`hue-rotate()` CSS function

The hue-rotate() CSS function rotates the hue of an element and its contents. Its result is a filter-function.

[!NOTE] hue-rotate() is specified as a matrix operation on the RGB color. It does not actually convert the color to the HSL model, which is a non-linear operation. Therefore, it may not preserve the saturation or lightness of the original color, especially for saturated colors.

filter: hue-rotate(0);

filter: hue-rotate(90deg);

filter: hue-rotate(-0.25turn);

filter: hue-rotate(3.142rad);

<section id="default-example">
  <img
    class="transition-all"
    id="example-element"
    src="/shared-assets/images/examples/firefox-logo.svg"
    width="200" />
</section>

Syntax

hue-rotate(angle)

Values

• angle Optional
  • : The relative change in hue of the input sample, specified as an angle. A value of 0deg leaves the input unchanged. A positive hue rotation increases the hue value, while a negative rotation decreases the hue value. The initial value for interpolation is 0. There is no minimum or maximum value. The effect of values above 360deg are, given hue-rotate(Ndeg), evaluates to N modulo 360. The default value is 0deg.

The <angle> CSS data type represents an angle value expressed in degrees, gradians, radians, or turns. The following are equivalent:

hue-rotate(-180deg)
hue-rotate(540deg)
hue-rotate(200grad)
hue-rotate(3.14159rad)
hue-rotate(0.5turn)

Formal syntax

Examples

With the backdrop-filter property

This example applies a hue-rotate() filter via the backdrop-filter CSS property to the paragraph, color shifting to the area behind the <p>.

.container {
  background: url("/shared-assets/images/examples/listen_to_black_women.jpg")
    no-repeat left / contain #011296;
}
p {
  backdrop-filter: hue-rotate(240deg);
  text-shadow: 2px 2px #011296;
}

.container {
  padding: 3rem;
  width: 30rem;
}
p {
  padding: 0.5rem;
  color: white;
  font-size: 2rem;
  font-family: sans-serif;
}

<div class="container">
  <p>
    Text on images can be illegible and inaccessible even with a drop shadow.
  </p>
</div>

With the filter property

This example applies a hue-rotate() filter via the filter CSS property adding the color shift to the entire element, including content, border, and background image.

p {
  filter: hue-rotate(-60deg);
  text-shadow: 2px 2px blue;
  background-color: magenta;
  color: goldenrod;
  border: 1em solid rebeccapurple;
  box-shadow:
    inset -5px -5px red,
    5px 5px yellow;
}

p {
  padding: 0.5rem;
  font-size: 2rem;
  font-family: sans-serif;
  width: 85vw;
}

<p>The person who wrote this example is not a designer, fortunately.</p>

With url() and the SVG hue-rotate filter

The SVG <filter> element is used to define custom filter effects that can then be referenced by id. The <filter>’s <feColorMatrix> primitive hueRotate type provides the same effect. Given the following:

<svg
  xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
  viewBox="0 0 220 220"
  color-interpolation-filters="sRGB"
  height="220"
  width="220">
  <filter id="hue-rotate">
    <feColorMatrix type="hueRotate" values="90" />
  </filter>
</svg>

These values produce the same results:

filter: hue-rotate(90deg); /* 90deg rotation */
filter: url("#hue-rotate"); /* with embedded SVG */
filter: url("folder/fileName.svg#hue-rotate"); /* external svg filter definition */

This example shows three images: the image with a hue-rotate() filter function applied, the image with an equivalent url() filter applied, and the original images for comparison:

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th><code>hue-rotate()</code></th>
      <th><code>url()</code></th>
      <th>Original image</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>
        <img
          class="css-filter"
          src="https://mdn.github.io/shared-assets/images/examples/progress-pride-flag.jpg"
          alt="Pride flag with rotated colors" />
      </td>
      <td>
        <img
          class="svg-filter"
          src="https://mdn.github.io/shared-assets/images/examples/progress-pride-flag.jpg"
          alt="Pride flag with rotated colors" />
      </td>
      <td>
        <img
          src="https://mdn.github.io/shared-assets/images/examples/progress-pride-flag.jpg"
          alt="Pride flag" />
      </td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

.css-filter {
  filter: hue-rotate(90deg);
}
.svg-filter {
  filter: url("#hue-rotate");
}

th,
td {
  padding: 5px;
}
svg:not(:root) {
  display: none;
}

hue-rotate() does not preserve saturation or lightness

The diagram below compares two color gradients starting with red: the first is generated using hue-rotate(), and the second uses actual HSL color values. Note how the hue-rotate() gradient shows obvious differences in saturation and lightness in the middle.

<div>
  <p>Using <code>hue-rotate()</code></p>
  <div id="hue-rotate"></div>
</div>
<div>
  <p>Using <code>hsl()</code></p>
  <div id="hsl"></div>
</div>

#hue-rotate,
#hsl {
  display: flex;
  margin: 1em 0;
}

#hue-rotate div,
#hsl div {
  width: 2px;
  height: 100px;
}

const hueRotate = document.getElementById("hue-rotate");
const hsl = document.getElementById("hsl");

for (let i = 0; i < 360; i++) {
  const div1 = document.createElement("div");
  div1.style.backgroundColor = `hsl(${i}, 100%, 50%)`;
  hsl.appendChild(div1);

  const div2 = document.createElement("div");
  div2.style.backgroundColor = "red";
  div2.style.filter = `hue-rotate(${i}deg)`;
  hueRotate.appendChild(div2);
}

Specifications

Browser compatibility

See also

• CSS filter effects module
• The other filter-function functions available to be used in values of the filter and backdrop-filter properties include:
  • blur()
  • brightness()
  • contrast()
  • drop-shadow()
  • grayscale()
  • invert()
  • opacity()
  • saturate()
  • sepia()