Blurring elements in web design creates depth, focus, and visual interest that can transform an ordinary page into something extraordinary. With the CSS filter property and backdrop-filter, developers now have powerful tools to implement stunning Gaussian blur effects across various web elements.
This guide showcases practical blur effect examples that you can immediately implement in your projects. From subtle frosted glass effects to dynamic image blur hover states, you’ll discover techniques used by top designers featured on CSS-Tricks and Codepen.
You’ll learn:
- How to create transparent blur layers that work across Chrome, Firefox, and Safari
- Performance-optimized blur-up loading techniques for images
- Combining blur radius control with CSS animation
- Cross-browser blur compatibility solutions
Whether you’re building modern interfaces with Tailwind CSS or Bootstrap, these examples will enhance your UI design systems with professional visual depth techniques that follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
CSS Blur Effect Examples To Check Out
Animated CSS Filter Blur
See the Pen
Animated CSS filter blur by yoichi kobayashi (@ykob)
on CodePen.
Yoichi Kobayashi is the magician behind this piece.
CSS Filter Cards
See the Pen
CSS Filter Cards by Steve Meredith (@steveeeie)
on CodePen.
Ever thought about jazzing up the area behind an element? This bad boy, using the backdrop-filter property, got you covered with blur and color shifts!
Gradient Blur Text Effect In Pure CSS
Shoutout to hzlo for this snazzy Gradient Blur Text Snippet!
Shifting Depth Of Field
Love cameras? Check out this demo that’s like the shifting depth of a camera lens but in the digital world using keyframes and blur filters.
Dynamic Inside Blur Pure CSS
Blurred backgrounds? Rad. Universal truth.
Gooey Blurry Text Morph Effect
Props to Valgo for this slick project.
Pure CSS Motion Blur
Bouncing ball animation with a dash of motion blur? Yup, done with a single element!
CSS3 Blur Filter Animation
Wanna make designers both awed and a bit jelly? Check out these tricky backdrop blurs.
Inline CSS Blur for Mozilla
Crafted with love by Beben Koben.
Blurry VHS Image Effect Filter
Go retro with Sam Beckham’s glitch image effect. Hover to unveil the real image behind the blur.
Blurred Text & Images In HTML CSS
Wanna blur that buzzing background? Or maybe just a chunk of text?
Blur Buttons
Glow-up your buttons with Natalie Frecka’s creation that either blurs or clears on hover.
I Love Blur
Ever thought of a submit button as chic? This one gives the feels once you click.
Black Mirror Style Cracked Glitchy Text Effect
The name’s a mouthful, but so worth it! gabecrockett serves a killer text effect reminiscent of Netflix’s Black Mirror.
Blur Effect Using CSS Blur() Filter On A Small Image
José Manuel Pérez crafted this beauty.
Creating a blurry background image
Blurry backgrounds = Web dev’s sweetheart. They level up a web page’s vibe and make things pop!
Loading Animation CSS
Get a taste of text blur animation with this creation by Tatsuya Azegami.
Rollover CSS Blur Filter Image Gallery
sjmcpherson showcases a simple but uber-cool text highlight effect when you rollover.
Pop-Up With Blurred Background Animation
Mad props to Benjamin Dalton for this piece.
Horror Move Style Blurry Text Coming Into Focus Text Animation
Alright, listen, we got this ultra-cool text animation here. It starts off all spooky-like, real blurred out, kinda like after a late night with friends, if you catch my drift. But then, boom! It sharpens right up, revealing the text. Perfect for those Halloween vibes or if you’re just into that horror aesthetic.
A Blurred Overlay
Big shoutout to Glenn Reyes for whipping up this piece.
Hover Effect Blur
Let’s break it down. If you wanna nail some fly CSS designs, you gotta learn CSS, simple as that. The beauty of CSS designs? Light, swift, like that first coffee in the morning.
