14 CSS Wave Section Dividers13 / 14

Pure CSSMIT licensed

CSS wave section divider with overlay background image

A crisp wave sitting over a full-bleed photo or video hero, with the contrast scrim, focal-point cropping and text legibility handled properly — the combination that usually goes wrong when a divider is dropped on top of imagery.

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The code

<div class="wsd-13-group">
<section class="wsd-13a">
  <header class="wsd-13a__hero">
    <img class="wsd-13a__img" src="https://picsum.photos/seed/wsd13a/1600/900" width="1600" height="900" alt="" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async">
    <div class="wsd-13a__inner">
      <p class="wsd-13a__eyebrow">Full-bleed imagery</p>
      <h2 class="wsd-13a__title">Legible over any photo</h2>
      <p class="wsd-13a__copy">Gradient scrim below, wave on top, text in the safe zone.</p>
    </div>
    <svg class="wsd-13a__wave" viewBox="0 0 1440 120" preserveAspectRatio="none" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false">
      <path d="M0,62 C280,118 560,10 840,54 C1080,92 1250,106 1440,74 L1440,120 L0,120 Z"></path>
    </svg>
  </header>
  <div class="wsd-13a__next"><p class="wsd-13a__copy">Wave fill matches this section exactly — no sticker effect.</p></div>
</section>
<section class="wsd-13b">
  <div class="wsd-13b__above"><p class="wsd-13b__copy">Text section</p></div>
  <div class="wsd-13b__band" role="img" aria-label="Coastline photograph shown inside a wave-shaped band"></div>
  <div class="wsd-13b__below"><p class="wsd-13b__copy">The photo itself is masked into a wave band — both edges curved.</p></div>
</section>
</div>
.wsd-13-group {
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100vh;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  gap: 0;
}

.wsd-13-group > section {
  width: 100%;
}

.wsd-13a,
.wsd-13a *,
.wsd-13a *::before,
.wsd-13a *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

.wsd-13a {
  --next: oklch(0.97 0.01 250);
  font-family: 'Segoe UI',system-ui,sans-serif;
}

.wsd-13a__hero {
  position: relative;
  isolation: isolate;
  overflow: hidden;
  color: #fff;
  padding: 82px 24px clamp(96px,13vw,150px);
  text-align: center;
}

.wsd-13a__img {
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  object-fit: cover;
  object-position: 50% 35%;
  z-index: -2;
}

.wsd-13a__hero::before {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  background: linear-gradient(180deg,oklch(0.15 0.03 260/.28),oklch(0.13 0.03 260/.8));
  z-index: -1;
}

.wsd-13a__inner {
  position: relative;
  max-width: 46ch;
  margin: 0 auto;
}

.wsd-13a__eyebrow {
  font-size: 12px;
  letter-spacing: .2em;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  opacity: .78;
  margin-bottom: 12px;
}

.wsd-13a__title {
  font-size: clamp(27px,4.6vw,46px);
  line-height: 1.06;
  margin-bottom: 10px;
  text-shadow: 0 2px 18px oklch(0.15 0.03 260/.55);
}

.wsd-13a__copy {
  font-size: 15px;
  opacity: .88;
}

.wsd-13a__wave {
  position: absolute;
  left: 0;
  bottom: -1px;
  display: block;
  width: 100%;
  height: clamp(56px,9vw,116px);
  color: var(--next);
  pointer-events: none;
  z-index: 1;
}

.wsd-13a__wave path {
  fill: currentColor;
}

.wsd-13a__next {
  background: var(--next);
  color: oklch(0.3 0.03 250);
  padding: 22px 24px 58px;
  text-align: center;
}

.wsd-13a__next .wsd-13a__copy {
  opacity: .72;
}

.wsd-13b,
.wsd-13b *,
.wsd-13b *::before,
.wsd-13b *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

.wsd-13b {
  --paper: oklch(0.96 0.01 230);
  --mask: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 1440 400' preserveAspectRatio='none'%3E%3Cpath d='M0,70 C360,-10 700,120 1000,70 C1180,40 1300,40 1440,66 L1440,330 C1200,410 900,270 620,326 C420,366 180,366 0,334 Z' fill='%23000'/%3E%3C/svg%3E");
  font-family: 'Segoe UI',system-ui,sans-serif;
}

