diff --git a/src/shared/styles/theme.css b/src/shared/styles/theme.css
index 8e696e4..513ab00 100644
--- a/src/shared/styles/theme.css
+++ b/src/shared/styles/theme.css
@@ -154,6 +154,9 @@
   html {
     font-size: var(--font-size);
     scroll-behavior: smooth;
+    /* Reserve scrollbar gutter so locking body scroll (e.g. when a modal
+     * opens) doesn't widen the viewport and shift fixed elements. */
+    scrollbar-gutter: stable;
   }
 
   body {
@@ -272,6 +275,12 @@
 @utility brutal-border-right {
   border-right: var(--border-width) solid var(--blue);
 }
+/* Border drawn as an outline — painted after children, so an image's
+ * subpixel paint bleed can't cover it. Doesn't take layout space; the
+ * ancestor must not have overflow:hidden or the outline gets clipped. */
+@utility brutal-outline {
+  outline: var(--border-width) solid var(--blue);
+}
 /* Apply Fraunces variable axes to non-heading elements using the heading font */
 .font-wonk {
   font-variation-settings:
@@ -413,9 +422,13 @@
   }
 }
 
-/* Keep footer above sliding section-body during view transitions */
+/* Page-load entry animation for the footer. Previously also carried
+ * `view-transition-name: site-footer` to layer above section-body's slide
+ * group, but the section-body group now has `animation: none` (purely
+ * horizontal slide of OLD/NEW snapshots), so the footer can live in the root
+ * snapshot during transitions — which also lets the lightbox dialog group
+ * stack cleanly above it. */
 .footer-vt {
-  view-transition-name: site-footer;
   animation: footer-enter var(--duration-slow) var(--ease-spring) both;
 }
 
@@ -430,12 +443,41 @@
   }
 }
 
-::view-transition-group(site-footer) {
-  z-index: 10;
+/* Lightbox dialog backdrop — flat cream wash. No filter, no gradient.
+ * Cheapest possible; Firefox-friendly during view transitions. */
+dialog.lightbox::backdrop {
+  background-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--cream) 80%, transparent);
 }
 
-/* Lightbox dialog backdrop */
-dialog.lightbox::backdrop {
-  background-color: rgba(4, 28, 243, 0.25);
-  backdrop-filter: blur(4px);
+/* Give the lightbox dialog its own view-transition group so it can stack
+ * above the footer's named group (z=10) during the open/close transition.
+ * Closed dialogs have `display: none` (UA) and don't get snapshotted, so
+ * sharing the name across all `.lightbox` dialogs at rest is harmless —
+ * only the open one participates in any given transition. */
+dialog.lightbox {
+  view-transition-name: lightbox-dialog;
+}
+
+::view-transition-group(lightbox-dialog) {
+  z-index: 20;
+}
+
+/* The image wrapper (and the thumb during the OLD snapshot of an open
+ * transition) shares this static name — imperatively assigned only during
+ * the morph, so there's never more than one element holding it at a time.
+ * z=30 keeps it above the dialog (z=20) and the footer (z=10) during VT. */
+::view-transition-group(lightbox-frame) {
+  z-index: 30;
+}
+
+/* Lightbox image sizing — leaves vertical headroom for the fixed close button
+ * (sits at top-3, ~2.5rem tall). 8rem total = ~4rem top/bottom after centering,
+ * so the button never overlaps the image.
+ * box-sizing: content-box so max-w/max-h apply to the image pixels and the
+ * 3px brutal-border sits outside them — avoids subpixel clipping of the
+ * border by the dialog's overflow:hidden when both have border-box. */
+@utility lightbox-image {
+  box-sizing: content-box;
+  max-width: calc(100vw - 2rem);
+  max-height: calc(100vh - 8rem);
 }
diff --git a/src/shared/ui/ImageLightbox/ui/ImageLightbox.test.tsx b/src/shared/ui/ImageLightbox/ui/ImageLightbox.test.tsx
index 9fb2261..2bf7a99 100644
--- a/src/shared/ui/ImageLightbox/ui/ImageLightbox.test.tsx
+++ b/src/shared/ui/ImageLightbox/ui/ImageLightbox.test.tsx
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ beforeAll(() => {
 
 beforeEach(() => {
   vi.clearAllMocks();
+  document.body.style.overflow = '';
 });
 
