ZeroTool Workbench
CSS Filter Generator
Generate CSS filter effects visually. Adjust blur, brightness, contrast, grayscale, hue-rotate, invert, opacity, saturate, and sepia with sliders. Upload your own image for live preview. Free online CSS filter generator.
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How to Use
- Adjust any of the nine sliders — Blur, Brightness, Contrast, Grayscale, Hue Rotate, Invert, Opacity, Saturate, and Sepia — to see the effect applied to the preview image in real time.
- Click Upload Image to replace the default preview with your own image (JPEG, PNG, WebP, SVG, or any browser-supported format up to 5 MB). Your image is processed entirely in the browser and never uploaded to a server.
- Use the per-slider Reset button to return a single filter to its default value without affecting the others. Click Reset All to restore every slider at once.
- Copy the generated CSS with the Copy button. The output only includes filter functions that differ from their defaults — all-default values produce
filter: none;.
Understanding the Generated CSS
The output sets the filter property on an .element class. Replace
.element with your own selector and apply the declaration to any HTML element —
images, divs, canvases, videos, or pseudo-elements. Filter values are evaluated in order, so
blur(2px) brightness(120%) first blurs and then brightens, which may produce
a slightly different result than applying the functions in reverse.
Common Use Cases
CSS filters are widely used for image hover effects (desaturate on idle, full color on hover), dark-mode image adjustments (invert + hue-rotate), loading skeleton overlays (grayscale + brightness), glassy card overlays (blur applied to a background), and stylized photography effects (sepia, high contrast). Because filters run on the GPU they are performant even on large images or complex layouts.
FAQ
What is the CSS filter property?
The CSS filter property applies graphical effects such as blur, color shift, and brightness adjustments to an element. It accepts a space-separated list of filter functions: blur(), brightness(), contrast(), grayscale(), hue-rotate(), invert(), opacity(), saturate(), and sepia(). Filters are composited in order from left to right and are hardware-accelerated on most browsers.
Why does the output omit filter functions at their default values?
Including a filter function at its default value (e.g., brightness(100%) or blur(0px)) has no visual effect but adds unnecessary bytes. This generator only outputs the functions where values differ from the default, keeping the CSS minimal. When all sliders are at their defaults the output is filter: none; which explicitly removes any inherited filter.
How do I apply the filter to an image on my page?
Copy the generated CSS and add the filter property to your target element's ruleset. For example: img { filter: blur(4px) brightness(120%); }. You can also apply filters to non-image elements like div or section — the effect renders on the element and all its children as a single composited layer.
Can I animate CSS filters?
Yes. CSS filters are animatable with transitions and keyframe animations. Use transition: filter 0.3s ease; on the element and change the filter value on hover, focus, or via JavaScript. All nine filter functions support smooth interpolation as long as the same functions are present in both the start and end states.
What is the difference between opacity() filter and the CSS opacity property?
Functionally they produce the same visual result for a single element. The key difference is that the CSS opacity property creates a new stacking context and affects the element along with all its descendants as a group. The filter: opacity() function is part of the filter chain and composites with other filters in order, which can be useful when combining multiple effects in a single property value.