10 useful light boxes

There are many light box scripts on the market today. It is not easy task to choose one.

Depending on our requirements there is no single best solution. There are projects which require simple light weight scripts, other need specific functionality and the size is not a priority.

Some scripts are Open Source projects, other are commercial products. There are many possibilities.

Lightweight light boxes.

1. Lighter-Box
Download: http://www.tdesignonline.com/lighter-box
This script is the winner in the low-weight category. Depending on the configuration, its size is about 7 kb total. (lightbox.js library is 4.4 kb)
If our goal is to minimise the code footprint of our image gallery, Lighter-Box script should be our choice.

2. HighSlide
Download: http://highslide.com/
This commercial script is very flexible. Depending on our needs and configuration it could be lightweight (8 kb) or sophisticated (up to 70 kb).
Configuration options, scalability, build of components. Supports inline content, Flash, Ajax content, iframes and more.

3. iBox
Download: http://www.ibegin.com/labs/ibox/
Lightweight (20 kb), fast, flexible. Support for JavaScript-disabled Browsers. Free of charge. Supports inline content, Youtube video, Ajax content.

4. Litebox
Download: http://www.doknowevil.net/litebox/
Lightweight (24 kb), fast, simple, pretty. Supports single images and image sets.

Medium size light boxes

5. Multibox
Download: http://www.phatfusion.net/multibox/
MooTools lightbox. It is about 56 kb. Supports Inline content, Ajax, Flash, MP3, video, iframe. Very Fast and good looking, versatile. MIT license.

6. Floatbox
Download: http://randomous.com/floatbox/demo
Floatbox creates draggable and resizeable window. Size of this script is about 72 kb.

7. Fancyzoom
Download: http://orderedlist.com/articles/fancyzoom-meet-jquery
This lightbox could be used with many JavaScript frameworks like mootools, jQuery, prototype. Total weight is about 62 kb, but the gallery script is about 9 kb, so the rest is the framework. If we use jQuery or mootools on our website it will be only 9 kb more not 62 kb.

8. Fancybox
Download: http://fancy.klade.lv/
JQuery lightbox of 71 kb size. Adds a nice drop shadow, groups related items. Display images, in-linee elements, ajax and iframed content. CSS customizable, support transitions by using easing plugin.

9 Slimbox
Download: http://www.digitalia.be/software/slimbox
Its not as slim as other scripts. Its size is about 51kb. (mootools 46 kb slimbox 5 kb). Interesting alternative for websites using mootools.

10 PrettyPhoto
Download: http://www.no-margin-for-errors.com/projects/prettyPhoto-jquery-lightbox-clone/
PrettyPhoto is a jQuery light box script. It creates neat rounded boxes with image inside. Borders are transparent. It is CSS customizable. Script is about 70 kb and transparent border background images are about 10 kb. Total about 80 kb. Good for jQuery enthusiasts.