Mohtashim Jamal

The most obvious use of modal windows is for the lightbox, which showcases images and video in a clean and usable fashion. By using a lightbox for images, users don’t have to load a new page just to view a single image or video. Modal windows also save space in the content layout by allowing you to show only the thumbnail of an image or video, which opens the modal window when clicked. By using a thumbnail instead of the entire element, you take up much less space and the layout looks more organized.

Furthermore, you would usually blur or fade out the background behind a modal window, putting the focus on the image or video itself, thus creating an excellent environment in which site visitors can view the media. For details on fading and blurring out the background of a modal window, see the styling practices outlined below.

When using a lightbox for an image gallery, be sure to link every image to the same lightbox, providing “Next” and “Previous” buttons to allow users to navigate the image set with ease. The user then does not have to close and re-open the modal window to view each image in the gallery.