Markdown and image alignment

Question

I am making a site that publishes articles in issues each month. It is straightforward, and I think using a Markdown editor (like the WMD one here in Stack Overflow) would be perfect.

However, they do need the ability to have images right-aligned in a given paragraph.

I can't see a way to do that with the current system - is it possible?

Note that depending on the platform you can add filters to markdown. So it may be possible to add syntax that specifies alignment. — Jordan Reiter
– Jordan Reiter, Commented Apr 4, 2012 at 18:26
@JGallardo Because I wanted to make it clear I didn't have complete control over the system, nor did I have the ability to purchase any type of solution. I agree that I could have phrased the question differently. — Jedidja
– Jedidja, Commented Mar 22, 2014 at 10:51
Concerning markdown editors, you can use the great stackedit.io/editor# , it is awesome to write in it :) — AbdelHady
– AbdelHady, Commented Feb 15, 2015 at 16:02
@iPython How can a question from 2008 be a duplicate of a question asked 4 years later (2012)? — Jedidja
– Jedidja, Commented Jul 9, 2018 at 13:20

Gangula · Accepted Answer · 2024-06-26 11:01:27Z

293

You can embed HTML in Markdown, so you can do something like this:

<img style="float: right;" src="whatever.jpg"> OR <img style="display: block; margin: auto;" src="whatever.jpg"/> Continue markdown text...

Example:

<img style="float: right" src="https://cdn.sstatic.net/Img/unified/sprites.svg" alt="Sublime's custom image" />

edited Jun 26, 2024 at 11:01

Gangula

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answered Oct 31, 2008 at 22:47

Greg Hewgill

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9 Comments

ma11hew28 Over a year ago

Clean it up & standardize by strippnig the unnecessary div and adding a closing slash to the img tag, respectively, i.e. `<img style="float:right" src="whatever.jpg" />

esengineer Over a year ago

Instead of div I prefer using span for inline indenting. For full paragraph centering div is good, or even simple p.

benweet Over a year ago

This work better with some sanitized interpreters like the GitHub's one: <img align="right" src="whatever.jpg" />

CaptSaltyJack Over a year ago

@MattDiPasquale Closing slashes are not necessary. That's XHTML, not HTML.

luizv Over a year ago

@benweet, thank you for that, was hard to find that information.

|

OzzyCzech · Accepted Answer · 2019-01-31 09:00:39Z

I found a nice solution in pure Markdown with a little CSS 3 hack :-)

![image alt >](/image-right.jpg) ![image alt <](/image-left.jpg) ![image alt ><](/center-image.jpg)

Follow the CSS 3 code float image on the left or right, when the image alt ends with < or >.

img[alt$=">"] { float: right; } img[alt$="<"] { float: left; } img[alt$="><"] { display: block; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin: auto; float: none!important; }

Where should the CSS be placed in the MkDocs directory? @YannDuran
@IvanHuang just make sure that you add an extra.css file as per the MkDocs documentation, and put the css in that file.

Peter Mortensen · Accepted Answer · 2018-10-19 04:42:22Z

I have an alternative to the methods above that used the ALT tag and a CSS selector on the alt tag... Instead, add a URL hash like this:

First your Markdown image code:

![my image](/img/myImage.jpg#left) ![my image](/img/myImage.jpg#right) ![my image](/img/myImage.jpg#center)

Note the added URL hash #center.

Now add this rule in CSS using CSS 3 attribute selectors to select images with a certain path.

img[src*='#left'] { float: left; } img[src*='#right'] { float: right; } img[src*='#center'] { display: block; margin: auto; }

You should be able to use a URL hash like this almost like defining a class name and it isn't a misuse of the ALT tag like some people had commented about for that solution. It also won't require any additional extensions. Do one for float right and left as well or any other styles you might want.

Exactly what I was looking for. You are a life savior. One thing I would like to add, is ``` h1 h2{ clear: both }``` So that next heading starts in new line (doesn't overlap with image)
looks like what I'm looking for but... how do I make a CSS? and how do I call it in Markdown?
@OzzyCzech - no not really, your solution misuses the image "alt" tag which could be bad for accessibility compliance on a page, where this solution uses a non-invasion approach via the src tag.
Thanks, but how can I change all images to the center (using a single CSS file)?

gerwitz · Accepted Answer · 2017-02-03 08:57:39Z

Many Markdown "extra" processors support attributes. So you can include a class name like so (PHP Markdown Extra):

![Flowers](/flowers.jpeg){.callout}

or, alternatively (Maruku, Kramdown, Python Markdown):

![Flowers](/flowers.jpeg){: .callout}

Then, of course, you can use a stylesheet the proper way:

.callout { float: right; }

If yours supports this syntax, it gives you the best of both worlds: no embedded markup, and a stylesheet abstract enough to not need to be modified by your content editor.

By the time you write all of this: !Flowers{: .callout} you may as well have written <img src="/flowers.jpeg" class="callout"/>
I agree, but Markdown is often chosen for users that are not *ML-literate so there's no reason to prefer HTML over any other arbitrary syntax.
("No reason" is over-simplifying of course. There are many UX reasons you might want your editors to either get closer or farther from the final HTML rendering. Or you might be averse to introducing an HTML dependancy in your content, if you've chosen Markdown to abstract the rendering technique.)

