Create a Modal Image Gallery (Lightbox) with CSS and JavaScript

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Create a Modal Image Gallery (Lightbox) with CSS and JavaScript: A Complete Guide

Create A Lightbox

The following example combines code from Modals and Slideshows to create the lightbox.

Step 1) Add HTML:

<!-- Images used to open the lightbox -->
<div class="row">
  <div class="column">
    <img src="img1.jpg" onclick="openModal();currentSlide(1)" class="hover-shadow">
  </div>
  <div class="column">
    <img src="img2.jpg" onclick="openModal();currentSlide(2)" class="hover-shadow">
  </div>
  <div class="column">
    <img src="img3.jpg" onclick="openModal();currentSlide(3)" class="hover-shadow">
  </div>
  <div class="column">
    <img src="img4.jpg" onclick="openModal();currentSlide(4)" class="hover-shadow">
  </div>
</div>

<!-- The Modal/Lightbox -->
<div id="myModal" class="modal">
  <span class="close cursor" onclick="closeModal()">&times;</span>
  <div class="modal-content">

    <div class="mySlides">
      <div class="numbertext">1 / 4</div>
      <img src="img1_wide.jpg" style="width:100%">
    </div>

    <div class="mySlides">
      <div class="numbertext">2 / 4</div>
      <img src="img2_wide.jpg" style="width:100%">
    </div>

    <div class="mySlides">
      <div class="numbertext">3 / 4</div>
      <img src="img3_wide.jpg" style="width:100%">
    </div>

    <div class="mySlides">
      <div class="numbertext">4 / 4</div>
      <img src="img4_wide.jpg" style="width:100%">
    </div>

    <!-- Next/previous controls -->
    <a class="prev" onclick="plusSlides(-1)">&#10094;</a>
    <a class="next" onclick="plusSlides(1)">&#10095;</a>

    <!-- Caption text -->
    <div class="caption-container">
      <p id="caption"></p>
    </div>

    <!-- Thumbnail image controls -->
    <div class="column">
      <img class="demo" src="img1.jpg" onclick="currentSlide(1)" alt="Nature">
    </div>

    <div class="column">
      <img class="demo" src="img2.jpg" onclick="currentSlide(2)" alt="Snow">
    </div>

    <div class="column">
      <img class="demo" src="img3.jpg" onclick="currentSlide(3)" alt="Mountains">
    </div>

    <div class="column">
      <img class="demo" src="img4.jpg" onclick="currentSlide(4)" alt="Lights">
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Step 2) Add CSS:

.row > .column {
  padding: 0 8px;
}

.row:after {
  content: "";
  display: table;
  clear: both;
}

/* Create four equal columns that floats next to eachother */
.column {
  float: left;
  width: 25%;
}

/* The Modal (background) */
.modal {
  display: none;
  position: fixed;
  z-index: 1;
  padding-top: 100px;
  left: 0;
  top: 0;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  overflow: auto;
  background-color: black;
}

/* Modal Content */
.modal-content {
  position: relative;
  background-color: #fefefe;
  margin: auto;
  padding: 0;
  width: 90%;
  max-width: 1200px;
}

/* The Close Button */
.close {
  color: white;
  position: absolute;
  top: 10px;
  right: 25px;
  font-size: 35px;
  font-weight: bold;
}

.close:hover,
.close:focus {
  color: #999;
  text-decoration: none;
  cursor: pointer;
}

/* Hide the slides by default */
.mySlides {
  display: none;
}

/* Next & previous buttons */
.prev,
.next {
  cursor: pointer;
  position: absolute;
  top: 50%;
  width: auto;
  padding: 16px;
  margin-top: -50px;
  color: white;
  font-weight: bold;
  font-size: 20px;
  transition: 0.6s ease;
  border-radius: 0 3px 3px 0;
  user-select: none;
  -webkit-user-select: none;
}

/* Position the "next button" to the right */
.next {
  right: 0;
  border-radius: 3px 0 0 3px;
}

/* On hover, add a black background color with a little bit see-through */
.prev:hover,
.next:hover {
  background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8);
}

/* Number text (1/3 etc) */
.numbertext {
  color: #f2f2f2;
  font-size: 12px;
  padding: 8px 12px;
  position: absolute;
  top: 0;
}

/* Caption text */
.caption-container {
  text-align: center;
  background-color: black;
  padding: 2px 16px;
  color: white;
}

img.demo {
  opacity: 0.6;
}

.active,
.demo:hover {
  opacity: 1;
}

img.hover-shadow {
  transition: 0.3s;
}

.hover-shadow:hover {
  box-shadow: 0 4px 8px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2), 0 6px 20px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.19);
}

