These are 10 small CSS tips that can actually help you in projects. If you would like to request more tips, let me know in the comments section.

1. Smooth Scrolling

When you visit some websites and try to go to different sections, it scrolls smoothly to that section. You can achieve this feature on your website by using one line of CSS.

Note: this will not work in Safari!

html {
  scroll-behavior: smooth;
}

Live Example

2. Prevent <textarea> Resize

You can use the resize property to prevent a <textarea> element from being resized (or limit it to one axis).

textarea.no-resize {
  resize: none;
}

textarea.horizontal-resize {
  resize: horizontal;
}

textarea.vertical-resize {
  resize: vertical;
}

Live Example

3. Drop Cap

You can add a drop cap to a paragraph by using the ::first-letter pseudo-element.

::first-letter {
  font-size: 250%;
}

Live Example

4. Drop Shadow

You can use the drop-shadow() filter effect on transparent images. It will give a much better shadow effect than using the box-shadow property.

img {
  filter: drop-shadow(0 0 3px #000);
}

Live Example

5. Center Any <div> Element

It can sometimes be difficult to center a <div> element on the page, but not with this tip. You can center any <div> element on the page using a few lines of CSS code.

body {
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
}

Live Example

6. Input Caret Color

You can use the caret-color property to change the color of the input field caret.

input {
  caret-color: red;
}

Live Example

7. Prevent Highlighting

This one is similar to #2, but you can use the user-select property to prevent an element from being highlighted by the user.

.no-highlight {
  -webkit-user-select: none;
  -moz-user-select: none;
  user-select: none;
}

Live Example

8. Input Range Pseudo-Classes

The lesser-known :in-range and :out-of-range pseudo-classes can help you validate an <input> element whose current value is within the range specified by its min and max attributes.

input:in-range {
  background: rgba(0, 255, 0, .25);
}

input:out-of-range {
  background: rgba(255, 0, 0, .25);
}

Live Example

9. Image Overlay

You can create an image overlay using the object-fit property. This can prove to be useful when you want to create a hero image on your website.

.image-overlay img:only-of-type:nth-child(1) {
  object-fit: cover;
  opacity: .4;
}

Live Example

10. The transition Property

You might know this one already, but what if I told you that there was a way to animate elements without the use of keyframes? The transition property allows you to define the transition between two states of an element. It is mostly used for hover animations.

a {
  color: #0d6efd;
  text-decoration: none;
  -webkit-transition: .15s ease-in-out;
  -moz-transition: .15s ease-in-out;
  transition: .15s ease-in-out;
}

a:hover {
  color: #0a58ca;
}

Live Example