 const DEFAULT_PROPS = { src: '/project.jpg', alt: 'My Project' };
@@ -65,5 +66,25 @@ describe('ImageLightbox', () => {
       render(<ImageLightbox {...DEFAULT_PROPS} />);
       expect(document.querySelector('dialog')).toHaveAttribute('aria-label', 'My Project');
     });
+
+    it('opening the lightbox blocks body scroll', () => {
+      render(<ImageLightbox {...DEFAULT_PROPS} />);
+      fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'My Project' }));
+      expect(document.body.style.overflow).toBe('hidden');
+    });
+
+    it('closing the lightbox restores body scroll', () => {
+      render(<ImageLightbox {...DEFAULT_PROPS} />);
+      fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'My Project' }));
+      const dialog = document.querySelector('dialog') as HTMLDialogElement;
+      fireEvent(dialog, new Event('close'));
+      expect(document.body.style.overflow).toBe('');
+    });
+
+    it('close button is positioned fixed', () => {
+      render(<ImageLightbox {...DEFAULT_PROPS} />);
+      const closeBtn = screen.getByRole('button', { name: /close/i, hidden: true });
+      expect(closeBtn).toHaveClass('fixed');
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/shared/ui/ImageLightbox/ui/ImageLightbox.tsx b/src/shared/ui/ImageLightbox/ui/ImageLightbox.tsx
index 73becfc..358080e 100644
--- a/src/shared/ui/ImageLightbox/ui/ImageLightbox.tsx
+++ b/src/shared/ui/ImageLightbox/ui/ImageLightbox.tsx
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 'use client';
 
 import Image from 'next/image';
-import { useRef } from 'react';
+import { type SyntheticEvent, useRef } from 'react';
 import { CloseIcon } from '$shared/assets/icons';
 import { cn } from '$shared/lib';
 import { Button } from '$shared/ui/Button';
+import { Modal, type ModalHandle } from '$shared/ui/Modal';
 
 type Props = {
   /**
@@ -19,75 +20,178 @@ type Props = {
    * CSS classes forwarded to the thumbnail button wrapper
    */
   className?: string;
+  /**
+   * Skip lazy-loading and preload the thumbnail. Set true for above-the-fold
+   * images to improve LCP.
+   * @default false
+   */
+  priority?: boolean;
+  /**
+   * Responsive `sizes` attribute for the thumbnail. Without this, next/image
+   * `fill` defaults to `100vw` and the browser fetches the largest srcset
+   * variant. Tune to match the actual rendered width at each breakpoint.
+   * @default '(min-width: 1024px) 56rem, 100vw'
+   */
+  sizes?: string;
 };
 
 /**
  * Clickable image thumbnail that opens a fullscreen brutalist dialog on click.
+ *
+ * Uses the View Transitions API to morph the thumbnail's rect into the dialog
+ * frame's rect (and back on close). The view-transition-name is seated
+ * just-in-time around each transition rather than living on the thumb at rest
+ * — a persistent name would isolate the thumb from any parent transition
+ * (e.g. the section-body slide-in), causing the image to snap into place
+ * while the rest of the section animates.
  */
-export function ImageLightbox({ src, alt, className }: Props) {
-  const dialogRef = useRef<HTMLDialogElement>(null);
+export function ImageLightbox({
+  src,
+  alt,
+  className,
+  priority = false,
+  sizes = '(min-width: 1024px) 56rem, 100vw',
+}: Props) {
+  const modalRef = useRef<ModalHandle>(null);
+  const thumbRef = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null);
+  const dialogFrameRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+  /* Shared static name across all instances. Only one dialog can be open at a
+   * time (showModal is browser-exclusive), and we set the name imperatively
+   * only during a transition — so at any snapshot, exactly one element has it. */
+  const vtName = 'lightbox-frame';
+
+  /**
+   * Drops the view-transition-name from both thumb and dialog frame. Called
+   * after the lightbox close transition settles (and as a safety net on any
+   * unexpected close path) so the thumb rejoins parent transitions.
+   */
+  function clearVtNames() {
+    if (thumbRef.current) {
+      thumbRef.current.style.viewTransitionName = '';
+    }
+    if (dialogFrameRef.current) {
+      dialogFrameRef.current.style.viewTransitionName = '';
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Runs `mutate` inside a view transition when supported; falls back to a
+   * plain synchronous call otherwise (Firefox without VT support, jsdom).
+   * Returns the transition handle so callers can await `finished` for cleanup.
+   */
+  function withTransition(mutate: () => void): { finished: Promise<void> } | null {
+    const doc = document as Document & {
+      startViewTransition?: (cb: () => void) => { finished: Promise<void> };
+    };
+    if (typeof doc.startViewTransition === 'function') {
+      return doc.startViewTransition(mutate);
+    }
+    mutate();
+    return null;
+  }
 
   function open() {
-    dialogRef.current?.showModal();
+    /* Seat the name on the thumb *before* startViewTransition so it's
+     * captured in the OLD snapshot. The thumb otherwise carries no vt-name. */
+    if (thumbRef.current) {
+      thumbRef.current.style.viewTransitionName = vtName;
+    }
+    withTransition(() => {
+      if (thumbRef.current) {
+        thumbRef.current.style.viewTransitionName = '';
+      }
+      if (dialogFrameRef.current) {
+        dialogFrameRef.current.style.viewTransitionName = vtName;
+      }
+      modalRef.current?.open();
+    });
   }
 
