CSS background-image Property
Example
Set a background-image for the <body> element:
body {
background-image: url("paper.gif");
background-color: #cccccc;
}
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Example
Set two background images for the <body> element:
body {
background-image: url("img_tree.gif"), url("paper.gif");
background-color: #cccccc;
}
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More "Try it Yourself" examples below.
Definition and Usage
The background-image property sets one or more background images for an element.
By default, a background-image is placed at the top-left corner of an element, and repeated both vertically and horizontally.
Tip: The background of an element is the total size of the element, including padding and border (but not the margin).
Tip: Always set a background-color to be used if the image is unavailable.
| Default value: | none |
|---|---|
| Inherited: | no |
| Animatable: | no. Read about animatable |
| Version: | CSS1 + new values in CSS3 |
| JavaScript syntax: | object.style.backgroundImage="url(img_tree.gif)" Try it |
Browser Support
The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the property.
| Property | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| background-image | 1.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.5 |
Note: IE8 and earlier do not support multiple background images.
CSS Syntax
background-image: url|none|initial|inherit;
Property Values
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| url('URL') | The URL to the image. To specify more than one image, separate the URLs with a comma |
| none | No background image will be displayed. This is default |
| linear-gradient() | Sets a linear gradient as the background image. Define at least two colors (top to bottom) |
| radial-gradient() | Sets a radial gradient as the background image. Define at least two colors (center to edges) |
| repeating-linear-gradient() | Repeats a linear gradient |
| repeating-radial-gradient() | Repeats a radial gradient |
| initial | Sets this property to its default value. Read about initial |
| inherit | Inherits this property from its parent element. Read about inherit |
More Examples
Example
Sets two background images for the <body> element. Let the first image appear only once (with no-repeat), and let the second image be repeated:
body {
background-image: url("img_tree.gif"), url("paper.gif");
background-repeat: no-repeat, repeat;
background-color: #cccccc;
}
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Example
Use different background properties to create a "hero" image:
.hero-image {
background-image: url("photographer.jpg"); /* The
image used */
background-color: #cccccc; /* Used if the image is
unavailable */
height: 500px; /* You must set a specified height */
background-position: center; /* Center the image */
background-repeat: no-repeat; /* Do not repeat the image */
background-size: cover; /* Resize the background image to cover the entire container */
}
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Example
Sets a linear-gradient (two colors) as a background image for a <div> element:
#grad1 {
height: 200px;
background-color: #cccccc;
background-image:
linear-gradient(red, yellow);
}
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Example
Sets a linear-gradient (three colors) as a background image for a <div> element:
#grad1 {
height: 200px;
background-color: #cccccc;
background-image:
linear-gradient(red, yellow, green);
}
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Example
The repeating-linear-gradient() function is used to repeat linear gradients:
#grad1 {
height: 200px;
background-color: #cccccc;
background-image:
repeating-linear-gradient(red, yellow 10%, green 20%);
}
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Example
Sets a radial-gradient (two colors) as a background image for a <div> element:
#grad1 {
height: 200px;
background-color: #cccccc;
background-image:
radial-gradient(red, yellow);
}
Try it Yourself »
Example
Sets a radial-gradient (three colors) as a background image for a <div> element:
#grad1 {
height: 200px;
background-color: #cccccc;
background-image:
radial-gradient(red, yellow, green);
}
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Example
The repeating-radial-gradient() function is used to repeat radial gradients:
#grad1 {
height: 200px;
background-color: #cccccc;
background-image:
repeating-linear-gradient(red, yellow 10%, green 20%);
}
Try it Yourself »
Related Pages
CSS tutorial: CSS Background, CSS Backgrounds (advanced), CSS Gradients
HTML DOM reference: backgroundImage property
