perspective-origin

The perspective-origin CSS property determines the position at which the viewer is looking. It is used as the vanishing point by the perspective property.

The perspective-originand perspective properties are attached to the parent of a child transformed in 3-dimensional space, unlike the perspective() transform function which is placed on the element being transformed.

Syntax

/* One-value syntax */
perspective-origin: x-position;

/* Two-value syntax */
perspective-origin: x-position y-position;

/* When both x-position and y-position are keywords,
   the following is also valid */
perspective-origin: y-position x-position;

/* Global values */
perspective-origin: inherit;
perspective-origin: initial;
perspective-origin: unset;

Values

x-position

Indicates the position of the abscissa of the vanishing point. It can have one of the following values:

• <length-percentage> indicating the position as an absolute length value or relative to the width of the element. The value may be negative.
• left, a keyword being a shortcut for the 0 length value.
• center, a keyword being a shortcut for the 50% percentage value.
• right, a keyword being a shortcut for the 100% percentage value.

y-position

Indicates the position of the ordinate of the vanishing point. It can have one of the following values:

• <length-percentage> indicating the position as an absolute length value or relative to the height of the element. The value may be negative.
• top, a keyword being a shortcut for the 0 length value.
• center, a keyword being a shortcut for the 50% percentage value.
• bottom, a keyword being a shortcut for the 100% percentage value.

Formal definition

Formal syntax

<position>
where 
<position> = [ [ left | center | right ] || [ top | center | bottom ] | [ left | center | right | <length-percentage> ] [ top | center | bottom | <length-percentage> ]? | [ [ left | right ] <length-percentage> ] && [ [ top | bottom ] <length-percentage> ] ]
where 
<length-percentage> = <length> | <percentage>

Examples

Changing the perspective origin

This example shows cubes with popular perspective-origin values.

HTML

<section>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: top left;</code></figcaption>
    <div class="container">
     <div class="cube potl">
      <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>
    </div>
</figure>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: top;</code></figcaption>
   <div class="container">
    <div class="cube potm">
      <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>
  </div>
</figure>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: top right;</code></figcaption>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="cube potr">
      <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>
  </div>
</figure>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: left;</code></figcaption>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="cube poml">
      <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>
  </div>
</figure>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: 50% 50%;</code></figcaption>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="cube pomm">
      <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>
  </div>
</figure>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: right;</code></figcaption>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="cube pomr">
      <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>
  </div>
</figure>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: bottom left;</code></figcaption>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="cube pobl">
      <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>
  </div>
</figure>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: bottom;</code></figcaption>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="cube pobm">
      <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>
  </div>
</figure>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: bottom right;</code></figcaption>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="cube pobr">
      <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>
  </div>
</figure>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: -200% -200%;</code></figcaption>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="cube po200200neg">
      <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>
  </div>
</figure>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: 200% 200%;</code></figcaption>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="cube po200200pos">
      <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>
  </div>
</figure>

<figure>
  <figcaption><code>perspective-origin: 200% -200%;</code></figcaption>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="cube po200200">
      <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>
  </div>
</figure>

</section>    

CSS

/* perspective-origin values (unique per example) */
.potl {
  perspective-origin: top left;
}
.potm {
  perspective-origin: top;
}
.potr {
  perspective-origin: top right;
}
.poml {
  perspective-origin: left;
}
.pomm {
  perspective-origin: 50% 50%;
}
.pomr {
  perspective-origin: right;
}
.pobl {
  perspective-origin: bottom left;
}
.pobm {
  perspective-origin: bottom;
}
.pobr {
  perspective-origin: bottom right;
}
.po200200neg {
  perspective-origin: -200% -200%;
}
.po200200pos {
  perspective-origin: 200% 200%;
}
.po200200 {
  perspective-origin: 200% -200%;
}

/* Define the container div, the cube div, and a generic face */
.container {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  margin: 24px;
  border: none;
}

.cube {
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  backface-visibility: visible;
  perspective: 300px;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
}

.face {
  display: block;
  position: absolute;
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  border: none;
  line-height: 100px;
  font-family: sans-serif;
  font-size: 60px;
  color: white;
  text-align: center;
}

/* Define each face based on direction */
.front {
  background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);
  transform: translateZ(50px);
}
.back {
  background: rgba(0, 255, 0, 1);
  color: black;
  transform: rotateY(180deg) translateZ(50px);
}
.right {
  background: rgba(196, 0, 0, 0.7);
  transform: rotateY(90deg) translateZ(50px);
}
.left {
  background: rgba(0, 0, 196, 0.7);
  transform: rotateY(-90deg) translateZ(50px);
}
.top {
  background: rgba(196, 196, 0, 0.7);
  transform: rotateX(90deg) translateZ(50px);
}
.bottom {
  background: rgba(196, 0, 196, 0.7);
  transform: rotateX(-90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

/* Make the layout a little nicer */
section {
  background-color: #EEE;
  padding: 10px;
  font-family: sans-serif;
  text-align: left;
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
}

Result

Specifications

Browser compatibilityUpdate compatibility data on GitHub

See also

• Using CSS Transforms
• transform-style
• <transform-function>
• perspective
• transform: perspective() function