CSS3 transitions

CSS3 Transitions

CSS3 transitions allows you to change property values smoothly (from one value to another), over a given duration.

Example: Hover over the element below to see a CSS3 transition effect

CSS3
Transition
Browser Support for Transitions

The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the property.

Numbers followed by -webkit-, -moz-, or -o- specify the first version that worked with a prefix.

Property
IE
Chrome
Firebox
Safari
Opera
transition
10.0
26.0
4.0 -webkit-
16.0
4.0 -moz-
6.1
3.1 -webkit-
12.1
10.5 -o-
transition-delay
10.0
26.0
4.0 -webkit-
16.0
4.0 -moz-
6.1
3.1 -webkit-
12.1
10.5 -o-
transition-duration
10.0
26.0
4.0 -webkit-
16.0
4.0 -moz-
6.1
3.1 -webkit-
12.1
10.5 -o-
transition-property
10.0
26.0
4.0 -webkit-
16.0
4.0 -moz-
6.1
3.1 -webkit-
12.1
10.5 -o-
transition-timing-function
10.0
26.0
4.0 -webkit-
16.0
4.0 -moz-
6.1
3.1 -webkit-
12.1
10.5 -o-
 

How Does it Work?

To create a transition effect, you must specify two things:

the CSS property you want to add an effect to
the duration of the effect
Note: If the duration part is not specified, the transition will have no effect, because the default value is 0.

The following example shows a 100px * 100px red <div> element. The <div> element has also specified a transition effect for the width property, with a duration of 2 seconds:

Example

div {
    width: 100px;
    height: 100px;
    background: red;
    -webkit-transition: width 2s; /* Safari */
    transition: width 2s;
}
 
The transition effect will start when the specified CSS property (width) changes value.

Now, let us specify a new value for the width property when a user mouses over the <div> element:

Example

div:hover {
    width: 300px;
}
Notice that when the cursor mouses out of the element, it will gradually change back to its original style.

Change Several Property Values

The following example adds a transition effect for both the width and height property, with a duration of 2 seconds for the width and 4 seconds for the height:

Example

div {
    -webkit-transition: width 2s, height 4s; /* Safari */
    transition: width 2s, height 4s;
}
Specify the Speed Curve of the Transition

The transition-timing-function property specifies the speed curve of the transition effect.

The transition-timing-function property can have the following values:

ease - specifies a transition effect with a slow start, then fast, then end slowly (this is default)
linear - specifies a transition effect with the same speed from start to end
ease-in - specifies a transition effect with a slow start
ease-out - specifies a transition effect with a slow end
ease-in-out - specifies a transition effect with a slow start and end
cubic-bezier(n,n,n,n) - lets you define your own values in a cubic-bezier function
The following example shows the some of the different speed curves that can be used:

Example

#div1 {transition-timing-function: linear;}
#div2 {transition-timing-function: ease;}
#div3 {transition-timing-function: ease-in;}
#div4 {transition-timing-function: ease-out;}
#div5 {transition-timing-function: ease-in-out;}

Delay the Transition Effect

The transition-delay property specifies a delay (in seconds) for the transition effect.

The following example has a 1 second delay before starting:

Example

div {
    -webkit-transition-delay: 1s; /* Safari */
    transition-delay: 1s;
}
Transition + Transformation

The following example also adds a transformation to the transition effect:

Example

div {
    -webkit-transition: width 2s, height 2s, -webkit-transform 2s; /* Safari */
    transition: width 2s, height 2s, transform 2s;
}
More Transition Examples

The CSS3 transition properties can be specified one by one, like this:

Example

div {
    transition-property: width;
    transition-duration: 2s;
    transition-timing-function: linear;
    transition-delay: 1s;
}
or by using the shorthand property transition:

Example

div {
    transition: width 2s linear 1s;
}
 
CSS3 Transition Properties

The following table lists all the transition properties:

Property
Description
transition
A shorthand property for setting the four transition properties into a single property
transition-delay
Specifies when the transition effect will start
transition-duration
Specifies how many seconds or milliseconds a transition effect takes to complete
transition-property
Specifies the name of the CSS property the transition effect is for
transition-timing-function
Specifies the speed curve of the transition effect