---
title: "How to increase the size of Center slide in Elementor Carousel?"
url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/increase-center-slide-in-elementor-carousel/
date: 2023-02-16
modified: 2026-09-14
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "A carousel reads better when one slide clearly has the spotlight and the ones beside it just peek in. Center Mode in the Carousel Anything widget from The Plus Addons..."
image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/How-to-increase-the-size-of-Center-slide-in-Elementor-Carousel-1024x536.jpg
word_count: 540
---

# How to increase the size of Center slide in Elementor Carousel?

## 

- Carousel Anything de The Plus Addons for Elementor mantiene la diapositiva activa en el centro con Center Mode, y con Scale la muestra más grande que las diapositivas laterales.
- The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro requiere Desktop Columns en un número impar, como Column 3, además de Center Padding para dejar espacio a los lados donde asoman las diapositivas vecinas.
- Center Slide Effects ofrece none, Scale o Shadow; en la prueba con Column 3, Center Padding 60 y Scale, la diapositiva central queda al 100% y las laterales al 80% de tamaño y 70% de opacidad.

A carousel reads better when one slide clearly has the spotlight and the ones beside it just peek in.

**Center Mode** in the **Carousel Anything** widget from The Plus Addons for Elementor keeps the active slide in the middle. With the **Scale** effect it is shown larger than the slides on either side.

*To check the complete feature overview documentation of The Plus Addons for Elementor Carousel Anything widget, [click here](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/carousel-anything-elementor-widget-settings-overview/).*

***Requirement - This widget is a part of The Plus Addons for Elementor, make sure it's installed & activated to enjoy all its powers.***

[LIVE WIDGET LINK](https://theplusaddons.com/elementor-widget/carousel-slider/?utm_source=tpae&utm_medium=docs&utm_campaign=text)

## Before You Start

- **Edition:** **Pro** — Center Mode needs The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro. The Carousel Anything widget itself is free.- **Widget to enable:** Carousel Anything, switched on under **The Plus Addons > Widgets**.- **Slides:** one saved Elementor template per slide, created under **Templates > Saved Templates** and published.

## Step 1: Turn On Center Mode

- Select the Carousel Anything widget and open **Style > Carousel Options**.- In the **Desktop** tab, set **Desktop Columns** to an odd number, such as **Column 3**, so there is a slide on each side of the centre.- Turn on **Center Mode** and set **Center Padding**. This is the space, in pixels, on the left and right of the carousel where the neighbouring slides peek in.

![The Center Mode switch and Center Padding slider in the Carousel Options section of the Carousel Anything widget](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/carousel-center-mode.webp)

## Step 2: Pick an Effect

- Choose **Center Slide Effects**: **none**, **Scale** or **Shadow**.- For **Scale**, set **Center Slide Scale** (default 1) and **Normal Slide Scale** (default 0.8).- Set **Normal Slide Opacity** (default 0.7) to fade the side slides.

![The Center Slide Effects option set to Scale, with the Center Slide Scale, Normal Slide Scale and Normal Slide Opacity sliders](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/carousel-center-effects.webp)

Publish the page to see the result.

![A carousel with three visible slides where the middle slide is full size and the two side slides are smaller and faded](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/carousel-result-center.webp)

![Carousel Anything with Center Mode: a large centre image with smaller images peeking in on both sides](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/center-padding-carousel-demo.png)

## Settings

| Setting | What it does | Default |
| ------- | ------------ | ------- |
| **Center Padding** | Space on the left and right of the carousel for the neighbouring slides (0-500 px). | 0 |
| **Center Slide Effects** | **none**, **Scale** or **Shadow**. | none |
| **Center Slide Scale** | Size of the centre slide with Scale (0.3-2). | 1 |
| **Normal Slide Scale** | Size of the other slides with Scale (0.3-2). | 0.8 |
| **Normal Slide Opacity** | Opacity of the other slides when an effect is chosen (0.1-1). | 0.7 |

## How It Behaves

- In our test with **Column 3**, **Center Padding** 60 and **Scale**, the middle slide was full size and opaque, and the slides on both sides were shown at 80% size and 70% opacity.- Moving the carousel makes the next slide the new centre.- With **none**, the slides keep their size and opacity; only the padding changes.- With **Column 1** and a large padding (150), one wide slide sits in the middle and the neighbours peek in at both edges.- Center Mode and Center Padding can be set again for tablets and phones in the **Tablet** and **Mobile** tabs, after turning on **Responsive Tablet** or **Responsive Mobile**.

## Limitations

- **Shadow fades the centre slide too.** In our test the centre slide got the shadow, but it was shown at the same 70% opacity as the other slides. Set **Normal Slide Opacity** to 1 if the centre slide should stay fully visible.- Center Mode is not part of the free plugin. The switch in the free widget only shows an upgrade notice.

## Troubleshooting

### The centre slide is not bigger

Set **Center Slide Effects** to **Scale** and give **Normal Slide Scale** a value below 1. With **none**, no slide is resized.

### No neighbouring slides are visible

Increase **Center Padding**, or use more than one column.

## Related Docs

- [Carousel Anything widget: settings overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/carousel-anything-elementor-widget-settings-overview/)- [Show several columns in the carousel](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/multiple-columned-elementor-carousel-slider/)- [Change slides automatically with autoplay](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/elementor-carousel-slider-autoplay/)- [Make the carousel loop](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/carousel-infinite-loop-scroll-in-elementor-slider/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What do I need before trying to make the center slide bigger in Elementor Carousel?**
A: Center Mode needs The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro, while the Carousel Anything widget itself is free. The widget also has to be switched on under The Plus Addons > Widgets, and each slide should be a saved Elementor template published under Templates > Saved Templates. That setup matters because the carousel is built from templates, not regular page content, so missing any of those pieces can stop the effect from showing correctly.

**Q: Why is the middle slide not bigger in my carousel?**
A: The size change only happens when Center Slide Effects is set to Scale and Normal Slide Scale is below 1. With none, nothing gets resized, so the center slide stays the same size as the others. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH uses the Scale effect to make the active slide stand out while the side slides stay smaller.

**Q: How do I keep neighboring slides visible beside the center slide?**
A: Center Padding controls how much space is left on both sides of the carousel for neighboring slides to peek in. The page shows a range of 0 to 500 px, and a larger value makes the side slides more visible. An odd Desktop Columns value such as Column 3 also helps because it leaves one slide on each side of the center.

**Q: What is the best setting choice if I want one clear featured slide?**
A: Scale is the cleanest choice when you want one slide to read as the main focus. In the page example, Column 3 with Center Padding 60 and Scale made the middle slide full size and opaque while the side slides sat at 80% size and 70% opacity. That combination works well when you want a spotlight effect without hiding context around it.

**Q: Does center mode work on tablets and phones too?**
A: Center Mode and Center Padding can be set again for tablets and phones once Responsive Tablet or Responsive Mobile is turned on. That matters because a layout that looks balanced on desktop can feel cramped on smaller screens, so separate tablet and mobile values let you keep the center slide readable without losing the peek-in effect.

**Q: Why does my center slide still look faded when I use Shadow?**
A: Shadow affects the center slide too, and in the page’s test it was shown at the same 70% opacity as the other slides. If you want the active slide to stay fully visible, set Normal Slide Opacity to 1. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH notes this as a limitation of Shadow rather than a setup mistake.