Download Shadowbox.js

Commercial licenses are available for developers that would like to use Shadowbox for a commercial purpose.

Shadowbox is an online media viewer application that supports all of the web's most popular media publishing formats. Shadowbox is written entirely in JavaScript and CSS and is highly customizable. Using Shadowbox, website authors can showcase a wide assortment of media in all major browsers without navigating users away from the linking page.

Features

What sets Shadowbox apart from every other "box" out there?

Standards
Shadowbox uses HTML markup that validates. It doesn't depend on phony HTML attributes in your anchor tags to make it work. The web has enough problems with standards compliance as it is, and Shadowbox does its best to not perpetuate them.
Smart
Shadowbox uses a smart plugin detection mechanism behind the scenes that can spare your users from confusing torn image or puzzle piece icons when they don't have the plugins they need to view your content. Also, it will never overflow the viewport, forcing those obnoxious scroll bars.
Free from Frameworks
Although Shadowbox has the unique ability to adapt to whatever JavaScript framework you choose, it's just as easy to run it as a standalone application, giving the developer a great deal of flexibility.
Flexible
Shadowbox supports all of the web's most popular media publishing formats including images, QuickTime, Windows Media Player, Flash, Flash video, HTML, and even external web pages. This makes it easy to display your content, no matter what it is.
Customizable
Shadowbox supports a host of options that make it highly configurable. If you don't like the way something works, chances are very good that you can change it without digging through the code.
Universal
Shadowbox ships with support for many of the world's most-spoken languages, making it easy to configure Shadowbox to communicate with your visitors in their native tongue.
Neat and Compact
The Shadowbox code is neat, modular, and compact. You can even create a custom build of the code that includes just the features you need so it's as light weight as possible.
Plays Well with Others
Shadowbox tries to be as unobtrusive as possible. If your client doesn't have JavaScript enabled, it will stay completely out of the way and allow the page to function normally.

Demos

Images

Single Image (Flickr) Image Gallery (slideshow)

Thumb Gallery

Unlike the previous image gallery, this one is triggered by thumbnail links. It also uses a skip counter, synchronous animations, and is continuous.

Red Blue Grey

Large Image

You may have to shrink your browser window to view the difference between the various options here. See the handleOversize option for more information.

Clipped (no resizing) Resized Draggable

Image Map

Shadowbox supports client-side image maps through the use of area tags.

Hong Kong

Flash

Shadowbox is able to display Flash through the use of the Flash player. Flash video is also supported.

Single SWF SWF Gallery Flash Video

Movies

Shadowbox supports all of the web's most popular movie formats including QuickTime, Flash video, and Windows Media Player.

YouTube Apple Trailer Yahoo! Video
Vimeo Google Video

Windows Media (wmv)

Web

This Page External Site Google Maps

Miscellaneous

Inline Content Simple Form Script-triggered Message Script-triggered Gallery

License

Shadowbox is licensed under the terms of the Shadowbox.js License. This license grants personal, non-commercial users the right to use Shadowbox without paying a fee. It also provides an option for users who wish to use Shadowbox for commercial purposes. You are encouraged to review the terms of the license before using Shadowbox.

If you would like to use Shadowbox for commercial purposes, you can purchase a license that allows you to use it on an unlimited number of commercial domains. Commercial licenses are available in two flavors: one for a single developer and one for any number of developers at a single agency or company. The form below will let you purchase both types of licenses securely via PayPal.

License type:

Credits

Shadowbox was inspired by Lokesh Dhakar's Lightbox and Kevin Miller's LightWindow. Credit should be given to the authors of those libraries for the basic idea behind Shadowbox.

All Flash animation pieces in this demonstration gallery are the original work of Wyatt Miles.