perspective()

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since July 2015.

The perspective() CSS function defines a transformation that sets the distance between the user and the z=0 plane, the perspective from which the viewer would be if the 2-dimensional interface were 3-dimensional. Its result is a <transform-function> data type.

Try it

transform: perspective(0);

transform: perspective(none);

transform: perspective(800px);

transform: perspective(23rem);

transform: perspective(6.5cm);

<section class="default-example" id="default-example"> <div class="transition-all" id="example-element"> <div class="face front">1</div> <div class="face back">2</div> <div class="face right">3</div> <div class="face left">4</div> <div class="face top">5</div> <div class="face bottom">6</div> </div> </section>

#default-example { background: linear-gradient(skyblue, khaki); perspective: 800px; perspective-origin: 150% 150%; } #example-element { width: 100px; height: 100px; perspective: 550px; transform-style: preserve-3d; } .face { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; backface-visibility: inherit; font-size: 60px; color: white; } .front { background: rgb(90 90 90 / 0.7); transform: translateZ(50px); } .back { background: rgb(0 210 0 / 0.7); transform: rotateY(180deg) translateZ(50px); } .right { background: rgb(210 0 0 / 0.7); transform: rotateY(90deg) translateZ(50px); } .left { background: rgb(0 0 210 / 0.7); transform: rotateY(-90deg) translateZ(50px); } .top { background: rgb(210 210 0 / 0.7); transform: rotateX(90deg) translateZ(50px); } .bottom { background: rgb(210 0 210 / 0.7); transform: rotateX(-90deg) translateZ(50px); }

The perspective() transform function is part of the transform value applied on the element being transformed. This differs from the perspective and perspective-origin properties which are attached to the parent of a child transformed in 3-dimensional space.

Syntax

css

perspective(d)

Values

d

Is a <length> representing the distance from the user to the z=0 plane. The z=0 plane is the plane where everything appears in a 2-dimensional view, or the screen. Values smaller than 1px (including zero) are clamped to 1px. Negative values are syntax errors.

Values other than none cause elements with positive z positions to appear larger, and elements with negative z positions to appear smaller. Elements with z positions equal to or larger than the perspective value disappear as though they are behind the user. Large values of perspective represent a small transformation; small values of perspective() represent a large transformation; perspective(none) represents perspective from infinite distance and no transformation.

Cartesian coordinates on ℝ^2	Homogeneous coordinates on ℝℙ^2	Cartesian coordinates on ℝ^3	Homogeneous coordinates on ℝℙ^3
This transformation applies to the 3D space and can't be represented on the plane.		This transformation is not a linear transformation in ℝ^3, and can't be represented using a Cartesian-coordinate matrix.	$\left( \begin{array}{cccc} 1 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 1 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 1 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & -\frac{1}{d} & 1 \\ \end{array} \right)$

Formal syntax

<perspective()> = 
 perspective( [ <length [0,∞]> | none ] )

Examples

HTML

html

<p>Without perspective:</p> <div class="no-perspective-box"> <div class="face front">A</div> <div class="face top">B</div> <div class="face left">C</div> </div> <p>With perspective (9cm):</p> <div class="perspective-box-far"> <div class="face front">A</div> <div class="face top">B</div> <div class="face left">C</div> </div> <p>With perspective (4cm):</p> <div class="perspective-box-closer"> <div class="face front">A</div> <div class="face top">B</div> <div class="face left">C</div> </div>

CSS

css

.face { position: absolute; width: 100px; height: 100px; line-height: 100px; font-size: 100px; text-align: center; } p + div { width: 100px; height: 100px; transform-style: preserve-3d; margin-left: 100px; } .no-perspective-box { transform: rotateX(-15deg) rotateY(30deg); } .perspective-box-far { transform: perspective(9cm) rotateX(-15deg) rotateY(30deg); } .perspective-box-closer { transform: perspective(4cm) rotateX(-15deg) rotateY(30deg); } .top { background-color: skyblue; transform: rotateX(90deg) translate3d(0, 0, 50px); } .left { background-color: pink; transform: rotateY(-90deg) translate3d(0, 0, 50px); } .front { background-color: limegreen; transform: translate3d(0, 0, 50px); }

Result

Specifications

Specification
CSS Transforms Module Level 2 # funcdef-perspective