CSS3 filter Property


Example

Change the color of all images to black and white (100% gray):

img {
    -webkit-filter: grayscale(100%); /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: grayscale(100%);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
grayscale(100%)

Try it yourself »

Tip: More "Try it Yourself" examples below.


Definition and Usage

The filter property defines visual effects (like blur and saturation) to an element (often <img>).

Default value: none
Inherited: no
Animatable: yes. Read about animatable
Version: CSS3
JavaScript syntax: object.style.WebkitFilter="grayscale(100%)" Try it

Browser Support

The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the property.

Numbers followed by -webkit- specify the first version that worked with a prefix.

Property
filter 18.0 -webkit- Not supported 35.0 6.0 -webkit- 15.0 -webkit-

Note: Older versions of Internet Explorer (4.0 to 8.0) supported a non-standard "filter" property that has been deprecated. This was mostly used for opacity when needed support from IE8 and down.


CSS Syntax

filter: none | blur() | brightness() | contrast() | drop-shadow() | grayscale() | hue-rotate() | invert() | opacity() | saturate() | sepia() | url();

Tip: To use multiple filters, separate each filter with a space (See "More Examples" below).


Filter Functions

Note: The filters that use percentage values (i.e. 75%), also accept the value as decimal (i.e. 0.75).

Filter Description Play it
none Default value. Specifies no effects Play it »
blur(px) Applies a blur effect to the image. A larger value will create more blur.

If no value is specified, 0 is used.
Play it »
brightness(%) Adjusts the brightness of the image.

0% will make the image completely black.
100% (1) is default and represents the original image.
Values over 100% will provide brighter results.
Play it »
contrast(%) Adjusts the contrast of the image.

0% will make the image completely black.
100% (1) is default and represents the original image.
Values over 100% will provide results with less contrast.
Play it »
drop-shadow(h-shadow v-shadow blur spread color) Applies a drop shadow effect to the image.

Possible values:
h-shadow - Required. Specifies a pixel value for the horizontal shadow. Negative values place the shadow to the left of the image.

v-shadow - Required. Specifies a pixel value for the vertical shadow. Negative values place the shadow above the image.

blur - Optional. This is the third value, and must be in pixels. Adds a blur effect to the shadow. A larger value will create more blur (the shadow becomes bigger and lighter). Negative values are not allowed. If no value is specified, 0 is used (the shadow's edge is sharp).

spread - Optional. This is the fourth value, and must be in pixels. Positive values will cause the shadow to expand and grow bigger, and negative values will cause the shadow to shrink. If not specified, it will be 0 (the shadow will be the same size as the element).
Note: Chrome, Safari and Opera, and maybe other browsers, do not support this 4th length; it will not render if added.

color - Optional. Adds a color to the shadow. If not specified, the color depends on the browser (often black).

An example of creating a red shadow, which is 8px big both horizontally and vertically, with a blur effect of 10px:

filter: drop-shadow(8px 8px 10px red);

Tip: This filter is similar to the box-shadow property.
Play it »
grayscale(%) Converts the image to grayscale.

0% (0) is default and represents the original image.
100% will make the image completely gray (used for black and white images).

Note: Negative values are not allowed.
Play it »
hue-rotate(deg) Applies a hue rotation on the image. The value defines the number of degrees around the color circle the image samples will be adjusted. 0deg is default, and represents the original image.

Note: Maximum value is 360deg.
Play it »
invert(%) Inverts the samples in the image.

0% (0) is default and represents the original image.
100% will make the image completely inverted.

Note: Negative values are not allowed.
Play it »
opacity(%) Sets the opacity level for the image. The opacity-level describes the transparency-level, where:

0% is completely transparent.
100% (1) is default and represents the original image (no transparency).

Note: Negative values are not allowed.
Tip: This filter is similar to the opacity property.
Play it »
saturate(%) Saturates the image.

