Clipping and masking are techniques used in web design to control the visibility of elements by defining specific regions of an element to show or hide.
In general, clipping is used in simple situations, and masking is used in more complex situations.
Clipping
Clipping involves defining a region of an element that is visible, and everything outside that region is hidden. It is strictly binary—either the content is visible (inside the clip area) or invisible (outside it).
- Uses shapes to define visibility.
- Does not support transparency or gradients.
- Content outside the clipping path is visually hidden but remains interactive and in the DOM.
The CSS property clip-path
supports this technique.
For example;
.clip-example {
width: 300px;
height: 300px;
background: url('https://via.placeholder.com/300') no-repeat center;
clip-path: circle(50% at center);
}
Masking
Masking defines visibility using an image or gradient that acts as a mask. The mask can have varying levels of transparency, allowing partial visibility and soft edges.
- Supports transparency and gradients.
- Allows for soft edges and complex shapes.
- Uses an image, gradient, or shape as a mask.
- Content outside the mask is not visible and does not remain interactive.
The CSS property mask
( or -webkit-mask
for better compatibility ) can be used.
For example;
.mask-example {
width: 300px;
height: 300px;
background: url('https://via.placeholder.com/300') no-repeat center;
mask-image: radial-gradient(circle, black 50%, transparent 51%);
-webkit-mask-image: radial-gradient(circle, black 50%, transparent 51%);
}
Differences Between Clipping and Masking
Tools & Solutions
Generating Your Clip Path
WebBae's Clip Path Bae App
https://webflow.com/apps/detail/clip-path-bae
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9ChDNewxtk&ab_channel=pixelgeek
Notes
CSS Tricks
https://css-tricks.com/almanac/properties/c/clip-path/
Vincent Bidaux's clipping and masking demo page
https://clipping-masking.webflow.io/
Masking discussion in the Webflow forum
https://discourse.webflow.com/t/masking-an-image-in-a-custom-shape/91772
https://discourse.webflow.com/t/responsive-svg-clipping-mask-on-image/155254
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MajMg7MKECc&ab_channel=AweStation-WebDesignandWebflowDevelopment
Demos
FAQs
Answers to frequently asked questions.