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CSS Hue Rotate Filter Generator

The filter: hue-rotate() function rotates the hue of every pixel in an element along the HSL colour wheel by a specified angle value, leaving saturation and lightness unchanged while shifting the chromatic component uniformly.

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Live hue rotation preview across the full 0 to 360 degree range

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Visualise colour wheel position for any input colour

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Combine hue-rotate with saturate for vivid recolouring

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Generate animated hue cycling CSS with keyframe output

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Degree Values, Colour Wheel Cycling, and SVG Icon Recolouring with hue-rotate()

The hue-rotate() function accepts an angle value where deg, rad, turn, and grad are all valid units, though in practice deg is universal in production code because most colour wheel references and design tools use degrees. The rotation is applied in the HSL colour model: the hue component of every pixel shifts by the specified angle while saturation and lightness remain unchanged. A pixel at hue 0 (red) rotated by 120deg becomes hue 120 (green). A pixel at hue 200 (blue) rotated by 120deg becomes hue 320 (magenta). Because all pixels shift by the same angle, the relative hue relationships between colours in the element are preserved. A multicolour illustration rotated by 90deg still contains the same variety of colours, but all shifted 90 degrees around the wheel, which keeps the original colour harmony intact.

SVG icon recolouring is one of the most practical uses of hue-rotate() in production codebases. A single SVG icon file using a specific fill colour can be shifted to any other hue by calculating the degree difference between the source hue and the target hue in the HSL model and using that difference as the hue-rotate() value. For a blue icon at approximately 210deg hue that should appear green at approximately 120deg hue, the rotation is 360 + 120 - 210 = 270deg, or equivalently -90deg. This calculation eliminates the need for separate coloured icon assets or SVG use elements with different CSS variables, particularly useful for icon libraries with many colour variants where shipping duplicate asset files for each colour would be expensive and tedious to maintain over time.

Animating hue-rotate() creates a continuous colour cycling effect that is popular for hero accents and decorative elements. A @keyframes block from hue-rotate(0deg) to hue-rotate(360deg) with animation-iteration-count: infinite and animation-timing-function: linear produces a smooth, constant colour cycle. Applied to a gradient background, logo mark, or decorative illustration, this creates the rainbow shift effect seen on many modern SaaS landing pages and personal portfolio sites. The computational cost is low because hue-rotate() is a per pixel matrix operation without spatial sampling, similar in cost to sepia() and grayscale(). Combining hue-rotate with saturate(1.2) in the same filter declaration keeps the colours vivid throughout the cycle, preventing them from looking washed out at hue positions that map to less saturated rendered colours due to display gamut limitations.

hue-rotate() interacts with other filter functions in order dependent ways worth understanding when building complex stacks. Applying sepia() before hue-rotate() first warms the image to a brown monochrome and then shifts the entire result around the colour wheel, producing a tinted monochrome in any chosen hue: sepia(1) hue-rotate(120deg) produces a green tinted monochrome, sepia(1) hue-rotate(240deg) produces a blue tinted monochrome. Reversing the order changes the result because hue-rotate() applied first to a coloured image alters the input that sepia() then receives, which produces a different mapping. Use the visual builder to drag function rows and compare orderings side by side instead of editing CSS by hand, which is significantly faster when exploring tinted monochrome variations across an icon set or photographic content.

MDN: hue-rotate()W3C Filter Effects Module Level 1

How to use this tool

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Drag the hue-rotate slider through the degree range and observe all colours in the preview shift together along the colour wheel. Stop at any degree value where the colour output matches your target and copy the filter declaration.

