Every website has text links. Normally it’s used hover selector and change text colour which is very simple effect. I was wondering if I can add better effect so this article will share how to add cool effect using CSS3.

Table Contents

1. Previous Knowledge
2. Change Text Link Colour Using Transition
3. Change Text Link Background Colour
4. Blurred Text Link
5. Glowing Text Link
6. Rounded Corner Text Link
7. Rainbow Colour Text Link
8. Change Text Size
9. Rotate Text Link
10. Rolling Text Link – Web Designer Depot Style

1. Previous Knowledge

All effects that I shared in this article are used transition property. It changes from one style to another, without using Flash animations or JavaScripts. These websites will help you to understand:

• CSS3 Transition
• CSS3 Fundametals: CSS 3 Transitions

Vendor Prefixes

You’ll see a lot of similar properties using -webkit- or -moz-below. They are called Vendor prefixes. Vendor prefixes are a way for browser makers to add support for new CSS features in a sort of testing and experimentation period.

• -webkit- → Google Chrome、Safari
• -moz- → Firefox
• -o- → Opera
• -ms- → Internet Explorer

There are some properties that you don’t need to add vendor prefixes anymore like border-radius. You can check “CSS current work & how to participate“.

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2. Change Text Link Colour Using Transition

Demo

CSS

a{
    color: #03c;
    -webkit-transition: 0.5s;
    -moz-transition: 0.5s;
    -o-transition: 0.5s;
    -ms-transition: 0.5s;
    transition: 0.5s;
}
a:hover {
    color: #39f;
}

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3. Change Text Link Background Colour

Demo

CSS

a{
    color:#fff;
    background: #03c;
    text-decoration:none;
    padding:0 3px;
    -webkit-transition: 0.5s;
    -moz-transition: 0.5s;
    -o-transition: 0.5s;
    -ms-transition: 0.5s;
    transition: 0.5s;
}

a:hover {
    background: #39f;
}

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4. Blurred Text Link

You can make burred text using text-shadow .

Demo

CSS

a{
    color: #03c;
    -webkit-transition: 0.5s;
     -moz-transition: 0.5s;
     -o-transition: 0.5s;
     -ms-transition: 0.5s;
     transition: 0.5s;
}
a:hover {
    color: transparent;
    text-shadow: 0 0 5px #03c;
}

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5. Glowing Text Link

It’s the same idea as burred text, using text-shadow and make font colour white.

Demo

CSS

a{
    color: #03c;
    -webkit-transition: 0.5s;
     -moz-transition: 0.5s;
     -o-transition: 0.5s;
     -ms-transition: 0.5s;
     transition: 0.5s;
}

a:hover {
    color: #fff;
    text-shadow: -1px 1px 5px #03c, 1px -1px 5px #03c;
}

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6. Rounded Corner Text Link

Demo

CSS

a{
    color:#fff;
    background: #03c;
    text-decoration:none;
    padding:0 3px;
    -webkit-transition: 0.5s;
    -moz-transition: 0.5s;
    -o-transition: 0.5s;
    -ms-transition: 0.5s;
    transition: 0.5s;
}
a:hover {
    border-radius:30px;
}

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7. Rainbow Colour Text Link

Using -webkit-background-clip: text; which supports only webkit browsers.

Demo

CSS

a{
    color: #03c;
    -webkit-transition: 0.5s;
    -moz-transition: 0.5s;
    -o-transition: 0.5s;
    -ms-transition: 0.5s;
    transition: 0.5s;
}

a:hover {
    -webkit-background-clip: text;
    -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent;
    background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(left, #f69, #fc0, #3c3, #09f, #96f);
    background-image: -moz-linear-gradient(left, #f69, #fc0, #3c3, #09f, #96f);
    background-image: -o-linear-gradient(left, #f69, #fc0, #3c3, #09f, #96f);
    background-image: -ms-linear-gradient(left, #f69, #fc0, #3c3, #09f, #96f);
}

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8. Change Text Size

Add display: inline-block; to a tag because it’s an inline element.

