Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Text Blend Effect with HTML & CSS

Are you looking to give a unique look to your website’s content? In this short tutorial, we’ll teach you how to make an impressive text blend effect with just HTML as well as CSS. If you’re just starting out or just want to improve your skills in design, this trick is easy and yet effective. So let’s get started and make your text stand out in a distinctive fashion!
Setting Up the HTML Code
Let’s start by writing the basic HTML structure for our text blend effect. Below is the complete HTML code followed by a breakdown of what each part does:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<link href="style.css" rel="stylesheet" />
</head>
<body>
<div class="wrapper">
<h1 class="heading-text">
FOREST
</h1>
</div>
</body>
</html>
Explanation:
<!DOCTYPE html>
— This declaration defines the document type and version of HTML being used (HTML5 in this case).<html>
— The root element that wraps all the content on the page.<head>
— Contains metadata about the document. Here, we’re linking an external CSS file namedstyle.css
that will style our elements.<body>
— This is where the visible content of the page goes.<div class="wrapper">
— A container element that wraps the heading. We’ll use this later for positioning or layout styling.<h1 class="heading-text">
— Our main headline. This is the text that will have the blend effect.<span class="text-texture"></span>
— This empty span will be styled with CSS to apply the texture or background blend behind the text.
CSS Code for the Text Blend Effect
Now that we’ve set up the HTML structure, let’s bring our text to life using CSS. Below is the complete CSS code that creates the blend effect, followed by an explanation of what each part does:
.wrapper {
margin: 150px auto;
}
.heading-text {
color: transparent;
font-family: impact, sans-serif;
font-size: 20vw;
letter-spacing: 0.05em;
background-image: url(https://images.pexels.com/photos/9754/mountains-clouds-forest-fog.jpg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&w=1260&h=750&dpr=1);
background-size: cover;
background-position: center center;
background-clip: text;
-webkit-background-clip: text;
text-align: center;
}
Explanation:
.wrapper
This is the outer container for our text.
.heading-text
This is the main text element that we’re applying the effect to.
color: transparent
hides the default text color so the background image shows through the text instead.background-image
sets the texture or photo you want to appear within the text.background-clip: text
(and its webkit version) makes the background image visible only through the text shape.font-size: 20vw
makes the text super large and responsive based on the viewport width.text-align: center
centers the heading horizontally.
And that’s it for the CSS part! This simple combo of HTML and CSS gives you a sleek, eye-catching text blend effect without needing any JavaScript.
See the Live Text Blend Effect in Action
Want to see how it all comes together? Check out the live preview below! This embedded CodePen shows exactly how the HTML and CSS create the text blend effect in real time. Feel free to interact with it, tweak the code, and experiment with different background images or fonts to make it your own.
See the Pen Text Blend Effect using HTML & CSS by Rohail Ali (@Rohail1123) on CodePen.
Final Thoughts
Making the effect of blending text using the simplest of HTML and CSS can be a fantastic option to create visual interest for your website, without relying on a large library or JavaScript. It doesn’t matter if you’re making your personal portfolio, landing page, or even a project that you’re working on; the technique will give the text an energizing, contemporary look. You can customize your background images as well as font styles and blending styles to suit your branding or style. Have fun coding!