Blurry Loading Quote Animation Effect
So, this genius, Dudley Storey, gave us a treat! Imagine a quote, right? Now it’s all fuzzy and then, bam! The words randomly pop up all clear and snazzy.
In/Out Of Focus Text Effect
Jonny Scholes, my dude, gave life to this masterpiece.
Blurred, Invisible Ink, And Redacted Text
Alright, stay with me. Here, using some cool CSS tricks and magic, we’re peeking into ways to, you know, kinda hide text or make it all mysterious and stuff. It’s like the art of stealth, but for web design.
Heat Haze / Heat Shimmer Blurr Effect
Okay, this is straight fire! Lucas Bebber crafted this wild heat haze effect for Codrops. Using WebGL, it’s like giving your images a day at the sauna. And if you’re thirsty for more, there’s also this wicked water distortion thingy.
Text Blurring Animation
Here’s the tea: The text goes from “I-can’t-see-clearly-after-a-long-night” blur to “Hey! I-got-my-glasses-on” sharp. And then, back again! Props to Andrew Burton for this.
Full Bleed Background images with CSS3
So this was baked with some sweet HTML and CSS love.
Blurry Lazy Load Images
Yo, if you’re digging that Pinterest vibe, check this out. Derek Morash served up a way to get those images loading smooth with a hint of blur.
Recreating Canva’s Blur Effect
You ever use Canva? If you’ve, you might recognize this blur vibe. Sam Woolerton pulled a rabbit out of the hat and made this stunner.
Pure CSS Text Blur
And wrapping it up, here’s a neat text blur magic trick. But, no actual magic here, just pure CSS doing its thing!
Slick Slideshow with Blur Effect by Fabio Ottaviani
Ever thought about giving a slideshow some extra flair without overwhelming it with giant pics? Fabio Ottaviani’s got our back with this gem! The magic happens when it clones the main image and sets it in the background. Then, bam! That heavy blur effect rolls in, and it’s all about vibes from there.
Pure CSS Toggle Blur Layer Visibility Using On/Off Buttons
Hit the on/off buttons and watch this masterpiece come alive. Eric Anton flexing some mad skills, making CSS dance with toggle blur actions.
Progressive blur with CSS & SVG
Yo, Vincent De Oliveira is sprinkling some progressive blur magic with a sprinkle of SVG on top. It’s like watching a masterpiece come alive in stages.
Pure CSS Blurred Video Background Login Box by Lokesh Suthar
Lokesh Suthar, my dude, diving deep into retro waters. This blend of blur over a video background? Wild! It doesn’t just look sick, but it makes that login box the real MVP.
Cross-Browser Image Blur With Transition
A toast to Dudley Storey! Making the blur transition smooth across browsers? Not all heroes wear capes, y’know.
Draggable Blur Mask
marcruecker came up with this slick trick. Imagine pulling a blur mask over an image? Well, no need to imagine, it’s right here!
CSS Text Transform with Blur by Ambika Castle
Ambika Castle, taking us on a wild ride! The text? Starts off all twisted and a tad blurry. But scroll down and things get real interesting. More blur, more tilt. It’s like a rollercoaster for your eyes, all thanks to the CSS transform mojo.
Pure CSS Video Blur Effect
Hover, and watch the world go fuzzy. This code snippet is pure gold. It’s like putting on those cool sunglasses that go dark when the sun’s out.
Blurry Background
Doug Hatcher’s serving up this delicate piece. Like a fine mist on a cold morning, it’s all about that subtle background blur.
Glitched & Blurred CSS Worms by Fabio Ottaviani
This? This is a trip! It’s like peeking at tiny creatures under a microscope. Fabio Ottaviani’s creation has these little “worms” skittering across, and the mix of glitch with blur? Man, makes it feel so lifelike. Just, you know, maybe sanitize your screen after?
FAQ on CSS Blur Effect Examples
How do I create a basic blur effect in CSS?
