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How do I add space between images in HTML?

Published in HTML Styling 3 mins read

To add space between images in HTML, you can use CSS to control the spacing around the images. The most common and effective methods are using margin or padding properties applied directly to the image elements or to a containing element.

Here's a breakdown of the methods:

1. Using the margin Property

The margin property adds space outside the image's border. This is generally the preferred way to add space between images.

  • Inline Styling (not recommended for large projects):

    <img src="image1.jpg" style="margin: 10px;">
<img src="image2.jpg" style="margin: 10px;">

    This adds a 10-pixel margin to all sides of both images. You can specify different margins for each side:

    <img src="image1.jpg" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;">
<img src="image2.jpg" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;">

  • Internal/External Stylesheet (recommended):

    This is the cleaner and more maintainable approach. In your <head> section (for internal) or in a separate .css file (for external), define a CSS rule:

    /* Internal CSS (within <style> tags in <head>) */
img {
  margin: 10px; /* Applies to all images */
}

.image-spacing {
  margin: 5px; /*Applies to all images with the class "image-spacing"*/
}

    Or for specific margins:

    /* Internal CSS (within <style> tags in <head>) */
img {
  margin-top: 5px;
  margin-bottom: 5px;
  margin-left: 10px;
  margin-right: 10px;
}
.image-spacing {
  margin-top: 5px;
  margin-bottom: 5px;
  margin-left: 10px;
  margin-right: 10px;
}

    Then, apply the class (if applicable) to your images:

    <img src="image1.jpg" class="image-spacing">
<img src="image2.jpg" class="image-spacing">

    Or, if you want the style to apply to every image on the page, you do not need to add the class to each img tag.

2. Using the padding Property

The padding property adds space inside the image's border. This will add space around the contents of the image element (which is the image itself). While you technically can use padding, margin is the generally preferred and more intuitive way to add spacing between elements.

  • Example (using an internal/external stylesheet):

    img {
  padding: 10px;
}

    This adds 10 pixels of padding around the image within its border.

3. Using a Containing Element

You can wrap your images in div elements and apply margin or padding to the div instead. This can be useful for grouping images and applying consistent spacing.

<div style="margin-right: 20px; display: inline-block;">
    <img src="image1.jpg">
</div>
<div style="margin-right: 20px; display: inline-block;">
    <img src="image2.jpg">
</div>

In this example, we use display: inline-block; to ensure the divs are placed side-by-side, and margin-right adds space to the right of each image. Using an internal/external stylesheet is recommended over inline styling for maintainability.

Summary

The best method for adding space between images is generally to use the margin property with an internal or external stylesheet. This provides the most control and makes your code more maintainable. Remember that padding adds space inside the element's border, while margin adds space outside the element's border.

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