How to add splash screen to HTML

I want the website to link to a spach screen, lets just say a simple text/picture combination for now, and then fade out to the actual site contents. I considered having a separate file and just link to the main page, but it would have to load again and I think it would look more professional if it faded out or something. I'm sure there is a way to do this especially with the vast power of css or even canvas tags. Any input is helpful, thanks.