Peter Mortensen · Accepted Answer · 2018-10-19 04:34:07Z

35

I like to be super lazy by using tables to align images with the vertical pipe (|) syntax. This is supported by some Markdown flavours (and is also supported by Textile if that floats your boat):

| I am text to the left | ![Flowers](/flowers.jpeg) |

or

| ![Flowers](/flowers.jpeg) | I am text to the right |

It is not the most flexible solution, but it is good for most of my simple needs, is easy to read in markdown format, and you don't need to remember any CSS or raw HTML.

edited Oct 19, 2018 at 4:34

Peter Mortensen

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answered Jan 24, 2013 at 18:33

learnvst

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4 Comments

Eliot Over a year ago

I like this style, very markdown-y. Too bad it doesn't work on github (not yet anyway.)

Ege Rubak Over a year ago

I have just tried this syntax at GitHub and it appears to work now.

jxpx777 Over a year ago

This is an interesting hack, but it's misusing tables for layout. Welcome to 1999.

Kayla Over a year ago

For the github flavored markdown, add a line with |-|-|. It tells the parser that there is a table, and the first line is a header. Ex: jbt.github.io/markdown-editor/…

user142019 · Accepted Answer · 2011-02-19 22:51:48Z

29

Embedding CSS is bad:

![Flowers](/flowers.jpeg)

CSS in another file:

img[alt=Flowers] { float: right; }

answered Feb 19, 2011 at 22:51

user142019

10 Comments

Jordan Reiter Over a year ago

What? Now all of a sudden you have to edit an external file every time you change the markdown content? Doesn't sound like a good solution to me.

Mark Bolusmjak Over a year ago

@JordanReiter Everyone here has written a program consisting of more than one file where logic is spread/organized over many locations. We do it on purpose for maintainability. Why is this so painfully and terribly different?

Jordan Reiter Over a year ago

Markdown lets non-programmer users create content and it shouldn't be dependent on files that have to be directly accessed and edited on the server. Another example: I think it's totally normal to hard-code the names of fields in a database into your code but a mistake to hard-code based on the value of a field in your database (i.e. if product.name == 'Tulips') because you can't depend on the stability of the value. All it takes is someone changing Flowers to Flower and suddenly that image pops out of view. Also, they have to call you every time they add an image!

Nathan Grigg Over a year ago

@cboettig This is severe misuse of the alt tag. It is supposed to be a textual description of the image for people who can't see the image.

Aaron Robinson Over a year ago

I am amazed so many people crying over this solution. This is a beautiful hack, necessary for solving a problem for certain hosting services. The poster who gave this beautiful hack is gone now and instead the community is left with crybabies.

|

Peter Mortensen · Accepted Answer · 2018-10-19 04:30:47Z

12

<div style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0" markdown="1"> ![book](/images/book01.jpg) </div>

The attribute markdown possibility inside Markdown.

edited Oct 19, 2018 at 4:30

Peter Mortensen

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answered Aug 4, 2009 at 15:18

raphox

4 Comments

Hugo Lopes Tavares Over a year ago

Worked to me. I am not using github. Thanks @raphox.

Ronan Over a year ago

Works fine with michelf's vanilla markdown PHP parser

Tim Over a year ago

This is Markdown Extra functionality, which is included in some content management systems (e.g. Drupal), but is not included functionality in Markdown per se.

goetz Over a year ago

I've started using Astro recently and have noticed that while this markup doesn't work, a slightly adapted version with <span> instead of <div> actually does work in Astro with the default configuration: <span style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0">![book](/images/book01.jpg)</span> (It even works with line breaks, but comment formatting doesn't allow line break here.)

ma11hew28 · Accepted Answer · 2010-11-14 15:08:03Z

Even cleaner would be to just put p#given img { float: right } in the style sheet, or in the <head> and wrapped in style tags. Then, just use the markdown ![Alt text](/path/to/img.jpg).

Peter Mortensen · Accepted Answer · 2018-10-19 04:39:12Z

If you implement it in Python, there is an extension that lets you add HTML key/value pairs, and class/id labels. The syntax is for this is:

![A picture of a cat](cat.png){: style="float:right"}

Or, if embedded styling doesn't float your boat,

![A picture of a cat](cat.png){: .floatright}

with a corresponding stylesheet, stylish.css:

.floatright { float: right; /* etc. */ }

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 12:02:56Z

I liked learnvst's answer of using the tables because it is quite readable (which is one purpose of writing Markdown).

However, in the case of GitBook's Markdown parser I had to, in addition to an empty header line, add a separator line under it, for the table to be recognized and properly rendered:

| - | - | |---|---| | I am text to the left | ![Flowers](/flowers.jpeg) | | ![Flowers](/flowers.jpeg) | I am text to the right |

Separator lines need to include at least three dashes --- .

