html coding background image and email optimization

Let's talk about optimizing your background images for email. A good rule of thumb is to keep your image file size under 100KB. This ensures that your email loads quickly and doesn't get stuck in spam filters.

For HTML coding, a common technique is to use the `background-image` property in CSS. This allows you to set a background image for an element without having to use a separate image tag. You can also use the `background-repeat` property to control how the image is repeated.

Intriguing read: Html Email Coding

Image properties play a crucial role in how your background image behaves in an email client. By default, a background image repeats on both the x and y axes.

To control this repetition, you can use the background-size property, which can be set to either "cover" or "contain". This allows you to choose how your image fits within its container.

A background image is also top-left aligned to the element by default, and is sized at the actual scale of the image file.

Check this out: Coding for Background Color in Html

Using keywords like left, right, top, bottom, or center is a straightforward way to set background-position values. These keywords behave as you'd expect, so you can easily experiment with different combinations.

Try using left or center for the first value, and you'll see that the background image moves to the left or centers itself horizontally. Conversely, using bottom or top for the second value will move the background image to the bottom or top of the element.

Changing the background-position property to only provide one value will still have an effect, albeit a bit more subtle.

Resizing a background image is a great way to control its size, and it's done using the background-size property. This property takes in two values, one for the horizontal (x) size and one for the vertical (y) size.

You can use pixels, like so: background-size: 100px 100px;. This will set the image to be 100 pixels wide and 100 pixels tall. If you don't know the exact width of the container, there are specific values you can use instead.

Consider reading: Change Html Text Size

Here are some common values for the background-size property:

In some cases, using background-size: cover; will crop off parts of the image, while background-size: contain; will make the image shrink to fit the section tag.

The no-repeat value stops the image from repeating itself from all directions. The image is only shown once.

If you apply a background image to an element and it's smaller than the tag, the no-repeat value will prevent it from repeating in all directions.

By default, background images repeat in both directions if they aren't large enough to fill all the available space, so using no-repeat is a good idea.

The no-repeat value is especially useful when you want a background image to appear only once, without any repetition.

It's worth noting that the no-repeat value is a specific value of the background-repeat property, which can be used to control how background images repeat.

Color plays a huge role in making our images stand out. A background color can be added to almost any HTML element using the background-color property followed by a valid color definition.

Adding a background color can completely transform the look and feel of your image. Background colors sit behind any text, images, or other content and extend to the bounds of the element, including any padding applied.

You can experiment with different colors to find the perfect fit for your image. In the demo above, try changing the background color using other named colors, hexadecimal colors, or rgb colors.

By default, a background image repeats on both the x and y axes, is top-left aligned to the element, and is sized at its actual scale. You can change this behavior using the background-repeat property.

The background-repeat property can specify for a background image to repeat only in one direction or the other, or to not repeat at all. You can use the no-repeat value to stop the image from repeating itself from all directions.

Here are the options for the background-repeat property:

You can determine the position of your background image within its containing box by using the background-position property. This property allows you to specify the image's position by using units, keywords, or percentages.

The background-position property accepts two values: an x-axis position and a y-axis position. By default, a background image is positioned in the top-left of the element to which it is applied.

You can move the image across and down the containing tag by specifying values in pixels, like background-position: 20px 30px;. This will move the image 20px across and 30px down the containing tag.

Alternatively, you can use keywords like right, left, top, down, or center to place the image at the desired position. To center the image both horizontally and vertically, you would do background-position: center center;.

Using percentages can also help you position the image with finer detail, like background-position: 20% 40%;, which positions the image 20% across the tag and 40% down the tag.

You can also specify just one value, like background-position: 20px;, which applies it to both directions. This can be a convenient way to center the image, for example, by using background-position: center;.

Expand your knowledge: How to Move Text in Css

Background images repeat by default in both directions if they aren't large enough to fill all the available space. This can be a problem if you want a solid color background or if your image is too small.

The background-repeat property can specify for a background image to repeat only in one direction or the other, or to not repeat at all. For example, using repeat-x will repeat the image horizontally, while repeat-y will repeat it vertically.

If your image is smaller than the element it's the background of, it will repeat in order to fill in the tag. To stop this from happening, you can use the no-repeat value, which will only show the image once.

Here's a summary of the repeat options:

Making your email background images responsive is crucial, especially since over 70% of consumers primarily view emails on a mobile device. This means you need to make sure your images adapt to different screen sizes to deliver the best experience.

To add responsiveness to your email background images, you can use a class like "width100pc" and include the corresponding CSS in the head of the email. This can be done within a current media query or its own.

Using the vw measurement, you can set the image width to 100vw to make it responsive and 100% width. This is useful for creating a seamless experience across different devices.

By setting a class like "bgmobile", you can change how your background image behaves within the same media query. This is particularly useful for swapping to an optimized mobile image for the background.

To control the size of the background image, you can use the background-size property, which takes in two values for the horizontal (x) size and one for the vertical (y) size. You can use pixels or specific values like "cover" or "contain" to achieve the desired effect.

Here are the specific values you can use for the background-size property:

Keep in mind that when using background-size: cover, the image will get stretched and cropped at its edges if it's too big. On the other hand, background-size: contain will make sure the whole image is shown, but if it's much smaller than the tag, there will be space left empty.