Creating a shine effect on a card with Tailwind CSS

A shimmer or shiny effect is a popular technique that adds an extra layer of interactivity and aesthetics to your components. We can use it for a loader, a button, or a card for example. It is a great way to draw attention to a specific part of your UI. In this article, I will show you how to create a shine effect on a card with Tailwind CSS and vanilla CSS.

The idea

Below is the effect we'll create. The three cards demonstrate different shine positions at 45deg, 90deg, and 135deg respectively. Hover over each card to see the effect in action.

Hello!

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Hello!

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Impedit ex obcaecati natus eligendi delectus, cum deleniti sunt in labore nihil quod quibusdam expedita nemo.

Hello!

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Vanilla CSS

Let's start with the vanilla CSS version.

export const CardShineEffectCSS = () => {
  return (
    <div className="card-shine-effect">
      <span className="icon">
        <svg
          xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
          fill="none"
          viewBox="0 0 24 24"
          stroke="currentColor"
          aria-hidden="true"
        />
      </span>
      <h3 className="title">Hello!</h3>
      <p className="description">
        Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Impedit ex
        obcaecati natus eligendi delectus, cum deleniti sunt in labore nihil
        quod quibusdam expedita nemo.
      </p>
    </div>
  );
};

.card-shine-effect {
  --shine-deg: 45deg;
  position: relative;
  overflow: hidden;
  border-radius: 0.875rem;
  border: 1px solid rgb(15 23 42);
  background-color: rgb(9 9 11);
  padding: 4rem 2rem;
  box-shadow: 0 25px 50px -12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25);
  max-width: 28rem;
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
  background-position: -100% 0, 0 0;
  background-image: linear-gradient(
    var(--shine-deg),
    transparent 20%,
    transparent 40%,
    rgb(68, 68, 68, 0.2) 50%,
    rgb(68, 68, 68, 0.2) 55%,
    transparent 70%,
    transparent 100%
  );
  background-size: 250% 250%, 100% 100%;
  transition: background-position 0s ease;
}
.card-shine-effect:hover {
  background-position: 200%0, 0 0;
  transition-duration: 1.5s;
}
.icon {
  margin-bottom: 1rem;
  display: inline-flex;
}
.icon > svg {
  border-radius: 0.375rem;
  width: 40px;
  height: 40px;
  display: inline-flex;
  background: #2563eb;
}
.title {
  color: #fff;
  font-size: 16px;
  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
}
.description {
  font-size: 14px;
  color: rgb(148 163 184);
}

The .card-shine-effect class is the primary class where the shine effect is implemented. This class defines a linear gradient background that creates the shine effect. This effect moves across the card when it's hovered over, simulating the look of a light source moving across a glossy surface.

The --shine-deg: 45deg is a CSS variable that sets the angle of the shine effect.

background-image: linear-gradient(...) is where the shine effect is created, using a linear gradient that transitions between transparent and slightly lighter colors.
background-position: -100% 0, 0 0 and background-size: 250% 250%, 100% 100% help to set up the initial state of the shine effect. The effect starts outside of the view.
transition: background-position 0s ease ensures a smooth transition of the background position, which is what creates the shine effect.
.card-shine-effect:hover {...} changes the background-position to create a moving shine effect when the user hovers over the card.

Tailwind CSS

And here is the Tailwind CSS version in a React component.

export const CardShineEffect = () => {
  return (
    <div className="bg-[linear-gradient(45deg,transparent_25%,rgba(68,68,68,.2)_50%,transparent_75%,transparent_100%)] bg-zinc-950 relative max-w-md overflow-hidden rounded-xl border border-slate-900 bg-[length:250%_250%,100%_100%] bg-[position:-100%_0,0_0] bg-no-repeat px-8 py-16 shadow-2xl transition-[background-position_0s_ease] hover:bg-[position:200%_0,0_0] hover:duration-[1500ms]">
      <span className="mb-4 inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md bg-blue-600 p-2 shadow-lg">
        <svg
          className="h-6 w-6 text-white"
          xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
          fill="none"
          viewBox="0 0 24 24"
          stroke="currentColor"
          aria-hidden="true"
        />
      </span>
      <h3 className="mb-2 font-medium tracking-tight text-white">Hello!</h3>
      <p className="text-sm text-slate-400">
        Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Impedit ex
        obcaecati natus eligendi delectus, cum deleniti sunt in labore nihil
        quod quibusdam expedita nemo.
      </p>
    </div>
  );
};

If you want to modify the angle of the shine effect, you can update the 45deg value.

Conclusion

In this article, we learned how to create a shine effect on a card with Tailwind CSS and vanilla CSS. I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new. If you want another cool effect on a card, you can learn to create an animated gradient border. Or for more cool stuff with Tailwind CSS or vanilla CSS, dive into my other articles. Thanks for reading!

Published: 5/19/2023

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Julien Thibeaut

Creating a shine effect on a card with Tailwind CSS

The idea

Hello!

Hello!

Hello!

Vanilla CSS

Tailwind CSS

Conclusion