How It Works

Step-by-step guide to css hue rotate filter generator:

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Add hue-rotate() to the filter builder
Select hue-rotate from the function panel using the Add Filter dropdown. The preview starts at 0deg, the identity value, with no visible change to the element colours. This baseline lets you compare every subsequent slider position directly against the unfiltered original without needing to mentally reset between adjustments while you explore the colour wheel.
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Drag the degree slider
Move the slider through the 0 to 360 degree range and observe every coloured pixel in the preview shifting together around the colour wheel in real time. Pause at the target colour output and read the exact degree value from the field beside the slider. Type a precise number directly if you already know the rotation angle you need from a previous calculation.
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Stack saturate() or other functions
Add saturate(1.1) to maintain colour vividness across the full hue range, since some hue positions can render less saturated on certain displays. Add sepia(1) before hue-rotate() to tint an otherwise achromatic element, or stack brightness() afterwards to fine tune luminance. Adjust function order by dragging rows to change the final rendered result.
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Copy and apply to your element
Click Copy CSS to copy the filter declaration including every function in the current stack. For animated colour cycling, wrap the rule in a @keyframes block from hue-rotate(0deg) to hue-rotate(360deg) with linear timing and infinite iteration count. The visual builder shows a preview of the animation so you can confirm the cycle speed before pasting the CSS into your stylesheet.

Real-world examples

Common situations where this approach makes a real difference:

SVG icon colour variants from a single file

A design system has a single set of SVG icons in the primary blue brand colour. The system needs red, green, and amber icon variants for status indicators across the dashboard product. Rather than creating separate coloured SVG files for every status and every icon, a developer calculates the hue difference from the source blue to each target colour and applies filter: hue-rotate(Xdeg) to dedicated status icon classes. Three CSS rules replace what would otherwise require dozens of additional SVG files that designers would have to update each time the base icon set changed, making the system far easier to maintain.

Rainbow gradient cycling on a landing page logo mark

A SaaS product launch page uses an SVG logo mark with a coloured gradient fill to convey product energy on the hero. The developer wants the logo to cycle through colours as a subtle but distinctive visual accent that loops indefinitely while the visitor remains on the page. They apply filter: hue-rotate(0deg) saturate(1.15) at rest and add an animation cycling from hue-rotate(0deg) to hue-rotate(360deg) over six seconds with linear timing and infinite iteration count. The saturate addition keeps colours vivid throughout the cycle on monitors with narrower colour gamuts where some hue positions can otherwise look muted compared to the source colours.

Hover complementary colour flip on a call-to-action button

A marketing team wants the primary CTA button to flip to its complementary colour on hover as a visual hook that draws attention without changing the button position or content layout. A developer applies filter: hue-rotate(0deg) at rest and filter: hue-rotate(180deg) on :hover with transition: filter 0.3s ease applied to the base rule. The 180 degree rotation produces the exact complementary colour for any brand palette without needing a second colour variable, custom property override, or modifier class. The single transition value covers every button on the site that shares the class, keeping the implementation small.

CSS-only colour theme switcher prototype

A developer prototyping a theme switcher for a web app applies filter: hue-rotate(var(--theme-hue)) to the main content wrapper element. A range input slider in the developer console controls --theme-hue via a JavaScript event listener that updates the CSS custom property on the documentElement. All coloured elements on the page shift simultaneously across the whole layout, giving a realistic preview of the entire UI in any hue variant without maintaining separate theme stylesheets or duplicate component rule blocks. The prototype is sufficient for stakeholder review meetings where direction must be chosen before committing real theme values to the design system.

Pro tips

Get better results with these expert suggestions:

Use hue-rotate on a CSS gradient for a live colour theme preview

Apply filter: hue-rotate() to a container with a CSS gradient background. Changing the degree value from a range input via JavaScript instantly previews the gradient in any hue variant without recomputing the underlying gradient colour stops manually. This is a fast prototyping technique for exploring brand colour palettes against a real layout, especially when stakeholders want to see the same composition in multiple colour directions during a design review. Once a target hue is agreed, the developer can hardcode the equivalent gradient colours and remove the filter to ship cleaner production CSS.

hue-rotate() does not affect achromatic colours

Pure black, white, and grey have no hue component in the HSL model because their saturation is zero, so the colour wheel rotation has nothing to act on. hue-rotate() does not change these pixels regardless of the degree value supplied. An element that is entirely greyscale will look identical at any hue-rotate() value, which is a common source of confusion when developers first apply hue-rotate to a monochrome SVG icon and see no change. Combine with sepia() or another tinting function before hue-rotate() in the filter stack if you want the rotation to affect achromatic source content.

