This is the effect I'm trying to achieve with Bootstrap 3 carousel

enter image description here

Instead of just showing one frame at a time, it displays N frames slide by side. Then when you slide (or when it auto slides), it shifts the group of slides like it does.

Can this be done with bootstrap 3's carousel? I'm hoping I won't have to go hunting for yet another jQuery plugin...


Solution 1:

Bootstrap 5 (Update 2021)

While the carousel is mostly the same in Bootstrap 5, the concept of left and right have changed to start and end since Bootstrap now has RTL support. Therefore the left/right classes have changed. Here's an example of the multi-item CSS for 4 items (25% width columns)...

@media (min-width: 768px) {
    
    .carousel-inner .carousel-item-end.active,
    .carousel-inner .carousel-item-next {
      transform: translateX(25%);
    }
    
    .carousel-inner .carousel-item-start.active, 
    .carousel-inner .carousel-item-prev {
      transform: translateX(-25%);
    }
}

.carousel-inner .carousel-item-end,
.carousel-inner .carousel-item-start { 
  transform: translateX(0);
}

Since jQuery is no longer required, we use vanilla JS to clone the slides into the carousel-item divs..

let items = document.querySelectorAll('.carousel .carousel-item')

items.forEach((el) => {
    // number of slides per carousel-item
    const minPerSlide = 4
    let next = el.nextElementSibling
    for (var i=1; i<minPerSlide; i++) {
        if (!next) {
            // wrap carousel by using first child
            next = items[0]
        }
        let cloneChild = next.cloneNode(true)
        el.appendChild(cloneChild.children[0])
        next = next.nextElementSibling
    }
})

Bootstrap 5 Multi-item Carousel Demo


Bootstrap 4 (Update 2019)

The carousel has changed in 4.x, and the multi-slide animation transitions can be overridden like this...

.carousel-inner .carousel-item-right.active,
.carousel-inner .carousel-item-next {
  transform: translateX(33.33%);
}

.carousel-inner .carousel-item-left.active, 
.carousel-inner .carousel-item-prev {
  transform: translateX(-33.33%)
}
  
.carousel-inner .carousel-item-right,
.carousel-inner .carousel-item-left{ 
  transform: translateX(0);
}

Bootstrap 4 Alpha.6 Demo
Bootstrap 4.0.0 (show 4, advance 1 at a time)
Bootstrap 4.1.0 (show 3, advance 1 at a time)
Bootstrap 4.1.0 (advance all 4 at once)
Bootstrap 4.3.1 responsive (show multiple, advance 1)new
Bootstrap 4.3.1 carousel with cardsnew


Another option is a responsive carousel that only shows and advances 1 slide on smaller screens, but shows multiple slides are larger screens. Instead of cloning the slides like the previous example, this one adjusts the CSS and use jQuery only to move the extra slides to allow for continuous cycling (wrap around):

Please don't just copy-and-paste this code. First, understand how it works.

Bootstrap 4 Responsive (show 3, 1 slide on mobile)

@media (min-width: 768px) {

    /* show 3 items */
    .carousel-inner .active,
    .carousel-inner .active + .carousel-item,
    .carousel-inner .active + .carousel-item + .carousel-item {
        display: block;
    }
    
    .carousel-inner .carousel-item.active:not(.carousel-item-right):not(.carousel-item-left),
    .carousel-inner .carousel-item.active:not(.carousel-item-right):not(.carousel-item-left) + .carousel-item,
    .carousel-inner .carousel-item.active:not(.carousel-item-right):not(.carousel-item-left) + .carousel-item + .carousel-item {
        transition: none;
    }
    
    .carousel-inner .carousel-item-next,
    .carousel-inner .carousel-item-prev {
      position: relative;
      transform: translate3d(0, 0, 0);
    }
    
    .carousel-inner .active.carousel-item + .carousel-item + .carousel-item + .carousel-item {
        position: absolute;
        top: 0;
        right: -33.3333%;
        z-index: -1;
        display: block;
        visibility: visible;
    }
    
    /* left or forward direction */
    .active.carousel-item-left + .carousel-item-next.carousel-item-left,
    .carousel-item-next.carousel-item-left + .carousel-item,
    .carousel-item-next.carousel-item-left + .carousel-item + .carousel-item,
    .carousel-item-next.carousel-item-left + .carousel-item + .carousel-item + .carousel-item {
        position: relative;
        transform: translate3d(-100%, 0, 0);
        visibility: visible;
    }
    
    /* farthest right hidden item must be abso position for animations */
    .carousel-inner .carousel-item-prev.carousel-item-right {
        position: absolute;
        top: 0;
        left: 0;
        z-index: -1;
        display: block;
        visibility: visible;
    }
    
