50 Excellent CSS3 Techniques and Tutorials for Beautiful Design


CSS3 has got a huge potential to create very elaborate and complicated details by strictly using CSS and no images. It can carry out a lot of functions as it is based on motion techniques. Many designers all over the world believe that CSS3 is a technique which has unbelievable potentiality which will be used to create wonderful designs in the years to come. At present, it is not being used varied all over the world due to a number of limitations – obsolete browsers being one of them.

Many say that it would be the application of the future as it can improve the efficiency of the workflow by substituting waste workarounds as it was once used in the case of Internet Explorer 6. In the last few years we have seen many web developers who have talked about CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) and the possible designs it can create with the help of powerful animations. With the rise of other web technologies it will create desired results in the fields of designing or managing browsers.

It has many features which are not compatible with the old web browsers and hence it will require some present day internet browsers like Internet Explorer 7 & 8, Chrome, Safari and Firefox to use the CSS3. CSS3 Tutorials can be used in developing the following techniques:

  • It can be used to create multiple backgrounds
  • Developing and drawing border images
  • Handling of opacity
  • Used in text- shadowing and box sizing
  • Used for support of columns of many different web layouts.

If we go back on time we will realize how far we have come from the time of Adobe’s Flash and JavaScript, which were used to create some cool designs. Then came the new version of CSS and it was CSS3 that has transformed the world of animation with its transition features. It is the markup language that has many other applications that can be used for designing web pages that are written in XHTML or HTML. Whereas on the other hand, CSS is made for primary separation of documents that are written in simple markup languages. The content accessibility provides elements which can differ from fonts to layouts and colors. To conclude, CSS3 tutorials and techniques will bring new age animations and designs in the lap of present day markup language users.

CSS3 Tutorials and Techniques

Create an Audio Player in HTML5 & CSS3

It shows a simple way of crafting a live audio player that has a smart design and a bunch of standard controllers such as play/stop button, mute or progress bar. It is powered by MediaElement.js and sits on top of a classic HTML/CSS structure. The tutorial takes up about thirty minutes and requires some basic knowledge.

Filter Functionality with CSS3

Mary Lou leverages regular pseudo-class, sibling combinator, and some other CSS3 properties to build an elegant and functional portfolio section. It is based on a sound foundation and offers tools for sorting out data by criteria that are accompanied by pleasant visual effects.

CSS3 Navigation Menu with Notification Badges

CSS3 Navigation Menu with Notification Badges

Serj has written this small yet helpful tutorial for complete newbies in web development. Using common properties of CSS3 and HTML5, he is managed to create a neat and sleek, streamlined navigation bar with extra functionality. The procedure has been described in the article. It includes five steps that are easy to repeat and follow. The source is also available for download.

Thumbnail Proximity Effect with jQuery and CSS3

Mary Lou is eager to teach you how to produce a simple yet eye-pleasing effect that improves surfing through portfolio pieces and enhances user experience. As usual, the concept is driven by an unbeatable combination of valid HTML markup, intricate style sheet and dynamic JS script. However, not everything is done from scratch; the animated part is handled by jQuery Proximity plugin by James Padolsey.


Fullscreen Background Image Slideshow with CSS3

The technique that is described in the tutorial is widely used to enrich modern website designs. It allows works to speak pretty loud and grab the whole attention. The author shows how to take advantage of the powerful possibilities of CSS3 such as smooth transitions and fancy animations. The drawback is that the component experiences some troubles in old browsers.

Create CSS3 Pricing Tables

CSS3 Pricing Tables

Create CSS3 Pricing Tables that will look bright, energetic, and engaging under the strict guidance of Valeriu Timbuc. It will be also informative and intuitive thanks to compactly arranged content that is vigilantly broken into small portions and bolstered by corresponding icons. The tutorial has eight main steps including the section dedicated to issues concerning IE.

CSS3 Lightbox

As the nameplate stated, the solution does not require any help from JavaScript to handle transparency and smooth transitions. It is realized by new features of CSS3. The pseudo-class ‘:target’ does all the heavy lifting: showing images and offering an unobtrusive navigation through them. In the article you will find three versions of the portfolio:


  • one with a scale-up/fade-in animation;
  • one with a scale-down/fade-in animation;
  • and one with a fade-in animation and navigation.

Slopy Elements with CSS3

The tutorial describes how to turn a classic layout into asymmetrical one and add some spice to the boring structure. Mary Lou gives you cues for creating angled shapes, diagonal lines and non-straight elements via CSS3 and properly incorporating them into design. There are two fine examples that are clearly illustrated.

