Progressive Blur UI Overlay
Implement a customizable progressive gradient blur overlay at the top or bottom of the viewport using layered CSS backdrop-filters.
Views
230
Uses
5
Updated
March 18, 2026
Author
Aura community
Skill creator
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| keywords | web-design, ui-design, css, layout, best-practices, performance |
Progressive Blur Skill
Workflow
Confirm placement (top or bottom), height, and z-index relative to UI.
Provide the matching snippet and a short usage checklist.
Offer only targeted tweaks (height, blur steps, direction, opacity stops).
Usage checklist
Insert the HTML inside <body>.
Keep the .gradient-blur element near the top of the DOM.
Ensure the background behind it exists (backdrop-filter blurs what is behind).
Adjust z-index to sit above content but below modals.
Top blur (from top)
<div class="gradient-blur">
<div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>
</div>
<style>
.gradient-blur {
position: fixed;
z-index: 5;
inset: 0 0 auto 0;
height: 12%;
pointer-events: none;
}
.gradient-blur > div,
.gradient-blur::before,
.gradient-blur::after {
position: absolute;
inset: 0;
}
.gradient-blur::before {
content: "";
z-index: 1;
backdrop-filter: blur(0.5px);
mask: linear-gradient(to top,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 12.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 25%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 37.5%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(1) {
z-index: 2;
backdrop-filter: blur(1px);
mask: linear-gradient(to top,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 12.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 25%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 37.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 50%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(2) {
z-index: 3;
backdrop-filter: blur(2px);
mask: linear-gradient(to top,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 25%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 37.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 50%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 62.5%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(3) {
z-index: 4;
backdrop-filter: blur(4px);
mask: linear-gradient(to top,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 37.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 50%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 62.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 75%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(4) {
z-index: 5;
backdrop-filter: blur(8px);
mask: linear-gradient(to top,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 50%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 62.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 75%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 87.5%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(5) {
z-index: 6;
backdrop-filter: blur(16px);
mask: linear-gradient(to top,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 62.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 75%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 87.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 100%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(6) {
z-index: 7;
backdrop-filter: blur(32px);
mask: linear-gradient(to top,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 75%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 87.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 100%);
}
.gradient-blur::after {
content: "";
z-index: 8;
backdrop-filter: blur(64px);
mask: linear-gradient(to top,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 87.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 100%);
}
</style>
Bottom blur (from bottom)
<div class="gradient-blur">
<div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>
</div>
<style>
.gradient-blur {
position: fixed;
z-index: 5;
inset: auto 0 0 0;
height: 65%;
pointer-events: none;
}
.gradient-blur > div,
.gradient-blur::before,
.gradient-blur::after {
position: absolute;
inset: 0;
}
.gradient-blur::before {
content: "";
z-index: 1;
backdrop-filter: blur(0.5px);
mask: linear-gradient(to bottom,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 12.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 25%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 37.5%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(1) {
z-index: 2;
backdrop-filter: blur(1px);
mask: linear-gradient(to bottom,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 12.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 25%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 37.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 50%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(2) {
z-index: 3;
backdrop-filter: blur(2px);
mask: linear-gradient(to bottom,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 25%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 37.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 50%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 62.5%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(3) {
z-index: 4;
backdrop-filter: blur(4px);
mask: linear-gradient(to bottom,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 37.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 50%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 62.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 75%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(4) {
z-index: 5;
backdrop-filter: blur(8px);
mask: linear-gradient(to bottom,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 50%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 62.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 75%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 87.5%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(5) {
z-index: 6;
backdrop-filter: blur(16px);
mask: linear-gradient(to bottom,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 62.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 75%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 87.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 100%);
}
.gradient-blur > div:nth-of-type(6) {
z-index: 7;
backdrop-filter: blur(32px);
mask: linear-gradient(to bottom,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 75%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 87.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 100%);
}
.gradient-blur::after {
content: "";
z-index: 8;
backdrop-filter: blur(64px);
mask: linear-gradient(to bottom,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 87.5%,
rgba(0, 0, 0, 1) 100%);
}
</style>
Customization knobs
Direction: flip to top ↔ to bottom.
Height: adjust .gradient-blur height percentage.
Strength: change blur values (0.5px → 64px).
Steps: add/remove layers to control smoothness.
Common pitfalls
backdrop-filter needs content behind it; it will not blur a flat background.
High blur values are GPU-heavy; reduce steps on low-end devices.
Ensure pointer-events: none stays to avoid blocking clicks.
Questions to ask when specs are missing
Should the blur start from the top or bottom?
How tall should the blur area be?
Is performance a concern on lower-end devices?