    /* right or prev direction */
    .active.carousel-item-right + .carousel-item-prev.carousel-item-right,
    .carousel-item-prev.carousel-item-right + .carousel-item,
    .carousel-item-prev.carousel-item-right + .carousel-item + .carousel-item,
    .carousel-item-prev.carousel-item-right + .carousel-item + .carousel-item + .carousel-item {
        position: relative;
        transform: translate3d(100%, 0, 0);
        visibility: visible;
        display: block;
        visibility: visible;
    }

}

<div class="container-fluid">
    <div id="carouselExample" class="carousel slide" data-ride="carousel" data-interval="9000">
        <div class="carousel-inner row w-100 mx-auto" role="listbox">
            <div class="carousel-item col-md-4 active">
                <img class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" src="//placehold.it/600x400/000/fff?text=1" alt="slide 1">
            </div>
            <div class="carousel-item col-md-4">
                <img class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" src="//placehold.it/600x400?text=2" alt="slide 2">
            </div>
            <div class="carousel-item col-md-4">
                <img class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" src="//placehold.it/600x400?text=3" alt="slide 3">
            </div>
            <div class="carousel-item col-md-4">
                <img class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" src="//placehold.it/600x400?text=4" alt="slide 4">
            </div>
            <div class="carousel-item col-md-4">
                <img class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" src="//placehold.it/600x400?text=5" alt="slide 5">
            </div>
            <div class="carousel-item col-md-4">
                <img class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" src="//placehold.it/600x400?text=6" alt="slide 6">
            </div>
            <div class="carousel-item col-md-4">
                <img class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" src="//placehold.it/600x400?text=7" alt="slide 7">
            </div>
            <div class="carousel-item col-md-4">
                <img class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" src="//placehold.it/600x400?text=8" alt="slide 7">
            </div>
        </div>
        <a class="carousel-control-prev" href="#carouselExample" role="button" data-slide="prev">
            <i class="fa fa-chevron-left fa-lg text-muted"></i>
            <span class="sr-only">Previous</span>
        </a>
        <a class="carousel-control-next text-faded" href="#carouselExample" role="button" data-slide="next">
            <i class="fa fa-chevron-right fa-lg text-muted"></i>
            <span class="sr-only">Next</span>
        </a>
    </div>
</div>

Example - Bootstrap 4 Responsive (show 4, 1 slide on mobile)
Example - Bootstrap 4 Responsive (show 5, 1 slide on mobile)


Bootstrap 3

Here is a 3.x example on Bootply: http://bootply.com/89193

You need to put an entire row of images in the item active. Here is another version that doesn't stack the images at smaller screen widths: http://bootply.com/92514

EDIT Alternative approach to advance one slide at a time:

Use jQuery to clone the next items..

$('.carousel .item').each(function(){
  var next = $(this).next();
  if (!next.length) {
    next = $(this).siblings(':first');
  }
  next.children(':first-child').clone().appendTo($(this));
  
  if (next.next().length>0) {
    next.next().children(':first-child').clone().appendTo($(this));
  }
  else {
    $(this).siblings(':first').children(':first-child').clone().appendTo($(this));
  }
});

And then CSS to position accordingly...

Before 3.3.1

.carousel-inner .active.left { left: -33%; }
.carousel-inner .next        { left:  33%; }

After 3.3.1

.carousel-inner .item.left.active {
  transform: translateX(-33%);
}
.carousel-inner .item.right.active {
  transform: translateX(33%);
}

.carousel-inner .item.next {
  transform: translateX(33%)
}
.carousel-inner .item.prev {
  transform: translateX(-33%)
}

.carousel-inner .item.right,
.carousel-inner .item.left { 
  transform: translateX(0);
}

This will show 3 at time, but only slide one at a time:

Bootstrap 3.x Demo


Please don't copy-and-paste this code. First, understand how it works. This answer is here to help you learn.

Doubling up this modified bootstrap 4 carousel only functions half correctly (scroll loop stops working)
how to make 2 bootstrap sliders in single page without mixing their css and jquery?
Bootstrap 4 Multi Carousel show 4 images instead of 3

Solution 2:

All the above solutions are hacky and buggy. Don't even try. Use other libs. The best I have found - http://sachinchoolur.github.io/lightslider Works great with bootstrap, does not add junk html, highly-configurable, responsive, mobile-friendly etc...

$('.multi-item-carousel').lightSlider({
    item: 4,
    pager: false,
    autoWidth: false,
    slideMargin: 0
});