Peter Mortensen · Accepted Answer · 2018-10-19 04:38:05Z

As greg said you can embed HTML content in Markdown, but one of the points of Markdown is to avoid having to have extensive (or any, for that matter) CSS/HTML markup knowledge, right? This is what I do:

In my Markdown file I simply instruct all my wiki editors to embed wrap all images with something that looks like this:

'<div> // Put image here </div>`

(of course.. they don't know what <div> means, but that shouldn't matter)

So the Markdown file looks like this:

<div> ![optional image description][1] </div> [1]: /image/path

And in the CSS content that wraps the whole page I can do whatever I want with the image tag:

img { float: right; }

Of course you can do more with the CSS content... (in this particular case, wrapping the img tag with div prevents other text from wrapping against the image... this is just an example, though), but IMHO the point of Markdown is that you don't want potentially non-technical people getting into the ins and outs of CSS/HTML.. it's up to you as a web developer to make your CSS content that wraps the page as generic and clean as possible, but then again your editors need not know about that.

Peter Mortensen · Accepted Answer · 2018-10-19 04:44:45Z

I had the same task, and I aligned my images to the right by adding this:

<div style="text-align: right"><img src="/default/image/sms.png" width="100" /></div>

For aligning your image to the left or center, replace

<div style="text-align: right">

with

<div style="text-align: center"> <div style="text-align: left">

I tried this but it is now working.. image is aligned but the html text displays.

Chetan B B · Accepted Answer · 2022-04-23 16:50:43Z

You can directly use align property:

 <img align="right" width="100" height="100" src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1650620109005-099c2de720f8?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxlZGl0b3JpYWwtZmVlZHwxM3x8fGVufDB8fHx8&auto=format&fit=crop&w=500&q=60">

Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.

Nikhil Dash · Accepted Answer · 2023-06-17 07:09:38Z

![Alt Text](image URL){ align=right }

Check this ultimate guide for Markdown image styling for more here

N. Joppi · Accepted Answer · 2022-08-18 06:17:01Z

The best and most customizable option:

<div style="display:flex; align-items: center;"> <div style="flex:1"> <img src="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jinsong-Chong/publication/233165295/figure/fig5/AS:667635838640135@1536188196882/Initial-contour-Figure-9-Detection-result-in-low-resolution-image-in-low-resolution-image.ppm"/> </div> <div style="flex:1;padding-left:10px;"> <img src="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Miguel-Vega-4/publication/228966464/figure/fig1/AS:669376512544781@1536603205341/a-Observed-low-resolution-multispectral-image-b-Panchromatic-image-c.ppm" /> </div> </div>

This will align the first to the left, and the second to the right. Works for more than 2 images too.

rahul-ahuja · Accepted Answer · 2021-10-28 03:23:52Z

Align image and text side-by-side as part of a paragraph in a single block, within a warning box.

<div class="warning" style='background-color:#EDF2F7; color:#1A2067; border-left: solid #718096 4px; border-radius: 4px;'> <p style='padding:0.7em; margin-left:0.7em; display: inline-block;'> <img src="typora_images/image-20211028083121348.png" style="zoom:70%; float:right; padding:0.7em"/> <b>isomorphism</b> &rarr; In mathematics, an isomorphism is a structure-preserving mapping between two structures of the same type that can be reversed by an inverse mapping.<br> </p> </div>

Output :

Without the warning block, that did the trick for me! <div style="display: inline-block"><div style="float: right">floating content here</div>non-floating content there</div>. Thanks a lot! (inline-block was key to not break the entire page layout.)

Bill Hoag · Accepted Answer · 2022-09-14 18:41:04Z

For a simple approach to just indenting your image a bit, just use some non-breaking spaces with an img element. E.g.,      <img src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/123456/123456789-3aabedfe-deab-4242-97a0-a6641e675e68.png" />

dopexxx · Accepted Answer · 2022-03-29 08:33:14Z

I think the easiest solution is to directly specify align="right":

<img align="right" src=/logo.png" alt="logo" width="100"/>

Andersonfrfilho · Accepted Answer · 2020-05-20 19:07:41Z

-2

this work for me

<p align="center"> <img src="/LogoOfficial.png" width="300" > </p>

answered May 20, 2020 at 19:07

Andersonfrfilho

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Comments

yoyo · Accepted Answer · 2011-12-13 05:58:46Z

-16

Simplest is to wrap the image in a center tag, like so ...

<center>![Alt test](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bc/Wiki.png)</center>

Anything to do with Markdown can be tested here - http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/dingus

Sure, <center> may be deprecated, but it's simple and it works!

answered Dec 13, 2011 at 5:58

yoyo

69

2 Comments

yoyo Over a year ago

Just noticed the OP asked for right alignment -- I was trying to center an image when I stumbled onto this answer.

Slipp D. Thompson Over a year ago

I'm going to actually side with @yoyo— <center> does make sense. It's deprecated from HTML because HTML is supposed to describe the content only; styles should be in stylesheets. However, Markdown has a different intent: to include enough styling necessary to convey a textual message, and leave the rest up to the renderer/site. <center> seems so much more natural than thinking about CSS widths, floats, margins…— I'd even go as far as having a Markdown parser replace <center> tags with appropriate CSS-backed elements, much like how it currently intelligently figures out paragraphs.

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