Step 3) Add JavaScript:

<script>
// Open the Modal
function openModal() {
  document.getElementById("myModal").style.display = "block";
}

// Close the Modal
function closeModal() {
  document.getElementById("myModal").style.display = "none";
}

var slideIndex = 1;
showSlides(slideIndex);

// Next/previous controls
function plusSlides(n) {
  showSlides(slideIndex += n);
}

// Thumbnail image controls
function currentSlide(n) {
  showSlides(slideIndex = n);
}

function showSlides(n) {
  var i;
  var slides = document.getElementsByClassName("mySlides");
  var dots = document.getElementsByClassName("demo");
  var captionText = document.getElementById("caption");
  if (n > slides.length) {slideIndex = 1}
  if (n < 1) {slideIndex = slides.length}
  for (i = 0; i < slides.length; i++) {
    slides[i].style.display = "none";
  }
  for (i = 0; i < dots.length; i++) {
    dots[i].className = dots[i].className.replace(" active", "");
  }
  slides[slideIndex-1].style.display = "block";
  dots[slideIndex-1].className += " active";
  captionText.innerHTML = dots[slideIndex-1].alt;
}
</script>

1. HTML Structure:

  • The gallery is made up of several div elements, each containing an image in a grid layout. The images are inside the row container, and each image is placed inside a column to make the layout responsive.

    • Each img tag inside the gallery has an onclick event that opens the modal and displays the full-size version of the clicked image by calling the openModal() function and passing the index of the clicked image using currentSlide(n).

  • The modal structure (with id="myModal") contains several child elements:

    • Modal Content (modal-content): This contains the slides (images), navigation buttons, and a caption container.
    • Slides (mySlides): These represent the larger images that will be displayed in the modal. Each slide corresponds to a thumbnail.
    • Navigation Buttons (prev and next): These allow users to navigate between images in the modal.
    • Close Button (&times;): This closes the modal when clicked.
    • Thumbnail Images for Navigation (demo): These are smaller versions of the images below the modal, which users can click to jump to a specific image in the modal.

2. CSS Styling:

  • Body and Layout:

    • The body uses font-family: Verdana and margin: 0 to remove default margins and apply a simple font.
    • The .row and .column classes help in creating a responsive grid layout for the thumbnail images, using float: left to position the columns and width: 25% to make them evenly spaced.

  • Modal Styling:

    • The .modal class makes the modal initially hidden (display: none) and positions it fixed on the screen when visible.
    • The .modal-content class defines the container for the full-size images, and it is centered with a width of 90% (maximum 1200px).
    • The .close class styles the close button (×) at the top-right of the modal.
    • The .prev and .next classes style the previous and next navigation buttons, which are positioned at the left and right sides of the modal, respectively.

  • Hover Effects and Image Styling:

    • The hover-shadow class adds a transition effect to the images. When hovered, they get a subtle box-shadow effect (box-shadow: 0 4px 8px), enhancing the visual appearance.

  • Thumbnails Navigation:

    • Thumbnails below the modal have the class demo, and when hovered or clicked, they change opacity to indicate they are active.
    • The .active class highlights the active thumbnail (the one that corresponds to the image currently displayed in the modal).

3. JavaScript Functionality:

  • openModal(): This function is triggered when a user clicks on any of the thumbnail images. It makes the modal visible by setting display: block on the modal.

  • closeModal(): This function is called when the user clicks the close button (×). It hides the modal by setting display: none.

  • Slide Index Management (slideIndex):

    • slideIndex is used to track which image is currently being displayed in the modal. Initially, it is set to 1, meaning the first image in the modal is shown.

  • Navigation Functions (plusSlides(n) and currentSlide(n)):

    • plusSlides(n) moves the slide forward or backward by updating slideIndex by n.
    • currentSlide(n) directly shows the slide that corresponds to the given n (by clicking on a thumbnail).

  • showSlides(n):

    • This function controls which slide is displayed based on slideIndex. It hides all slides and then shows the current slide (slides[slideIndex-1]).
    • It also updates the active state of the thumbnail images by adding/removing the active class. Additionally, it updates the caption text (e.g., “Nature and sunrise”).

  • Handling Navigation Buttons:

    • The prev and next buttons call plusSlides(-1) and plusSlides(1) to navigate backward and forward between images, respectively.
    • The showSlides function is called after every navigation action to update the display.

Conclusion:

This is a complete lightbox image gallery with navigation and a full-screen modal effect. It demonstrates how to use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create an interactive gallery experience where users can view images in a larger format with smooth transitions and navigation controls.

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