Is there a foreground equivalent to background-image in css?

To achieve a “foreground image” (without extra HTML code), you can use a pseudo-element (::before / :before) plus the CSS pointer-events. The last property is needed so that the user can actually click through the layer “as if it did not exist”.

Here’s an example (using a colour whose alpha channel is 50% so that you can see that the real elements can actually be focused). http://jsfiddle.net/JxNdT/

#cont {
  width: 200px;
  height: 200px;
  border: 1px solid #aaa;
  /*To show the boundaries of the element*/
}

#cont:before {
  position: absolute;
  content: '';
  background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
  width: 200px;
  height: 200px;
  pointer-events: none;
}

<div id="cont">
  Test<br>
  <input type="text" placeholder="edit">
</div>

​
PS. I picked the ::before pseudo-element, because that naturally leads to the correct positioning. If I pick ::after, then I have to add position:relative; to the real element (#cont), and top:0;left:0; to the pseudo-element (::after).

PPS. To get the foreground effect on elements without a fixed size, an additional element is needed. This wrapper element requires the position:relative;display:inline-block; styles. Set the width and height of the pseudo-element to 100%, and the pseudo-element will stretch to the width and height of the wrapper element. Demo: http://jsfiddle.net/JxNdT/1/.