Scope hue-rotate to a container for site-wide theme switching

Applying filter: hue-rotate(var(--theme-hue, 0deg)) to the body or a main content wrapper and changing --theme-hue via JavaScript creates a site wide colour theme toggle driven from a single CSS variable update. All images, icons, and coloured elements shift together in lockstep, producing a consistent theme preview without maintaining multiple colour theme stylesheets or duplicating component rules. This is excellent for prototype phases when stakeholders are still choosing a final brand hue, though for production it is usually better to commit to specific colour values rather than rely on filter based theming because the filter affects every coloured pixel uniformly.

Layer hue-rotate with grayscale for coloured monochrome effects

filter: grayscale(1) hue-rotate(Xdeg) does not produce coloured output because grayscale removes all hue information before hue-rotate operates on the pixels downstream in the filter chain. For a tinted monochrome effect, use sepia(1) first to introduce a warm hue, then hue-rotate() to shift that hue to the target colour: filter: sepia(1) hue-rotate(90deg) produces a green tinted monochrome, sepia(1) hue-rotate(200deg) produces a cool blue tinted monochrome, and sepia(1) hue-rotate(300deg) produces a magenta tinted monochrome. This is the standard CSS technique for any tinted monochrome treatment when the source content includes coloured imagery.

Calculate the hue difference to target a specific colour

Find the HSL hue of the source colour and the target colour. Subtract the source hue from the target hue, wrapping negative values by adding 360. Use this difference as the hue-rotate() degree value. This gives you a specific recolour rather than a trial-and-error rotation.

Use hue-rotate(180deg) for complementary colour effects

A 180-degree rotation shifts every colour to its complementary hue on the colour wheel. Applied to a logo or icon, this produces a complementary colour version without creating a separate asset. Combine with a CSS transition for a hover effect that flips between primary and complementary brand colours.

Add saturate(1.1) to maintain vividness during hue cycling

Some hue positions appear less saturated on screen due to monitor colour profiles and rendering differences. Pairing filter: hue-rotate() with saturate(1.1) compensates for this, keeping colours evenly vivid throughout a full cycle animation.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

hue-rotate(0deg) is the identity value and produces no visible change. Every colour remains exactly as rendered without the filter, and the function might as well not be present from a visual standpoint. It is functionally equivalent to not applying hue-rotate() at all. This value is nonetheless useful as the starting point for a CSS transition or animation because it gives the browser an explicit initial value to interpolate from when transitioning to a non zero rotation on hover or state change. Without this explicit baseline, the browser may snap rather than animate because the two states have mismatched filter function lists. Most builder workflows leave the function in the stack at 0deg to preserve smooth interpolation.

Yes. A 360 degree rotation completes a full circuit of the colour wheel and returns every coloured pixel to its original hue. hue-rotate(360deg) is visually identical to hue-rotate(0deg) on screen, and to anyone inspecting rendered pixels they appear identical. This is precisely why CSS animations cycling from hue-rotate(0deg) to hue-rotate(360deg) loop seamlessly: the end state matches the start state exactly, so when the iteration restarts there is no visible jump at the loop boundary. Some developers prefer to write the keyframe end as hue-rotate(359deg) to avoid any browser specific snapping behaviour at exact 360, but in practice modern browsers handle the full rotation correctly across the major engines without any visible discontinuity.

Find the HSL hue angle of both the source colour and the target colour. Use browser DevTools or any standalone colour picker to read the H value in the HSL representation of each colour. Subtract the source hue from the target hue. If the result is negative, add 360 to wrap around the colour wheel. The resulting value is the hue-rotate() degree needed to shift the source colour to the target. For example, shifting from blue at 210deg to green at 120deg: 120 minus 210 plus 360 equals 270deg, so filter: hue-rotate(270deg) on the blue source produces the green target. The FixTools generator removes this calculation by letting you scrub the slider until the rendered colour matches your reference, then reading the degree value directly.

