HTML Images Syntax

The HTML <img> tag is used to embed an image in a web page.

Images are not technically inserted into a web page; images are linked to web pages. The <img> tag creates a holding space for the referenced image.

The <img> tag is empty, it contains attributes only, and does not have a closing tag.

The <img> tag has two required attributes:

src - Specifies the path to the image
alt - Specifies an alternate text for the image

The src Attribute

The required src attribute specifies the path (URL) to the image.

Note: When a web page loads, it is the browser, at that moment, that gets the image from a web server and inserts it into the page. Therefore, make sure that the image actually stays in the same spot in relation to the web page, otherwise your visitors will get a broken link icon. The broken link icon and the alt text are shown if the browser cannot find the image.

The alt Attribute

The required alt attribute provides an alternate text for an image, if the user for some reason cannot view it (because of slow connection, an error in the src attribute, or if the user uses a screen reader).

The value of the alt attribute should describe the image:

Image Size - Width and Height

You can use the style attribute to specify the width and height of an image.

Alternatively, you can use the width and height attributes:

<img src="img_girl.jpg" alt="Girl in a jacket" width="500" height="600">

The width and height attributes always define the width and height of the image in pixels.

Note: Always specify the width and height of an image. If width and height are not specified, the web page might flicker while the image loads.

Images in Another Folder

If you have your images in a sub-folder, you must include the folder name in the src attribute:

<img src="/images/html5.gif" alt="HTML5 Icon" style="width:128px;height:128px;">

Images on Another Server/Website

Some web sites store their images on image servers.

Actually, you can access images from any web address in the world:

<img src="https://www.w3schools.com/images/w3schools_green.jpg" alt="W3Schools.com">

Animated Images

HTML allows animated GIFs:

<img src="programming.gif" alt="Computer Man" style="width:48px;height:48px;">

Image as a Link

To use an image as a link, put the <img> tag inside the <a> tag:

<a href="default.asp">
  <img src="smiley.gif" alt="HTML tutorial" style="width:42px;height:42px;">
</a>

Image Floating

Use the CSS float property to let the image float to the right or to the left of a text:

<p><img src="smiley.gif" alt="Smiley face" style="float:right;width:42px;height:42px;">
The image will float to the right of the text.</p>

HTML Images

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