You want your website visitors to feel captivated, not bored. To create immersive experiences that grab attention and keep customers scrolling, use the parallax effect. This website design technique creates an illusion of depth by moving background elements at different speeds from the foreground, making your webpage feel dynamic and alive.
Parallax scrolling is one of the most visually compelling web design trends. Here’s how to transform your webpages from ordinary to extraordinary using this design effect.
What is parallax scrolling?
Parallax scrolling is a visual enhancement technique for web page designs. It uses different layers—a moving foreground layer above a slower background image—to give the page a sense of 3D depth and motion. To the human eye, the foreground seems to float above the background as users scroll vertically or horizontally.
Parallax scrolling draws inspiration from a multiplane camera, a traditional animation technique used in films since the 1930s. You may also recognize the parallax scrolling effect from computer graphics in vintage video games, where slow-scrolling backgrounds create a sense of depth while animated characters move rapidly in the foreground. This has been adapted for web pages, encouraging site visitors to engage and spend more time browsing the site.
How parallax scrolling works
Parallax scrolling relies on how our eyes perceive distance; objects closer to us appear to move faster than those farther away. The key is that a background image can be static or moving, while the foreground is moving or moving at a different speed than the background. By manipulating the scrolling speed of different content layers, you can simulate a 3D experience on a two-dimensional screen, creating an optical illusion that makes the website more dynamic.
Background images, often larger and taller than the viewport (the visible part of the webpage), move at a slower pace as you scroll, creating a sense of distance. The effect is similar to how an airplane approaching a distant runway seems slower than a nearby car on a highway.
Foreground elements like text and images move faster than the background, creating the illusion of being closer to the viewer.
How to add parallax scrolling to your website
- Use a theme with built-in parallax scrolling
- Use code editing to add parallax scrolling
- Test edited code for functionality
If you want to create a parallax scrolling effect, there are two main approaches: built-in website themes and code editing. Here’s how to enable parallax scrolling on a Shopify site.
Use a theme with built-in parallax scrolling
If HTML coding is not your skill set, there’s an easier option. Many Shopify themes include built-in parallax scrolling effects.
Start by browsing the Shopify Theme Store for themes with parallax scrolling. Use demo previews to see the feature in action. For example, the Parallax theme by Out of the Sandbox offers a demo store where you can try out parallax effects and consider the possibilities.
After adding a theme, go to your Shopify admin panel and review the customization options. You can configure parallax scrolling effects in sections called Parallax, Background Effects, or Animations. Many themes let you adjust parallax scrolling for specific areas of your website.
Use code editing to add parallax scrolling
If you’re comfortable with a coding language and want more customization options, code editing is a good option for you and your web designer.
First, select the sections of your site for parallax scrolling, like the product showcase area or hero banner. Next, set the background and foreground images. Prepare images at higher resolutions, yet still optimized for the web.
Search online for parallax scrolling code snippets. For instance, check out these parallax scrolling matches at CodePen. After adding a code snippet, edit the theme code in HTML and CSS to include the snippets, and tweak them for your own website’s particular layout.
Test edited code for functionality
Make sure all web template customizations and code snippets are compatible with your theme and rigorously tested.
Does parallax scrolling work properly on different screen sizes and devices, especially mobile devices? Do your images take long to load? This can diminish the impact of your animation effect. Optimize images to make them load faster by, among other things, making sure they’re properly sized and compressed. Parallax animations are most effective when the user feels drawn in, encouraging interaction.
Use the parallax effect sparingly. Overuse can clutter a web page. Bells and whistles are fun, but it’s easy to get carried away. It’s better to apply parallax scrolling selectively to make specific areas stand out.
Parallax scrolling examples
To understand the use of parallax scrolling and its suitability for your website, explore various examples of parallax. Once you see the effect in action, you’ll recognize its use on countless parallax scrolling websites. Study them from a functional standpoint. What are the best parallax effects? How do they engage users? Does the movement enhance or detract from usability? What are the most relevant design possibilities?
Here are three great parallax scrolling websites:
Sealaska Heritage
Sealaska Heritage, a nonprofit corporation promoting Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian culture, owns and operates the Sealaska Heritage Store, which sells Alaskan Native arts, apparel, and products.
The homepage and product category pages make inventive use of parallax scrolling, vertically and horizontally. Text floats over a slow-moving, sculpted vector graphic in muted red tones, creating a sense of motion and drama. Further down, a horizontal scrolling slide reel showcases beautiful gift objects against a background design.
Odio Mimonet
Odio Mimonet is a community-centered fashion brand based in Lagos, Nigeria, that specializes in chic, functional designs for all occasions.
The homepage experience leads with a great example of a full-width fashion photo with a subtle brand description overlay. As you scroll, photo backgrounds highlight featured sections, accompanied by floating text and call-to-action (CTA) buttons.
Green Beanery
Green Beanery says it offers the world’s largest variety of coffee, with 100 different beans and six roast types.
Its website uses a compelling web-optimized close-up of roasted coffee beans, with a clean, minimalist text overlay that moves above the background. As the users scroll, additional close-up images of the brand logo, coffee pot, cup, and beans appear, anchoring the user experience and reinforcing the brand story.
The semi-transparent top navigation menu bar partially reveals the background images and text below.
Parallax scrolling FAQ
What does parallax scrolling do?
Parallax scrolling is a web design technique to add depth to a webpage. As you scroll down the page, background elements appear to move slower than foreground content, creating a 3D effect that makes your website feel more dynamic and engaging.
Can you add parallax scrolling to a Shopify website?
Yes. Shopify offers a few ways to achieve the parallax effect on your website. Use a theme with built-in parallax scrolling functionality and customize it, or edit your theme code to add the effect. Search online for code snippets that you can repurpose. Just remember to prioritize mobile-friendliness and website performance.
Why is parallax scrolling a popular website trend?
Parallax scrolling makes scrolling feel like an adventure, keeping website visitors hooked and wanting to explore further. The layering of other elements reveals content progressively, like a story. It’s a captivating way to broaden the visual appeal of a website and increase brand recognition.
