Using Elementor Video Background for a Dynamic Website

Elementor’s video background feature offers a powerful way to make your website visually dynamic and engaging. This feature allows you to add videos to the background of any section, providing a modern and attractive look that can significantly enhance the aesthetic appeal of your website.

Video backgrounds are more than just a visual enhancement; they capture and retain visitors’ attention. Studies show that video content is more engaging than static images or text. Social videos are shared 1,200% more than text or pictures. Using video backgrounds can also reduce bounce rates and increase time spent on the site. According to Wistia, people spend around 2.6 times more time on sites featuring videos than those without.

This dynamic element can help convey your brand’s message more effectively, create an emotional connection with your audience, and provide a memorable browsing experience.

Elementor’s video background feature is designed to bring a new level of interactivity and appeal to your website. By incorporating video backgrounds, you can create a visually stunning environment that captures your visitors’ attention from the moment they land on your page. This feature is ideal for highlighting key sections, telling a story, or setting the mood for your site’s content.

Here’s a detailed, step-by-step guide on adding a video to the background in Elementor:

1. Open the page in Elementor. Click Edit with Elementor to open the page you want to edit.
2. Select the container or section. Click the container or section where you want to set the video background.
3. Navigate to the Style tab. In the Elementor panel on the left, go to the Style tab.
4. Choose background type. Select Video as the background type.
5. Background options. A panel will open with several options for the background, as shown in the screenshot.
6. Add the video link. Copy the link of your video and paste it into the Video Link field.

Elementor provides various options for configuring video backgrounds, ensuring they’re engaging, user-optimized, and functional on multiple devices. Here’s a brief overview of the available settings:

• Video Link. This option allows you to input a YouTube/Vimeo link or a direct link to your video file, with MP4 as the recommended format. You can easily add high-quality videos from popular platforms or your own media library.
• Start Time. You can specify the exact start time of your video background (in seconds). This is useful if you want the video to begin at a specific moment that aligns with your content or message.
• End Time. Similarly, you can set an end time (in seconds) for the video. This allows you to control the duration of the background video to fit perfectly within the context of your section.
• Play Once. Enabling this option will make the video play only once rather than looping continuously. This is ideal for backgrounds where a single playthrough is sufficient to convey your message.
• Play on Mobile. This allows you to choose whether the video background should play on mobile devices. Given the potential for slower load times and increased data usage on mobile, you might opt to disable video playback for a smoother mobile experience.
• Privacy Mode. When enabled, Privacy Mode ensures that user data is not sent to YouTube unless the video is played. This is important for complying with privacy regulations and providing visitors with a more secure browsing experience.
• Background Fallback. This option lets you set a fallback image for browsers or devices that cannot play the video. A fallback image ensures that your background still looks perfect even when video playback isn’t possible, maintaining a consistent visual experience.

In Elementor, you have multiple options for adding a background overlay. You can add an image, color, or gradient as an overlay. Adding a color overlay to your background video in Elementor is a great way to enhance the visual impact of your content by darkening the video. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Enable Background Overlay. Scroll down to find the Background Overlay option and click to expand the settings.
2. Choose an Overlay Type:
   • Color. Click the Color option to open the color picker. Select the color you want to use as your overlay. You can choose a solid color that complements your website’s design or a darker shade to enhance text readability over the video. There are additional options to select an image with color as the background overlay.
   • Gradient. If you prefer a gradient overlay, select the Gradient option. Use the gradient color pickers to choose your start and end colors. Adjust the angle and location sliders to customize the gradient effect.
3. Adjust the Opacity. Use the Opacity slider to control the transparency of the overlay. Sliding it to the right increases the opacity, making the overlay more prominent and darkening the video. Adjust it to your preference to ensure the video content is still visible through the overlay.
4. CSS Filter. Customize with multiple options like blur, brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue.
5. Blend modes (optional). Experiment with different blend modes for more advanced customization. These modes change how the overlay interacts with the video background. Try options like multiply, screen, or overlay to see which effect best suits your design.
6. Preview and adjust: Once you’ve set your overlay, preview your page to see how it looks with the video background. Make any necessary adjustments to the color, gradient, opacity, or blend mode to achieve the desired effect.
7. Save your changes. After you’re satisfied with the overlay settings, click the Update button to save your changes. 

Using video backgrounds in Elementor can significantly enhance your website’s visual appeal, but sometimes, you may encounter issues that affect performance and user experience. This section will guide you through common problems and their solutions to ensure your video backgrounds work seamlessly.

Ensure your video files are in a mobile-friendly format, such as MP4, which is widely supported across all devices. Other formats may not be compatible, leading to playback issues.

Large video files can cause loading delays, especially on mobile networks. Optimize your video by compressing it to reduce file size without compromising quality. Tools like Cloudinary can help automate this process.

Set a fallback image for mobile devices. This ensures that even if the video doesn’t autoplay, a visually appealing image is displayed, maintaining the aesthetic integrity of your site. You can configure the fallback image in the Background Overlay settings.

Continuously test your video backgrounds on various devices and browsers. This will help you identify issues specific to certain environments and make necessary adjustments.

The world of web design is constantly evolving, and staying updated with the latest Elementor video background innovations is key to keeping your site modern and engaging. Regularly check Elementor’s updates and community forums for new features and tips on using video backgrounds effectively.

Integrating Cloudinary with Elementor enhances your ability to manage video backgrounds efficiently. Cloudinary’s media management capabilities, including automatic optimization and adaptive streaming, ensure your video backgrounds load quickly and play smoothly across all devices. This integration allows you to focus on creating stunning video content while Cloudinary handles the technical aspects of delivery and performance.

Join thousands of businesses transforming their digital asset management with Cloudinary. Sign up for free today.