How to make this illumination effect with CSS

Question

I'd like to simulate a "scan" light that will reveal words in a box, this is my code by now:

const e = document.getElementsByClassName('scan')[0];
document.onmousemove = function(event){
  e.style.left = `${event.clientX}px`;
};

*{
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
}

html, body{
    width: 100%;
    min-height: 100vh;
    overflow-x: hidden;
    
    display: flex;
}

.banner{
    width: 100vw;
    height: 100vh;

    display: flex;
    flex-grow: 1;
    flex-direction: row;
    align-items: center;
    background-color: #031321;
}

.banner .scan{
    width: 7px;
    height: 80%;
    
    position: absolute;
    left: 30px;
    z-index: 3;

    transition: left 50ms ease-out 0s;
    
    border-radius: 15px;
    background-color: #fff;
    box-shadow:
        0 0 15px 5px #fff,  /* inner white */
        0 0 35px 15px #008cff, /* inner blue */
        0 0 350px 20px #0ff; /* outer cyan */
}

.banner .description{
    width: 100%;
    color: white;
    font-size: 3em;
    text-align: center;

    -webkit-user-select: none;
    -ms-user-select: none;
    user-select: none;
}

<div class="banner">
    <div class="scan"></div>
    <div class="description">
        Just trying something
    </div>
</div>

The idea is the show the words in the .description div according to the scan light position. If possible I'd like to use CSS only to make this effect, and use JavaScript only to move the scan (which will further become a CSS animation). I tried to use some pseudo elements, but it didn't work well. Here's an example of how this animation should work.

Answer 1

You can use transparent text with gradient background. I used background-attachment: fixed and a CSS variable to control background position.

You can increase the background-size (500px in this example) to increase transition smoothing.

const e = document.getElementsByClassName('scan')[0];
const hidden = document.getElementsByClassName('hidden')[0];

document.onmousemove = function(event) {
  e.style.left = `${event.clientX}px`; //               ↓ background width (500px) / 2
  hidden.style.setProperty("--pos", `${event.clientX - 250}px`);
};

* {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

html,
body {
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100vh;
  overflow-x: hidden;
  display: flex;
}

.banner {
  width: 100vw;
  height: 100vh;
  display: flex;
  flex-grow: 1;
  flex-direction: row;
  align-items: center;
  background-color: #031321;
}

.banner .scan {
  width: 7px;
  height: 80%;
  position: absolute;
  left: 30px;
  z-index: 3;
  transition: left 50ms ease-out 0s;
  border-radius: 15px;
  background-color: #fff;
  box-shadow: 0 0 15px 5px #fff, /* inner white */
  0 0 35px 15px #008cff, /* inner blue */
  0 0 350px 20px #0ff;
  /* outer cyan */
}

.banner .description {
  width: 100%;
  color: white;
  font-size: 3em;
  text-align: center;
  -webkit-user-select: none;
  -ms-user-select: none;
  user-select: none;
}

.hidden {
  background: radial-gradient(dodgerblue 10%, #031321 50%) var(--pos) 50% / 500px 500px no-repeat fixed;
  -webkit-background-clip: text;
  -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent;
}

<div class="banner">
  <div class="scan"></div>
  <div class="description">
    Just <span class="hidden">hidden</span> something
  </div>
</div>

Here is another example with very long paragraph and multiple hidden text. We control both X and Y axis in here.

const hiddens = document.querySelectorAll('.hidden');

document.addEventListener("mousemove", e => {
  hiddens.forEach(p => {
    //                                            ↓ background width (400px) / 2
    p.style.setProperty("--posX", `${e.clientX - 200}px`);
    p.style.setProperty("--posY", `${e.clientY - 200}px`);
  });
});

html,
body {
  width: 100%;
  overflow-x: hidden;
}

body {
  background: #031321;
  color: #fff;
  font-size: 3rem;
  line-height: 1.5;
  padding: 20px;
  box-sizing: border-box;
}

.hidden {
  background: radial-gradient(dodgerblue 10%, #031321 50%) var(--posX) var(--posY) / 400px 400px no-repeat fixed;
  -webkit-background-clip: text;
  -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent;
}

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in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor
incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim
veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea <span class="hidden">commodo</span> consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat
non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation
ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim
id est laborum.