.wsd-13b__above,
.wsd-13b__below {
  background: var(--paper);
  color: oklch(0.32 0.03 230);
  padding: 40px 24px;
  text-align: center;
}

.wsd-13b__copy {
  font-size: 15px;
  opacity: .74;
  max-width: 52ch;
  margin: 0 auto;
}

.wsd-13b__band {
  height: clamp(220px,32vw,380px);
  background: url('https://picsum.photos/seed/wsd13b/1600/700') center/cover no-repeat,oklch(0.4 0.08 230);
  -webkit-mask: var(--mask) no-repeat center/100% 100%;
  mask: var(--mask) no-repeat center/100% 100%;
  margin: -24px 0;
}

@media (max-width: 640px) {
  .wsd-13b__band {
    margin: -12px 0;
  }
}
/* No JavaScript — image, gradient scrim and wave are three stacked layers inside one isolated stacking context. */

/* No JavaScript — a single data-URI mask with a wave on both the top and bottom edge cuts the photo into a ribbon. */
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or any coding assistant. The block below is pre-framed with everything the AI needs to integrate this demo into your project — markup, styles, scoping notes, and the source URL. Hit Copy and paste straight into your chat.
Here's a working CSS Wave Section Divider from CodeFronts. Use it as-is or adapt to your framework. All classes are scoped under a unique prefix so the code won't collide with your existing styles. MIT licensed.
Demo: CSS wave section divider with overlay background image
Source: https://codefronts.com/layouts/css-wave-section-dividers/css-wave-section-divider-with-overlay-background-image/

A crisp wave sitting over a full-bleed photo or video hero, with the contrast scrim, focal-point cropping and text legibility handled properly — the combination that usually goes wrong when a divider is dropped on top of imagery.
## HTML
```html
<div class="wsd-13-group">
<section class="wsd-13a">
  <header class="wsd-13a__hero">
    <img class="wsd-13a__img" src="https://picsum.photos/seed/wsd13a/1600/900" width="1600" height="900" alt="" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async">
    <div class="wsd-13a__inner">
      <p class="wsd-13a__eyebrow">Full-bleed imagery</p>
      <h2 class="wsd-13a__title">Legible over any photo</h2>
      <p class="wsd-13a__copy">Gradient scrim below, wave on top, text in the safe zone.</p>
    </div>
    <svg class="wsd-13a__wave" viewBox="0 0 1440 120" preserveAspectRatio="none" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false">
      <path d="M0,62 C280,118 560,10 840,54 C1080,92 1250,106 1440,74 L1440,120 L0,120 Z"></path>
    </svg>
  </header>
  <div class="wsd-13a__next"><p class="wsd-13a__copy">Wave fill matches this section exactly — no sticker effect.</p></div>
</section>
<section class="wsd-13b">
  <div class="wsd-13b__above"><p class="wsd-13b__copy">Text section</p></div>
  <div class="wsd-13b__band" role="img" aria-label="Coastline photograph shown inside a wave-shaped band"></div>
  <div class="wsd-13b__below"><p class="wsd-13b__copy">The photo itself is masked into a wave band — both edges curved.</p></div>
</section>
</div>
```
## CSS
```css
.wsd-13-group {
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100vh;
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  gap: 0;
}

.wsd-13-group > section {
  width: 100%;
}

.wsd-13a,
.wsd-13a *,
.wsd-13a *::before,
.wsd-13a *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

.wsd-13a {
  --next: oklch(0.97 0.01 250);
  font-family: 'Segoe UI',system-ui,sans-serif;
}

.wsd-13a__hero {
  position: relative;
  isolation: isolate;
  overflow: hidden;
  color: #fff;
  padding: 82px 24px clamp(96px,13vw,150px);
  text-align: center;
}

.wsd-13a__img {
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  object-fit: cover;
  object-position: 50% 35%;
  z-index: -2;
}

.wsd-13a__hero::before {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  background: linear-gradient(180deg,oklch(0.15 0.03 260/.28),oklch(0.13 0.03 260/.8));
  z-index: -1;
}

.wsd-13a__inner {
  position: relative;
  max-width: 46ch;
  margin: 0 auto;
}

.wsd-13a__eyebrow {
  font-size: 12px;
  letter-spacing: .2em;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  opacity: .78;
  margin-bottom: 12px;
}

.wsd-13a__title {
  font-size: clamp(27px,4.6vw,46px);
  line-height: 1.06;
  margin-bottom: 10px;
  text-shadow: 0 2px 18px oklch(0.15 0.03 260/.55);
}

.wsd-13a__copy {
  font-size: 15px;
  opacity: .88;
}

.wsd-13a__wave {
  position: absolute;
  left: 0;
  bottom: -1px;
  display: block;
  width: 100%;
  height: clamp(56px,9vw,116px);
  color: var(--next);
  pointer-events: none;
  z-index: 1;
}

.wsd-13a__wave path {
  fill: currentColor;
}

.wsd-13a__next {
  background: var(--next);
  color: oklch(0.3 0.03 250);
  padding: 22px 24px 58px;
  text-align: center;
}

.wsd-13a__next .wsd-13a__copy {
  opacity: .72;
}

.wsd-13b,
.wsd-13b *,
.wsd-13b *::before,
.wsd-13b *::after {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

.wsd-13b {
  --paper: oklch(0.96 0.01 230);
  --mask: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 1440 400' preserveAspectRatio='none'%3E%3Cpath d='M0,70 C360,-10 700,120 1000,70 C1180,40 1300,40 1440,66 L1440,330 C1200,410 900,270 620,326 C420,366 180,366 0,334 Z' fill='%23000'/%3E%3C/svg%3E");
  font-family: 'Segoe UI',system-ui,sans-serif;
}

.wsd-13b__above,
.wsd-13b__below {
  background: var(--paper);
  color: oklch(0.32 0.03 230);
  padding: 40px 24px;
  text-align: center;
}

.wsd-13b__copy {
  font-size: 15px;
  opacity: .74;
  max-width: 52ch;
  margin: 0 auto;
}

.wsd-13b__band {
  height: clamp(220px,32vw,380px);
  background: url('https://picsum.photos/seed/wsd13b/1600/700') center/cover no-repeat,oklch(0.4 0.08 230);
  -webkit-mask: var(--mask) no-repeat center/100% 100%;
  mask: var(--mask) no-repeat center/100% 100%;
  margin: -24px 0;
}

@media (max-width: 640px) {
  .wsd-13b__band {
    margin: -12px 0;
  }
}
```