Use the CSS filter property with the blur function:
.blurred-element {
filter: blur(5px);
}
This applies a Gaussian blur to any element. Adjust the pixel value to control blur radius. Works in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
What’s the difference between filter:blur and backdrop-filter?
Filter:blur affects the element itself, while backdrop-filter blurs what’s behind the element. The latter creates frosted glass effects popular in modern UI design systems. Backdrop-filter has less cross-browser compatibility but is supported by most modern browsers except some mobile versions.
How can I create a glass morphism effect?
Combine backdrop-filter with transparency:
.glass {
background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2);
backdrop-filter: blur(8px);
border-radius: 10px;
border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
}
This creates the trendy frosted glass effect seen on Codepen examples and Material Design implementations.
How do I make a blur effect on hover?
Use CSS transition blur with the :hover pseudo-class:
.image {
transition: filter 0.3s;
}
.image:hover {
filter: blur(5px);
}
This creates an image blur hover effect with smooth blur transitions. Great for interactive galleries showcased on CSS-Tricks.
Does CSS blur affect website performance?
Yes. Blur filter operations are GPU-intensive, especially with large blur radius values or many blurred elements. For performance optimization blur, consider:
- Limiting the number of blurred elements
- Using smaller blur values
- Implementing blur-up loading technique for images
- Testing on mobile-friendly blur effects
Can I animate a blur effect?
Absolutely! Use CSS animation blur to gradually change the blur amount:
@keyframes blurIn {
from { filter: blur(0); }
to { filter: blur(10px); }
}
.element {
animation: blurIn 2s forwards;
}
This creates dynamic blur effects perfect for attention-grabbing visual transformations.
How can I make text behind a blurred element readable?
Consider web accessibility with blur by:
- Maintaining sufficient contrast
- Limiting blur to non-essential elements
- Providing alternative access to important content
- Testing with screen readers
Follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines when implementing content blur accessibility features.
Can I use blur with SVG elements?
Yes, use both CSS filter property or native SVG blur filter:
<filter id="blur">
<feGaussianBlur stdDeviation="5" />
</filter>
SVG blur filter offers more customization options than standard CSS, making it preferred for complex graphic design blurring effects.
How do I create a blur effect that works across all browsers?
For maximum cross-browser blur compatibility:
- Use WebKit blur prefixes
- Implement fallbacks
- Check Can I Use database for support
- Test on Firefox blur compatibility and Safari blur rendering
- Consider using a polyfill for older browsers
How can I combine blur with other visual effects?
Layer multiple CSS visual properties:
.element {
filter: blur(3px) brightness(1.2) contrast(1.1);
box-shadow: 0 8px 16px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);
transition: all 0.3s ease;
}
This combines blur shadow with other effects for rich depth effect styling seen in modern web design trends.
Conclusion
Mastering CSS blur effect examples opens up exciting possibilities for creating depth and focus in your web projects. From simple element blur to complex blur mask techniques, the versatility of CSS filters continues to evolve with modern browsers.
Progressive blur enhancement techniques are becoming essential parts of frontend styling. The popularity of glass morphism on platforms like Codepen and GitHub repositories demonstrates how blur has become fundamental to modern UI patterns.
Remember these key takeaways:
- Transparent blur layers work best when used sparingly
- Blur-up loading technique significantly improves perceived performance
- Always consider content blur accessibility implications
- Test across Safari blur rendering and Firefox blur compatibility
- Combine with CSS visual transformations for maximum impact
As W3C standards continue to develop, we’ll see even more sophisticated blur gradients and focus/unfocus blur states emerge. The blend of aesthetics and function makes CSS blur an indispensable tool in every frontend framework developer’s toolkit.
If you liked this article about CSS blur effects, you should check out this article about CSS page transitions.
There are also similar articles discussing CSS toggle switches, CSS image effects, CSS galleries, and CSS input text examples.
And let’s not forget about articles on CSS 3D buttons, CSS select examples, CSS charts, and CSS spinners.
