perspective()

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since March 2022.

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: rgba(90, 90, 90, 0.7);
  transform: translateZ(50px);
}

.back {
  background: rgba(0, 210, 0, 0.7);
  transform: rotateY(180deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.right {
  background: rgba(210, 0, 0, 0.7);
  transform: rotateY(90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.left {
  background: rgba(0, 0, 210, 0.7);
  transform: rotateY(-90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.top {
  background: rgba(210, 210, 0, 0.7);
  transform: rotateX(90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.bottom {
  background: rgba(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

The perspective distance used by perspective() is specified by a <length> value, which represents the distance between the user and the z=0 plane, or by none. The z=0 plane is the plane where everything appears in a 2-dimensional view, or the screen. Negative values are syntax errors. Values smaller than 1px (including zero) are clamped to 1px. 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.

css
perspective(d)

Values

d

Is a <length> representing the distance from the user to the z=0 plane. If it is 0 or a negative value, no perspective transform is applied.

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.
(10000100001000−1/d1)\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

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser

See also