## JavaScript
```js
/* No JavaScript — image, gradient scrim and wave are three stacked layers inside one isolated stacking context. */

/* No JavaScript — a single data-URI mask with a wave on both the top and bottom edge cuts the photo into a ribbon. */
```

How this works

Three layers, in order: the image (object-fit:cover or background-size:cover with a focal object-position), a gradient scrim for text contrast, then the wave on top filled with the next section's colour.

.hero{position:relative;isolation:isolate}
.hero img{position:absolute;inset:0;object-fit:cover;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:-2}
.hero::before{content:"";position:absolute;inset:0;background:linear-gradient(180deg,rgba(6,10,20,.25),rgba(6,10,20,.78));z-index:-1}

The scrim is a gradient, not a flat overlay, so the top of the photo stays visible while the bottom — where the copy and the wave live — gets enough density for WCAG contrast. The wave then reads as the page's edge, not as a sticker on the photo.

The image carries fetchpriority="high" and explicit width/height so it is the LCP element and reserves its box: no layout shift when it lands.

Make it yours

  • Change the scrim's stops to suit a bright or dark photo.
  • Use object-position to keep a subject's face out of the wave's deepest point.
  • Add a duotone mix-blend-mode: color layer for a branded photo treatment.
  • Swap the <img> for a muted, looping <video> — the layer order is identical.

Gotchas — read before shipping

  • Test the headline against the darkest and lightest parts of the photo, not just the average.
  • Decorative photos take alt=""; meaningful ones need real alt text.
  • Always give the image intrinsic width/height (or aspect-ratio) or the hero shifts on load.
  • Never put copy in the wave's deepest 40px — it gets clipped on small screens.

Browser support

ChromeSafariFirefoxEdge
111+15.4+113+111+

Floor set by oklch() as this demo is written. The core technique itself goes back further — Chrome 32+.

object-fit is the only notable requirement; a background-image fallback covers everything older.

Techniques used in this demo

decoding="async"MDN ↗clamp()MDN ↗oklch()MDN ↗

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