Link Preview Tooltip With Image: Pure CSS Tooltip

Link Preview Tooltip With Image

A link that drops a preview card with a thumbnail, title, summary and URL. The picture settles from a slow zoom as it opens. The thumbnail here is drawn in CSS, so swap in your img.

Also known as: image preview on hover css, link hover card, wikipedia style link preview.

Color Base size 16px Dark background Hold hover state

HTML

<span class="tip-link-preview">
  <a href="#" aria-describedby="tip-link-preview-tip">Alpine lakes guide<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" aria-hidden="true"><path d="M8 16 16 8M9.5 8H16v6.5"/></svg></a>
  <span class="tip-link-preview-tip" id="tip-link-preview-tip" role="tooltip">
    <span class="tip-link-preview-img" aria-hidden="true"><span class="tip-link-preview-scene"></span></span>
    <span class="tip-link-preview-text">
      <b>Alpine Lakes Guide</b>
      Routes, maps and the best time to go.
      <small>trails.example/lakes</small>
    </span>
  </span>
</span>

CSS

.tip-link-preview {
  --c: var(--tip-color, #3b82f6);
  font-size: var(--tip-size, 16px);
  position: relative;
  display: inline-flex;
  margin-bottom: 5em; /* room for the card in this preview */
}
.tip-link-preview a {
  display: inline-flex;
  align-items: center;
  gap: 0.15em;
  border-radius: 0.2em;
  color: var(--c);
  font: 600 1em/1.4 system-ui, sans-serif;
  text-decoration: underline;
  text-decoration-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 40%, transparent);
  text-decoration-thickness: 0.08em;
  text-underline-offset: 0.25em;
  transition: text-decoration-color 0.2s ease;
}
.tip-link-preview svg {
  width: 1em;
  height: 1em;
  transition: transform 0.3s cubic-bezier(0.3, 1.5, 0.5, 1);
}
.tip-link-preview:hover a { text-decoration-color: var(--c); }
.tip-link-preview:hover svg { transform: translate(0.12em, -0.12em); }
.tip-link-preview a:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid var(--c);
  outline-offset: 2px;
}
.tip-link-preview-tip {
  position: absolute;
  top: calc(100% + 0.7em);
  left: 50%;
  z-index: 10;
  display: flex;
  gap: 0.8em;
  box-sizing: border-box;
  width: 21em;
  padding: 0.6em 0.8em 0.6em 0.6em;
  border: 1px solid rgb(15 23 42 / 0.12);
  border-radius: 0.8em;
  background: #fff;
  box-shadow: 0 1em 2em -0.8em rgb(15 23 42 / 0.4);
  color: #475569;
  font: 400 0.8em/1.4 system-ui, sans-serif;
  opacity: 0;
  visibility: hidden;
  pointer-events: none;
  transform: translate(-50%, -0.5em);
  transition: opacity 0.2s ease, transform 0.35s cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.8, 0.2, 1), visibility 0.35s;
}
.tip-link-preview-img {
  flex: none;
  width: 6.5em;
  overflow: hidden;
  border-radius: 0.5em;
}
/* sky, sun, two mountain ridges and a lake: stand-ins for a real image */
.tip-link-preview-scene {
  position: relative;
  display: block;
  height: 100%;
  background:
    radial-gradient(circle at 70% 30%, #fde68a 0 0.6em, transparent 0.65em),
    linear-gradient(color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 35%, #fff), #fff7ed);
  transform: scale(1.35);
  transition: transform 1.2s cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.8, 0.2, 1);
}
.tip-link-preview-scene::before,
.tip-link-preview-scene::after {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  right: 0;
  bottom: 0;
  left: 0;
}
.tip-link-preview-scene::before {
  top: 38%;
  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 45%, #fff);
  clip-path: polygon(0 55%, 22% 12%, 42% 45%, 64% 0, 100% 48%, 100% 100%, 0 100%);
}
.tip-link-preview-scene::after {
  top: 55%;
  background: linear-gradient(color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 70%, #0f172a) 62%, color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 30%, #fff) 62%);
  clip-path: polygon(0 35%, 30% 0, 55% 40%, 78% 12%, 100% 38%, 100% 100%, 0 100%);
}
.tip-link-preview-text { padding: 0.15em 0; }
.tip-link-preview-text b {
  display: block;
  margin-bottom: 0.15em;
  color: #0f172a;
  font-size: 1.1em;
  font-weight: 700;
}
.tip-link-preview-text small {
  display: block;
  margin-top: 0.35em;
  color: var(--c);
  font-size: 0.85em;
  font-weight: 600;
}
.tip-link-preview:hover .tip-link-preview-tip,
.tip-link-preview:focus-within .tip-link-preview-tip {
  opacity: 1;
  visibility: visible;
  transform: translate(-50%, 0);
}
.tip-link-preview:hover .tip-link-preview-scene,
.tip-link-preview:focus-within .tip-link-preview-scene { transform: scale(1); }

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .tip-link-preview, .tip-link-preview *, .tip-link-preview::before, .tip-link-preview::after, .tip-link-preview *::before, .tip-link-preview *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

Customizing this snippet

Color: set --tip-color on the element or a parent. Currently previewing #3b82f6.
Base size: set --tip-size. Every other dimension is in em, so the whole thing scales together. Currently previewing 16px.
Speed: change the duration on the transition or animation shorthand. Staggered delays are relative, so they keep their rhythm.
Reduced motion: the rule at the end of the CSS turns the motion off for people who asked their OS for less of it. Keep it.

Link Preview Tooltip With Image

HTML

CSS

Customizing this snippet

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