the Core Web Vitals (CWV) score of a webpage.
You can use CSS custom properties to set up media queries for larger screen sizes, specifying the appropriate items per row inside the media query blocks.
The flex-basis for each item will be handled automatically, making it easy to create a functional and responsive image grid that also supports simple captions.
A responsive image grid, or gallery, should have a layout that adapts to different screen sizes, and using flexbox is a great way to achieve this.
By using a flex container and media queries, you can create a gallery that looks great on both large and small screens.
To prevent the last row alignment issue with flexbox, you can use JavaScript and flexbox to power your gallery, making it more usable and adaptable.
The demo below shows how a JavaScript and flexbox-powered gallery looks and works, and you can try resizing the browser window to see its adaptability to the screen.
Apply Advanced Layouts
You'll often need to adjust your layout as the viewport's width changes.
In most cases, you wouldn't change the single-column layout until the viewport's width is fairly wide.
You'll typically find that most layouts require several grids, one for the structural site-wide layout and others for individual content models.
Using @supports (grid-area: auto) { }, you can create additional CSS rules elsewhere in your style sheet that kick in only when grid layouts are supported by the browser.
Sources
- https://blog.eazyplugins.com/how-to-align-images-in-css-grid/
- https://webdesign.tutsplus.com/how-to-animate-css-grid-layouts-image-grid-project--cms-108937t
- https://blog.logrocket.com/responsive-image-gallery-css-flexbox/
- https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2017/06/building-production-ready-css-grid-layout/
- https://www.joshwcomeau.com/css/full-bleed/
Featured Images: pexels.com