   function close() {
-    dialogRef.current?.close();
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Closes the dialog when the user clicks the backdrop area directly.
-   * Comparing target to currentTarget distinguishes a click on the <dialog>
-   * element itself (the backdrop) from a click on its content children.
-   */
-  function handleBackdropClick(e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLDialogElement>) {
-    if (e.target === e.currentTarget) {
-      close();
+    const transition = withTransition(() => {
+      if (dialogFrameRef.current) {
+        dialogFrameRef.current.style.viewTransitionName = '';
+      }
+      if (thumbRef.current) {
+        thumbRef.current.style.viewTransitionName = vtName;
+      }
+      modalRef.current?.close();
+    });
+    /* Drop the name from the thumb once the transition settles. Otherwise the
+     * thumb stays its own snapshot until the next open, isolated from any
+     * parent transition that runs in the meantime. */
+    if (transition) {
+      transition.finished.finally(clearVtNames);
+    } else {
+      clearVtNames();
     }
   }
 
   /**
-   * Keyboard equivalent of backdrop click — closes the dialog when the user
-   * activates the backdrop area (dialog element itself) via Enter or Space.
-   * ESC is handled natively by showModal(); this covers explicit backdrop activation.
+   * Intercept ESC so it also runs through our view-transition-wrapped close.
+   * Without this, ESC would snap the dialog away without the morph.
    */
-  function handleBackdropKeyUp(e: React.KeyboardEvent<HTMLDialogElement>) {
-    if (e.target === e.currentTarget && (e.key === 'Enter' || e.key === ' ')) {
-      close();
-    }
+  function handleCancel(e: SyntheticEvent<HTMLDialogElement>) {
+    e.preventDefault();
+    close();
   }
 
   return (
     <>
       <button
+        ref={thumbRef}
         type="button"
         onClick={open}
         aria-label={alt}
         className={cn('relative block w-full aspect-video overflow-hidden cursor-zoom-in', className)}
       >
-        <Image src={src} alt={alt} fill className="object-cover" />
-      </button>
-
-      <dialog
-        ref={dialogRef}
-        aria-label={alt}
-        onClick={handleBackdropClick}
-        onKeyUp={handleBackdropKeyUp}
-        className="lightbox fixed inset-0 m-auto relative bg-blue brutal-border p-0 overflow-hidden"
-      >
-        {/* Native img so the dialog sizes to the image — next/image fill requires a pre-sized container */}
-        {/* aria-hidden: the dialog element itself carries the accessible label */}
-        {/* eslint-disable-next-line @next/next/no-img-element */}
-        <img
+        <Image
           src={src}
           alt={alt}
-          aria-hidden={true}
-          className="block max-w-[calc(100vw-2rem)] max-h-[calc(100vh-2rem)] w-auto h-auto"
+          fill
+          loading={priority ? 'eager' : undefined}
+          priority={priority}
+          sizes={sizes}
+          className="object-cover"
         />
-        <Button variant="outline" size="sm" onClick={close} aria-label="Close image" className="absolute top-3 right-3">
+      </button>
+
+      <Modal
+        ref={modalRef}
+        aria-label={alt}
+        className="lightbox bg-cream overflow-visible"
+        onClose={clearVtNames}
+        onCancel={handleCancel}
+        onBackdropClose={close}
+      >
+        {/* Wrapper carries the border as an `outline` (not `border`) — paint
+         * order is border→children→outline, so an `outline` is drawn ON TOP
+         * of any subpixel image bleed and stays fully visible. The dialog
+         * uses `overflow-visible` because outline can be clipped by an
+         * ancestor's overflow:hidden.
+         * The wrapper is the named VT element so the brutalist frame
+         * participates in the morph.
+         * aria-hidden: the dialog element itself carries the accessible label. */}
+        <div ref={dialogFrameRef} className="brutal-outline block w-fit">
+          {/* Explicit width/height are placeholders next/image requires when not using `fill`; CSS
+           * (`lightbox-image` max-w/max-h + `w-auto h-auto`) drives the actual rendered size, so
+           * the dialog still hugs the image's intrinsic dimensions (capped at viewport bounds).
+           * `sizes="100vw"` hints the browser to fetch the srcset variant matching viewport width. */}
+          <Image
+            src={src}
+            alt={alt}
+            width={2000}
+            height={2000}
+            loading="lazy"
+            sizes="100vw"
+            aria-hidden={true}
+            className="lightbox-image block w-auto h-auto"
+          />
+        </div>
+        <Button variant="outline" size="sm" onClick={close} aria-label="Close image" className="fixed top-3 right-3">
           <CloseIcon />
         </Button>
-      </dialog>
+      </Modal>
     </>
   );
 }