Markdown and image alignment

You can embed HTML in Markdown, so you can do something like this:

<img style="float: right;" src="whatever.jpg">

Continue markdown text...

Many Markdown "extra" processors support attributes. So you can include a class name like so (PHP Markdown Extra):

![Flowers](/flowers.jpeg){.callout}

or, alternatively (Maruku, Kramdown, Python Markdown):

![Flowers](/flowers.jpeg){: .callout}

Then, of course, you can use a stylesheet the proper way:

.callout {
    float: right;
}

If yours supports this syntax, it gives you the best of both worlds: no embedded markup, and a stylesheet abstract enough to not need to be modified by your content editor.

I found a nice solution in pure Markdown with a little CSS 3 hack :-)

![image alt >](/image-right.jpg)
![image alt <](/image-left.jpg)
![image alt ><](/center-image.jpg)

Follow the CSS 3 code float image on the left or right, when the image alt ends with < or >.

img[alt$=">"] {
  float: right;
}

img[alt$="<"] {
  float: left;
}

img[alt$="><"] {
  display: block;
  max-width: 100%;
  height: auto;
  margin: auto;
  float: none!important;
}

I have an alternative to the methods above that used the ALT tag and a CSS selector on the alt tag... Instead, add a URL hash like this:

First your Markdown image code:

![my image](/img/myImage.jpg#left)
![my image](/img/myImage.jpg#right)
![my image](/img/myImage.jpg#center)

Note the added URL hash #center.

Now add this rule in CSS using CSS 3 attribute selectors to select images with a certain path.

img[src*='#left'] {
    float: left;
}
img[src*='#right'] {
    float: right;
}
img[src*='#center'] {
    display: block;
    margin: auto;
}

You should be able to use a URL hash like this almost like defining a class name and it isn't a misuse of the ALT tag like some people had commented about for that solution. It also won't require any additional extensions. Do one for float right and left as well or any other styles you might want.