Image Reflection with jQuery and MooTools

By  on  

Christina Ricci

One subtle detail that can make a big difference on any web design is the use of image reflections. Using them too often can become obnoxious but using reflections on large, "masthead" images is a classy enhancement. Unfortunately creating image reflections within your graphics application can be time-consuming, especially when an image can potentially change frequently. Luckily Christophe Beyls has created Reflection.js.

Reflection.js is a JavaScript utility available in both jQuery and MooTools that creates reflections for any images in a page. Reflection.js creates a new IMG element with special filters if the client is using IE -- if the client is not IE, Reflection.js creates a CANVAS element and constructs the reflection within the canvas.

The HTML

<img src="cricci-player.jpg" alt="Christina Ricci" class="reflect" />

Add the reflect CSS class to any image you'd like to reflect.

The MooTools JavaScript Usage

window.addEvent('domready',function() {
	var options = { height: 0.5 };
	$$('img.reflect').each(function(img) {
		img.reflect(options);
	});
});

The MooTools version of Reflection.js implements the reflect method to create reflections.

The jQuery JavaScript Usage

	document.ready(function() {
		var options = { opacity: 0.75 };
		$('.reflect').reflect(options);
	});

Much like MooTools method, you execute each element's reflect method.

Christophe's Reflection.js code is a great piece of work! Don't waste time making reflections in Photoshop -- use the power of JavaScript!

Recent Features

  • By
    CSS Filters

    CSS filter support recently landed within WebKit nightlies. CSS filters provide a method for modifying the rendering of a basic DOM element, image, or video. CSS filters allow for blurring, warping, and modifying the color intensity of elements. Let's have...

  • By
    How to Create a RetroPie on Raspberry Pi &#8211; Graphical Guide

    Today we get to play amazing games on our super powered game consoles, PCs, VR headsets, and even mobile devices.  While I enjoy playing new games these days, I do long for the retro gaming systems I had when I was a kid: the original Nintendo...

Incredible Demos

  • By
    MooTools Wall Plugin

    One of the more impressive MooTools plugins to hit the Forge recently was The Wall by Marco Dell'Anna.  The Wall creates an endless grid of elements which can be grabbed and dragged, fading in elements as they are encountered.  Let me show...

  • By
    Create a Simple News Scroller Using MooTools, Part I:  The Basics

    News scroller have been around forever on the internet. Why? Because they're usually classy and effective. Over the next few weeks, we'll be taking a simple scroller and making it into a flexible, portable class. We have to crawl before we...

Discussion

  1. Haha! I was wondering where Christina had gone…

  2. @Chris the Developer: She’s never gone! :)

  3. Thx for the share, very useful script!
    Always wanted to know a possibility to do client-side reflections… ;)

  4. I agree with you that reflection.js is a great piece of code but… in my machine doesn’t work! :)
    I use mootools-1.2.4 via google api and other plugins.
    I found a solution, replace line 53:

    wrapper = new Element(($(img.parentNode).get("tag") == "a") ? "span" : "div").injectAfter(img).adopt(img, reflection);
    

    width:

    var parentNode = $(img.parentNode);
    if (parentNode != null) {
      wrapper = new Element((parentNode.get("tag") == "a") ? "span" : "div").injectAfter(img).adopt(img, reflection);
    }
    else {
      wrapper = new Element("div").injectAfter(img).adopt(img, reflection);
    }
    

    And… it seems to work! :)

    My two cents.
    Cheers.
    Strap

  5. I was really hoping this post would be “Introducing Scroll”

  6. Ah, I knew I had seen that script somewhere… when you mentioned Christophe Beyls, I knew I was right!

    Great sum up of the usage of the script. I personally prefer the demo provided by Christophe – more dynamic and such… though the muse is more hairy :D.

  7. nice post, great job, you made it come true. I think that’s what I am looking for.

    Your site is nice, too!

  8. Wow, didn’t know that it can be done coding. I was doing it in photoshop and stuff. Good tip, thanx

  9. @Nickolas Simard: Hairy muses FTL.

  10. abhay

    My client has said to me add refelection in about 300 images i know but i forgot it heopls meawesome it is so easy to understand thankyouuuuuuu very much.

Wrap your code in <pre class="{language}"></pre> tags, link to a GitHub gist, JSFiddle fiddle, or CodePen pen to embed!