As the internet has grown, the technology involved with developing a website has grown alongside it. The minds of developers today are becoming more creative in the ways of developing a website, with the biggest new trend being the Parallax Scroll effect. The parallax effect has taken scrolling on the web to a whole new level by creating depth, movement and overall excitement within any website using it.
Although parallax scrolling appears to create depth, it is simply applying the illusion of depth to a 2D design by forcing the background images to move slower than the foreground. The layered effect is controlled by the CSS z-index property, while the physical movement and speed of the background images are determined with the help of JavaScript.
Even though the parallax scrolling technique is fairly new to the world of web, it actually emerged from the technique called “multiplane camera” from traditional 1940s animations, but didn’t take off until the 1980s with the growing popularity in arcade games.
This technology can really enhance the overall look and feel of any website. Unfortunately, there is a con to the flashiness of the parallax effect; it’s too flashy. It can take away from the user absorbing the content on the site since they are fascinated by the movement of the background images. Ultimately, if the effect is used sparingly and very subtly within the website, the user can still focus on the content while enjoying the excitement of the beautiful web.
By Anthony DeGasperis, Web Developer