Have you ever wondered how to customize the mouse cursor for your website visitors? Adding a custom cursor can significantly enhance user experience and make your website stand out. In this comprehensive tutorial, we’ll show you how to use the Custom Cursor widget in Elementor to achieve this.
What is a Custom Cursor?
A custom cursor is a mouse pointer that has been personalized to match the design and feel of your website. Instead of the standard arrow or hand pointer, a custom cursor can be any shape, icon, image, or animation that aligns with your brand identity. This small yet impactful design element can make your website more engaging and interactive for users.
Why Do You Need a Custom Cursor?
Enhanced User Experience
Custom cursors can make your website more interactive and fun to navigate. They can draw attention to specific elements or actions, making the user journey smoother and more intuitive.
Brand Identity
A unique cursor that aligns with your brand's theme helps reinforce your brand identity. It shows attention to detail and creates a cohesive look and feel across your website.
Increased Engagement
By making the cursor part of the visual experience, you can keep visitors engaged longer. Playful or creative cursor designs can add an element of surprise and delight.
Better Accessibility
Custom cursors can also improve accessibility. For instance, you can create larger cursors or those with higher contrast to assist users with visual impairments.
With the Custom Cursor widget for Elementor, integrating these benefits into your website is easier than ever. Let’s dive in and see how you can customize your mouse cursor with this powerful tool.
Step #1: Install and activate Unlimited Elements
Before getting started you will need to purchase Unlimited Elements pro from the link below to access the Custom Cursor widget.
Then follow these steps:
Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
Choose the zip file you downloaded, upload, and then click Activate.
Once activated, you’ll need to enter your license key.
Now that you have the plugin installed, it’s time to start creating your first Custom Cursor design.
Step #2: Adding the Custom Cursor widget to your Elementor website
To create a Custom Cursor you need to install the Custom Cursor widget from the Unlimited Elements Widget library.
Go to Unlimited Elements in the WordPress Dashboard
Search for the "Custom Cursor"
Hover over the widget and click install
Then, in the Elementor editor, Find the Custom Cursor widget and drag it to the desired part of your page.
Step #3: Choose a Custom Cursor Type
The custom cursor offers 3 types of modes: Trail, Custom Cursor or Shine. Before getting started you will need to choose the type that best suites your use case.
Custom Cursor Shine Effect
The Custom Cursor Shine Effect creates a magical trail of stars that follows the cursor as it moves across the screen. This effect adds a whimsical and enchanting element to your website, making it perfect for themes that aim to delight and captivate visitors with a touch of sparkle and fantasy.
Custom Cursor Trail
The Custom Cursor Trail features a graphical morph blob trail that behaves like a tail following your cursor. When the cursor is stationary, it transforms into a blob. This trail is composed of a set of colors that blend into a gradient, creating a fluid and dynamic visual effect. This type of cursor is ideal for websites looking to add a creative and interactive element that enhances user engagement.
Custom Cursor (Graphic Element)
The Custom Cursor (Graphic Element) offers the most versatile customization options. It consists of inner and outer cursor layers, providing a multi-layered effect. On top of these layers, you can add a graphic element of your choice, such as an icon, image, text, or SVG. This allows you to create a unique cursor that aligns perfectly with your brand’s visual identity, offering a tailored and polished look.
Step #4: Configure the Custom Cursor Widget
The corresponding settings will show according to the cursor type you have selected.
Custom Cursor Shine Effect Settings:
Apply Custom Cursor To
Page or Element ID: This setting allows you to choose whether the custom cursor effect is applied to the entire webpage or to a specific section or element by specifying its ID. This provides flexibility in highlighting particular areas of your website.
Frequency
Controls the number of stars that appear in the trail animation.
Delay in ms
Sets the time delay between each star animation in milliseconds.
Shine Style
Choose from five different styles for the star trail animation.
Sine Color
Select a color for the stars from a list of predefined options.
Shine Scale
Determines the initial size of the stars in the trail.
Shine End Scale
Sets the final size of the stars as the animation completes.
Trail Cursor Settings:
Apply Custom Cursor To
Page or Element ID: This setting allows you to choose whether the custom cursor effect is applied to the entire webpage or to a specific section or element by specifying its ID. This provides flexibility in highlighting particular areas of your website.
Pause Animation
Stops the blob animation when the cursor is stationary, maintaining a clean look.
Color Difference
Customizes the gradient colors within the trail for a vibrant visual effect.
Show Default Cursor
Enable/Disable: You can decide whether to display the default cursor alongside your custom cursor design. This helps maintain some user familiarity while adding a personalized touch.
Custom Cursor Settings:
Apply Custom Cursor To
Page or Element ID: This setting allows you to choose whether the custom cursor effect is applied to the entire webpage or to a specific section or element by specifying its ID. This provides flexibility in highlighting particular areas of your website.
Show Default Cursor
Enable/Disable: You can decide whether to display the default cursor alongside your custom cursor design. This helps maintain some user familiarity while adding a personalized touch.
Show Outer Cursor
Enable/Disable: Toggle this feature to add an outer layer to your custom cursor, enhancing its visual appeal with an additional dynamic element.
Graphic Element
None, Icon, Image, Text: Select from various graphic elements to use as your custom cursor, including icons from the icon library, uploaded images, or text elements. This allows you to customize the cursor to match your website's design.
Pointer Event Position
Center or Top: Adjust the position of the custom cursor relative to the pointer, either centering it or aligning it to the top for different visual effects.
Inner Cursor Delay
Adds Parallax Effect: Introduce a delay to the inner cursor's movement, creating a subtle parallax effect that enhances the smoothness and engagement of the cursor's motion.
Outer Cursor Delay
Adds Parallax Effect: Similar to the inner cursor delay, this setting adds a parallax effect to the outer cursor, increasing the depth and visual appeal of the cursor movement.
Hide Cursor If Not Moving
Enable/Disable: Choose to hide the cursor when the user is not moving the mouse, reducing visual clutter and creating a cleaner interface.
Enable Attention Grabber
Small Animation: Add a playful micro-animation to the inner cursor, providing an additional visual cue for cursor placement and usage, making your website more interactive and engaging.
Wrapping it Up!
By understanding and utilizing these settings, you can create a customized cursor that enhances user experience, reinforces your brand identity, and makes your website more interactive. Experiment with different combinations to find the perfect look and feel for your site.
We hope this detailed guide helps you make the most of the Custom Cursor widget in Elementor. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more tutorials and tips! Happy customizing!