0% (0) will make the image completely un-saturated.
100% is default and represents the original image.
Values over 100% provides super-saturated results.

Note: Negative values are not allowed.
Play it »
sepia(%) Converts the image to sepia.

0% (0) is default and represents the original image.
100% will make the image completely sepia.

Note: Negative values are not allowed.
Play it »
url() The url() function takes the location of an XML file that specifies an SVG filter, and may include an anchor to a specific filter element. Example:

filter: url(svg-url#element-id)
initial Sets this property to its default value. Read about initial
inherit Inherits this property from its parent element. Read about inherit

Examples

More Examples

Blur Example

Apply a blur effect to the image:

img {
    -webkit-filter: blur(5px); /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: blur(5px);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
blur(5px)

Try it yourself »

Brightness Example

Adjust the brightness of the image:

img {
    -webkit-filter: brightness(200%); /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: brightness(200%);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
brightness(200%)

Try it yourself »

Contrast Example

Adjust the contrast of the image:

img {
    -webkit-filter: contrast(200%); /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: contrast(200%);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
contrast(200%)

Try it yourself »

Drop Shadow Example

Apply a drop shadow effect to the image:

img {
    -webkit-filter: drop-shadow(8px 8px 10px red); /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: drop-shadow(8px 8px 10px red);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
drop-shadow(8px 8px 10px red)

Try it yourself »

Grayscale Example

Convert the image to grayscale:

img {
    -webkit-filter: grayscale(50%); /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: grayscale(50%);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
grayscale(50%)

Try it yourself »

Hue Rotation Example

Apply a hue rotation on the image:

img {
    -webkit-filter: hue-rotate(90deg); /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: hue-rotate(90deg);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
hue-rotate(90deg)

Try it yourself »

Invert Example

Invert the samples in the image:

img {
    -webkit-filter: invert(100%); /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: invert(100%);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
invert(100%)

Try it yourself »

Opacity Example

Set the opacity level for the image:

img {
    -webkit-filter: opacity(30%); /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: opacity(30%);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
opacity(30%)

Try it yourself »

Saturate Example

Saturate the image:

img {
    -webkit-filter: saturate(800%); /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: saturate(800%);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
saturate(800%)

Try it yourself »

Sepia Example

Convert the image to sepia:

img {
    -webkit-filter: sepia(100%); /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: sepia(100%);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
sepia(100%)

Try it yourself »

Combining Filters / Multiple Filters

To use multiple filters, separate each filter with a space.

Note: Order is important (i.e. using grayscale() after sepia() will result in a completely gray image).

img {
    -webkit-filter: contrast(200%) brightness(150%);  /* Chrome, Safari, Opera */
    filter: contrast(200%) brightness(150%);
}

Mountain View
Original image
Mountain View
contrast(200%) brightness(150%)

Try it yourself »

All Filters

A demonstration of all filter functions:

.blur {
    -webkit-filter: blur(4px);
    filter: blur(4px);
}

.brightness {
    -webkit-filter: brightness(0.30);
    filter: brightness(0.30);
}

.contrast {
    -webkit-filter: contrast(180%);
    filter: contrast(180%);
}

.grayscale {
    -webkit-filter: grayscale(100%);
    filter: grayscale(100%);
}

.huerotate {
    -webkit-filter: hue-rotate(180deg);
    filter: hue-rotate(180deg);
}

.invert {
    -webkit-filter: invert(100%);
    filter: invert(100%);
}

.opacity {
    -webkit-filter: opacity(50%);
    filter: opacity(50%);
}

.saturate {
    -webkit-filter: saturate(7);
    filter: saturate(7);
}

.sepia {
    -webkit-filter: sepia(100%);
    filter: sepia(100%);
}

.shadow {
    -webkit-filter: drop-shadow(8px 8px 10px green);
    filter: drop-shadow(8px 8px 10px green);
}
Try it yourself »

Related Pages

HTML DOM reference: filter property