No. Pure white, black, and grey have zero saturation in the HSL model and no defined hue value to rotate against. The hue-rotate() function shifts the hue angle but has no effect on pixels with zero saturation because there is no hue component for the rotation to act on. An entirely greyscale element will look unchanged at any hue-rotate() value, which is a common point of confusion when developers first apply hue rotation to a black SVG icon and see no visible change. Only pixels with non zero saturation are visibly affected by hue rotation. To recolour a greyscale or black icon, introduce a hue through sepia() first and then apply hue-rotate() to shift that introduced hue to the target colour.

hue-rotate() is not suitable for dark mode on its own because it shifts hue without affecting luminance at all. Dark mode requires changing light colours to dark colours and dark colours to light colours, which is fundamentally a luminance inversion operation, not a hue shift. The invert() filter is more relevant for dark mode approximation, though both filter approaches affect raster images poorly because they invert or recolour photographs in unintended ways. A proper dark mode uses CSS custom properties or the prefers-color-scheme media query to swap specific colour values declaratively, which gives full control over which colours change and which remain consistent across light and dark modes including imagery, icons, and brand accents.

Yes. hue-rotate() interpolates smoothly in CSS transitions and @keyframes animations because the degree value is a single animatable number with well defined behaviour at every point along the rotation. The standard colour cycling animation is written as @keyframes hue-cycle { from { filter: hue-rotate(0deg); } to { filter: hue-rotate(360deg); } } applied to the element with animation-timing-function: linear and animation-iteration-count: infinite. Linear timing is essential here to ensure the colour change rate stays constant throughout the cycle, since ease or other curves would produce a visibly uneven shift through different colour regions. The browser composites this animation efficiently in most modern engines and the perceived cost is comparable to a CSS transform animation.

The function applies identically to all content from a mathematical standpoint, but the visual result differs significantly depending on the source. On a photograph with many varied hues, hue-rotate shifts the entire colour palette together as a block, which can look abstract or psychedelic at high degree values because every hue in the scene rotates simultaneously. On a flat illustration with one or two defined brand colours, hue-rotate produces a cleaner, more predictable recolour because there are fewer colours shifting at once and the result reads as a deliberate recolour rather than a colour washout. For predictable recolouring use cases such as icon recolouring, prefer flat source assets over photographic source content because the latter rarely produces clean target colours.

Yes. Stacking filter: sepia(1) hue-rotate(Xdeg) first converts all colours to the warm brown sepia tone and then rotates the hue of that brown by the chosen angle. At hue-rotate(90deg) the sepia tone shifts toward yellow green. At hue-rotate(180deg) it shifts toward blue purple, producing a cool toned monochrome rather than the default warm. This combination allows you to produce tinted monochrome effects in any hue direction, not just the default warm brown of sepia() in isolation. It is the standard CSS technique for tinted monochrome looks and is significantly simpler to maintain than an SVG feColorMatrix solution targeting the same outcome, while still producing acceptable results across diverse content types.

Yes. The hue-rotate() function is one of the supported filter functions inside backdrop-filter values. Writing backdrop-filter: hue-rotate(180deg) on a translucent panel rotates the hue of whatever sits behind the panel without changing the panel contents themselves. Combined with blur() and brightness() inside backdrop-filter, you can produce a panel that visually transforms the page content underneath it into a recoloured glass effect. Browser support is good in Chromium and WebKit, and Firefox added support in version 103. Provide a solid opaque background colour fallback for older browsers that do not support backdrop-filter so the panel remains readable when the effect is unavailable.

Setting fill colour directly on an SVG element through CSS or the fill attribute is more precise and predictable than rotating hue with a filter, because you choose the exact target colour rather than calculating a rotation. For inline SVGs that you control, directly setting fill via CSS rules targeting paths or using currentColor inheritance is the cleaner approach. hue-rotate() becomes valuable when you cannot edit the SVG source, such as third party icon libraries delivered as img elements or sprite references where direct fill control is not available. The filter is also useful for animating colour changes through CSS transitions in a single property rather than animating multiple individual fill colours simultaneously.