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Hover Effects Collection

When to Use

When you need the right hover/active/focus effect for a specific UI element. This is a consolidated reference of proven hover patterns — the cookbook companion to Micro-Interactions which covers the principles.

Decision: Effect by Element Type

Element Recommended Effect Why
Button (primary) Subtle lift + shadow increase + brightness Feels clickable, provides feedback
Button (secondary/ghost) Background fill on hover Reveals affordance without being heavy
Card (clickable) Lift + shadow + slight scale Clearly interactive, not decorative
Card (non-clickable) None or very subtle shadow Don't imply clickability
Navigation link Underline reveal or background slide Clear focus indication
Image Zoom in container + overlay Shows interactivity, reveals action
Icon button Background circle reveal Common pattern (MD3, GitHub, etc.)
Table row Background highlight Helps track across columns
Tag/chip Brightness change Lightweight for small elements

Pattern: Button Lift

.btn {
  transition: transform var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-standard),
              box-shadow var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-standard),
              filter var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-standard);
}

.btn:hover {
  transform: translateY(-2px);
  box-shadow: 0 4px 12px oklch(0% 0 0 / 0.15);
  filter: brightness(1.08);
}

.btn:active {
  transform: translateY(0) scale(0.97);
  box-shadow: 0 1px 4px oklch(0% 0 0 / 0.1);
  transition-duration: var(--duration-instant);
}

Pattern: Background Fill (Ghost Button)

.btn--ghost {
  background: transparent;
  transition: background var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-standard),
              color var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-standard);
}

.btn--ghost:hover {
  background: color-mix(in oklch, var(--color-primary) 10%, transparent);
}

.btn--ghost:active {
  background: color-mix(in oklch, var(--color-primary) 16%, transparent);
}

Pattern: Card Hover (Lift + Border)

.card {
  transition: transform var(--duration-medium1) var(--ease-standard),
              box-shadow var(--duration-medium1) var(--ease-standard),
              border-color var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-standard);
  border: 1px solid oklch(90% 0 0);
}

.card:hover {
  transform: translateY(-4px);
  box-shadow: 0 8px 24px oklch(0% 0 0 / 0.12);
  border-color: oklch(80% 0 0);
}

/* Card with image zoom */
.card__image {
  overflow: hidden;
}

.card__image img {
  transition: transform var(--duration-medium2) var(--ease-standard);
}

.card:hover .card__image img {
  transform: scale(1.05);
}

/* Sliding underline from left */
.link {
  text-decoration: none;
  background-image: linear-gradient(currentColor, currentColor);
  background-size: 0% 2px;
  background-position: left bottom;
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
  transition: background-size var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-standard);
  padding-bottom: 2px;
}

.link:hover {
  background-size: 100% 2px;
}

/* Underline slide from center */
.link--center {
  background-position: center bottom;
}

Pattern: Image Overlay on Hover

.image-card {
  position: relative;
  overflow: hidden;
}

.image-card__overlay {
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  background: oklch(0% 0 0 / 0);
  display: grid;
  place-content: center;
  transition: background var(--duration-medium1) var(--ease-standard);
}

.image-card:hover .image-card__overlay {
  background: oklch(0% 0 0 / 0.5);
}

.image-card__overlay-text {
  color: white;
  opacity: 0;
  transform: translateY(8px);
  transition: opacity var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-decel),
              transform var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-decel);
}

.image-card:hover .image-card__overlay-text {
  opacity: 1;
  transform: translateY(0);
}

Pattern: Icon Button (Circle Reveal)

.icon-btn {
  width: 40px;
  height: 40px;
  border-radius: 50%;
  display: grid;
  place-content: center;
  background: transparent;
  transition: background var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-standard);
}

.icon-btn:hover {
  background: color-mix(in oklch, currentColor 8%, transparent);
}

.icon-btn:active {
  background: color-mix(in oklch, currentColor 16%, transparent);
}

Pattern: Table Row Highlight

.table tbody tr {
  transition: background var(--duration-instant) var(--ease-standard);
}

.table tbody tr:hover {
  background: oklch(97% 0 0);
}

/* Dark mode */
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  .table tbody tr:hover {
    background: oklch(20% 0 0);
  }
}

Pattern: 3D Tilt on Hover

.tilt-card {
  perspective: 800px;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
}

.tilt-card__inner {
  transition: transform var(--duration-medium1) var(--ease-standard);
}

/* CSS-only approximation (for JS-tracked mouse position, see 3D Transforms guide) */
.tilt-card:hover .tilt-card__inner {
  transform: rotateX(-3deg) rotateY(3deg) translateZ(10px);
}

Pattern: Magnetic Hover (Scale + Translate)

.magnetic-item {
  transition: transform var(--duration-fast) var(--ease-decel);
}

.magnetic-item:hover {
  transform: scale(1.1);
}

/* Combined with slight movement toward cursor direction */
.magnetic-item:hover:has(+ .magnetic-item) {
  transform: scale(1.1) translateX(-4px); /* Move away from next sibling */
}

Performance Rules for Hover Effects

  1. Safe to animate on hover: transform, opacity, filter, box-shadow, background-color, border-color, clip-path
  2. Avoid animating on hover: width, height, top, left, margin, padding (causes layout reflow)
  3. Duration: hover-in 150–200ms, hover-out 100–150ms (faster out feels snappier)
  4. Active press: always faster than hover (≤75ms) with scale(0.97) feedback

Common Mistakes

  • Hover effects on non-interactive elements — don't add hover effects to decorative elements; it implies clickability
  • Missing focus-visible styles — every hover effect needs a keyboard focus equivalent
  • Too much movement — keep hover translateY to 2-4px maximum; more feels cartoonish
  • Same duration for enter and exit — hover-out should be 25-50% shorter than hover-in
  • Forgetting prefers-reduced-motion — replace movement with opacity/color changes

See Also