mask

The mask CSS shorthand property hides an element (partially or fully) by masking or clipping the image at specific points.

Constituent properties

This property is a shorthand for the following CSS properties:

• mask-clip
• mask-composite
• mask-image
• mask-mode
• mask-origin
• mask-position
• mask-repeat
• mask-size

Syntax

/* Keyword values */
mask: none;

/* Image values */
mask: url(mask.png);                       /* Pixel image used as mask */
mask: url(masks.svg#star);                 /* Element within SVG graphic used as mask */

/* Combined values */
mask: url(masks.svg#star) luminance;       /* Element within SVG graphic used as luminance mask */
mask: url(masks.svg#star) 40px 20px;       /* Element within SVG graphic used as mask positioned 40px from the top and 20px from the left */
mask: url(masks.svg#star) 0 0/50px 50px;   /* Element within SVG graphic used as mask with a width and height of 50px */
mask: url(masks.svg#star) repeat-x;        /* Element within SVG graphic used as horizontally repeated mask */
mask: url(masks.svg#star) stroke-box;      /* Element within SVG graphic used as mask extending to the box enclosed by the stroke */
mask: url(masks.svg#star) exclude;         /* Element within SVG graphic used as mask and combined with background using non-overlapping parts */

/* Global values */
mask: inherit;
mask: initial;
mask: unset;

/* Multiple masks */
mask: url(masks.svg#star) left / 16px repeat-y,    /* Element within SVG graphic is used as a mask on the left-hand side with a width of 16px */
      url(masks.svg#circle) right / 16px repeat-y; /* Element within SVG graphic is used as a mask on the right-hand side with a width of 16px */

Values

<mask-reference>

Sets the mask image source. See mask-image.

<masking-mode>

Sets the masking mode of the mask image. See mask-mode.

<position>

Sets the position of the mask image. See mask-position.

<bg-size>

Sets the size of the mask image. See mask-size.

<repeat-style>

Sets the repetition of the mask image. See mask-repeat.

<geometry-box>

If only one <geometry-box> value is given, it sets both mask-origin and mask-clip. If two <geometry-box> values are present, then the first sets mask-origin and the second sets mask-clip.

<geometry-box> | no-clip

Sets the area that is affected by the mask image. See mask-clip.

<compositing-operator>

Sets the compositing operation used on the current mask layer. See mask-composite.

Formal definition

Formal syntax

<mask-layer>#
where 
<mask-layer> = <mask-reference> | <position> [ / <bg-size> ]? | <repeat-style> | <geometry-box> | [ <geometry-box> | no-clip ] | <compositing-operator> | <masking-mode>
where 
<mask-reference> = none | <image> | <mask-source>
<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> ] ]
<bg-size> = [ <length-percentage> | auto ]{1,2} | cover | contain
<repeat-style> = repeat-x | repeat-y | [ repeat | space | round | no-repeat ]{1,2}
<geometry-box> = <shape-box> | fill-box | stroke-box | view-box
<compositing-operator> = add | subtract | intersect | exclude
<masking-mode> = alpha | luminance | match-source
where 
<image> = <url> | <image()> | <image-set()> | <element()> | <paint()> | <cross-fade()> | <gradient>
<mask-source> = <url>
<length-percentage> = <length> | <percentage>
<shape-box> = <box> | margin-box
where 
<image()> = image( <image-tags>? [ <image-src>? , <color>? ]! )
<image-set()> = image-set( <image-set-option># )
<element()> = element( <id-selector> )
<paint()> = paint( <ident>, <declaration-value>? )
<cross-fade()> = cross-fade( <cf-mixing-image> , <cf-final-image>? )
<gradient> = <linear-gradient()> | <repeating-linear-gradient()> | <radial-gradient()> | <repeating-radial-gradient()> | <conic-gradient()>
<box> = border-box | padding-box | content-box
where 
<image-tags> = ltr | rtl
<image-src> = <url> | <string>
<color> = <rgb()> | <rgba()> | <hsl()> | <hsla()> | <hex-color> | <named-color> | currentcolor | <deprecated-system-color>
<image-set-option> = [ <image> | <string> ] <resolution>
<id-selector> = <hash-token>
<cf-mixing-image> = <percentage>? && <image>
<cf-final-image> = <image> | <color>
<linear-gradient()> = linear-gradient( [ <angle> | to <side-or-corner> ]? , <color-stop-list> )
<repeating-linear-gradient()> = repeating-linear-gradient( [ <angle> | to <side-or-corner> ]? , <color-stop-list> )
<radial-gradient()> = radial-gradient( [ <ending-shape> | <size> ]? [ at <position> ]? , <color-stop-list> )
<repeating-radial-gradient()> = repeating-radial-gradient( [ <ending-shape> | <size> ]? [ at <position> ]? , <color-stop-list> )
<conic-gradient()> = conic-gradient( [ from <angle> ]? [ at <position> ]?, <angular-color-stop-list> )
where 
<rgb()> = rgb( <percentage>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgb( <number>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgb( <percentage>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) | rgb( <number>#{3} , <alpha-value>? )
<rgba()> = rgba( <percentage>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgba( <number>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgba( <percentage>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) | rgba( <number>#{3} , <alpha-value>? )
<hsl()> = hsl( <hue> <percentage> <percentage> [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | hsl( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage>, <alpha-value>? )
<hsla()> = hsla( <hue> <percentage> <percentage> [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | hsla( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage>, <alpha-value>? )
<side-or-corner> = [ left | right ] | [ top | bottom ]
<color-stop-list> = [ <linear-color-stop> [, <linear-color-hint>]? ]# , <linear-color-stop>
<ending-shape> = circle | ellipse
<size> = closest-side | farthest-side | closest-corner | farthest-corner | <length> | <length-percentage>{2}
<angular-color-stop-list> = [ <angular-color-stop> [, <angular-color-hint>]? ]# , <angular-color-stop>
where 
<alpha-value> = <number> | <percentage>
<hue> = <number> | <angle>
<linear-color-stop> = <color> <color-stop-length>?
<linear-color-hint> = <length-percentage>
<angular-color-stop> = <color> && <color-stop-angle>?
<angular-color-hint> = <angle-percentage>
where 
<color-stop-length> = <length-percentage>{1,2}
<color-stop-angle> = <angle-percentage>{1,2}
<angle-percentage> = <angle> | <percentage>

Examples

Masking an image

.target {
  mask: url(#c1) luminance;
}

.anothertarget {
  mask: url(resources.svg#c1) 50px 30px/10px 10px repeat-x exclude;
}

Specifications

Browser compatibility

The compatibility table on this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.

See also

• clip-path, filter
• CSS Shapes, clipping and masking – and how to use them
• Applying SVG effects to HTML content
• SVG