Demo

CSS

a{
    display: inline-block;
    color: #03c;
    -webkit-transition: 0.5s;
    -moz-transition: 0.5s;
    -o-transition: 0.5s;
    -ms-transition: 0.5s;
    transition: 0.5s;
}

a:hover {
    -webkit-transform: scale(1.5,1.5);
    -moz-transform: scale(1.5,1.5);
    -o-transform: scale(1.5,1.5);
    -ms-transform: scale(1.5,1.5);
    transform: scale(1.5,1.5);
}

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9. Rotate Text Link

Demo

CSS

a{
    display: inline-block;
    color: #03c;
    -webkit-transition: 0.5s;
    -moz-transition: 0.5s;
    -o-transition: 0.5s;
    -ms-transition: 0.5s;
    transition: 0.5s;
}

a:hover {
    -webkit-transform: rotate(10deg);
    -moz-transform: rotate(10deg);
    -o-transform: rotate(10deg);
    -ms-transform: rotate(10deg);
    transform: rotate(10deg);
}

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10. Rolling Text Link – Web Designer Depot Style

This is the effect that Webdesigner Depot is using. It’s used span in order to make it a block element and also used :after and content to show pseudo-elements etc… It looks complicated but amazing effect!

Demo

HTML

<a href="#"><span data-title="Text Link">Text Link</span></a>

CSS

a{
    color: #03c;
    display: inline-block;
    overflow: hidden;
    vertical-align: top;
    -webkit-perspective: 600px;
    -moz-perspective: 600px;
    -o-perspective: 600px;
    -ms-perspective: 600px;
    perspective: 600px;
    -webkit-perspective-origin: 50% 50%;
    -moz-perspective-origin: 50% 50%;
    -o-perspective-origin: 50% 50%;
    -ms-perspective-origin: 50% 50%;
    perspective-origin: 50% 50%;
}

a span{
    display: block;
    position: relative;
    padding: 0 2px;
    -webkit-transition: all 400ms ease;
    -moz-transition: all 400ms ease;
    -o-transition: all 400ms ease;
    -ms-transition: all 400ms ease;
    transition: all 400ms ease;
    -webkit-transform-origin: 50% 0%;
    -moz-transform-origin: 50% 0%;
    -o-transform-origin: 50% 0%;
    -ms-transform-origin: 50% 0%;
    transform-origin: 50% 0%;
    -webkit-transform-style: preserve-3d;
    -moz-transform-style: preserve-3d;
    -o-transform-style: preserve-3d;
    -ms-transform-style: preserve-3d;
    transform-style: preserve-3d;
}

a:hover span {
    background: #03c;
    -webkit-transform: translate3d( 0px, 0px, -30px ) rotateX( 90deg );
    -moz-transform: translate3d( 0px, 0px, -30px ) rotateX( 90deg );
    -o-transform: translate3d( 0px, 0px, -30px ) rotateX( 90deg );
    -ms-transform: translate3d( 0px, 0px, -30px ) rotateX( 90deg );
    transform: translate3d( 0px, 0px, -30px ) rotateX( 90deg );
}

a span:after {
    content: attr(data-title);
    display: block;
    position: absolute;
    left: 0;
    top: 0;
    padding: 0 2px;
    color: #fff;
    background: #03c;
    -webkit-transform-origin: 50% 0%;
    -moz-transform-origin: 50% 0%;
    -o-transform-origin: 50% 0%;
    -ms-transform-origin: 50% 0%;
    transform-origin: 50% 0%;
    -webkit-transform: translate3d( 0px, 105%, 0px ) rotateX( -90deg );
    -moz-transform: translate3d( 0px, 105%, 0px ) rotateX( -90deg );
    -o-transform: translate3d( 0px, 105%, 0px ) rotateX( -90deg );
    -ms-transform: translate3d( 0px, 105%, 0px ) rotateX( -90deg );
    transform: translate3d( 0px, 105%, 0px ) rotateX( -90deg );
}

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How easy to add cool effect using CSS3!