Item Blur Effect with CSS3 and jQuery

The artist gets exciting with some dramatic effects that can be achieved with the help of CSS3. They are used to direct the attention to selected elements. The walkthrough is divided into three parts that cover such vital constituents as HTML markup, CSS styling and JavaScript sprucing up.

Splash and Coming Soon Page Effects with CSS3

The author encourages you to test your limits and explore vast possibilities of CSS3. This small tutorial is intended to demonstrate how to build fantastic and mesmerizing splash pages for producing strong first impression and coming soon pages for drawing attention to upcoming products/events. All the effects are generated by CSS3.

Typography Effects with CSS3 and jQuery

The manual guides you through the simple routine of creating visually-appealing effects to enhance typeface and make headings look more impressive and bold. Relying on a popular plugin called Lettering.js, you are going to build a set of seven various solutions from diagonal ribbon-themed version to a divine version with a circular vibe. While HTML5 and CSS3 are responsible for the structure and design, jQuery handles the non-static side of the concept.

Animated Buttons with CSS3

Mary Lou has carried out several experiments with CSS3 in order to make CTA look more clickable and attention-grabbing. The article leads you through a marvelous transformation from a simple link to a nice rectangular-shaped button that is equipped with different styles, hover effects, and active states.

Original Hover Effects with CSS3

Alessio Atzeni describes a practical method of creating ten interesting and beautiful hover effects that can be applied to various elements including images. Each one is built with the help of CCS3 transitions and animations. He also explains how to add descriptions to thumbnails and smoothly reveal them on demand thereby making the project more informative and dynamic.

Creative CSS3 Animation Menus

Here you will find ten fantastic examples that can be used in various projects. From an elegant and exquisite menu based on a vertical line stripe layout to a stylish and sophisticated set of round-shaped links, Mary Lou offers a broad range of options. The post briefly demonstrates the technique that is realized via different CSS3 properties.

Circle Navigation Effect with CSS3

The article points out how to build a circular navigation menu that leverages images and has fancy hover effect obtained by CSS3. Since the author does not go into many details, concisely covering only necessary steps, it is highly recommended to download a source file and clarify all the controversial issues.

How to Create a CSS3 Dropdown Menu

Valeriu Timbuc familiarizes readers with a simple approach, which involves standard features of HTML5 and CSS3. The article is quite short so that it does not take much time; nevertheless, it illuminates some basic methods that can come in handy in future projects. It is suitable for novices.

Create Calendar using jQuery and CSS3

Having used a crisp and sophisticated calendar design taken from Futurico UI Pro by Vladimir Kudinov, Valeriu Timbuc is managed to craft a working widget that can benefit numerous projects. The walkthrough of this transformation is broken into five small stages that gently lead you from a starting point to an end and supply with all the necessary explanations.

Create an Image Slider using jQuery and CSS3

If you need a lightweight, sleek and professional image slider with an intuitive interface and a dozen of transition effects, then Valeriu Timbuc will teach you how to create one in less than an hour. Everybody who has basic knowledge of HTML5, CSS3 and JS and a Nivo Slider jQuery Script at the fingertips are welcome to join.

Create Login Form with CSS3 and jQuery

Although the tutorial is claimed to employ some advanced techniques and require a high degree of skills, yet, thanks to thorough explanations and clean code snippets with comments, any newbie will be able to get an understanding of the cause just by carefully following all the steps.

How to Create Accordion Menu (CSS3+jQuery)

This is an improved version of the tutorial dedicated to crafting accordion menu only with CSS3. This time, the author has taken into account issues with browser compatibility by using jQuery for keeping the component away from crashes. He concisely covers the main steps, so that to grasp the idea completely, you need to read the original article.

Create Content Accordion in Pure CSS3

Valeriu Timbuc is a master of injecting life into static designs taken from popular UI sets. In the post, he will show you how to bring energy into an exquisite accordion design created by Vladimir Kudinov that works with both images and text relying only on CSS3. To be more precise, the realization is centered around a proper utilization of a ‘:target’ selector.

Create a Stylish Image Content Slider in Pure CSS3

The tutorial is written to encourage users to experiment with the latest features of CSS3. It walks through an incredible transformation of two ordinary unordered lists into a marvelous and good-looking component with a proper interface and beautiful transitions.

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One Response

  1. Kamil Jan 18, 9:02 pm