CSS Clip-Path Maker
Create CSS clip-path shapes visually. Choose from preset shapes like circles, triangles, pentagons, stars, and arrows, or fine-tune with parameter sliders. See a live preview and copy the generated CSS instantly.
How the CSS Clip-Path Maker Works
The CSS Clip-Path Maker is a free visual tool for creating CSS clip-path shapes without writing code manually. The clip-path property is one of the most powerful but underused CSS features, enabling designers and developers to create non-rectangular visual elements directly in the browser. Instead of relying on image masks or SVG overlays, clip-path lets you define geometric clipping regions using pure CSS, resulting in smaller file sizes, better performance, and easier maintenance.
This tool supports four main clip-path functions. The circle() function creates circular clipping regions defined by a radius percentage. The ellipse() function creates oval shapes with independent horizontal and vertical radius controls. The inset() function creates rectangular clips with adjustable top, right, bottom, and left offsets plus optional border-radius. The polygon() function is the most versatile, defining shapes as a series of x,y coordinate pairs — this tool provides popular polygon presets including triangle, pentagon, hexagon, star, arrow, diamond, and cross shapes.
Understanding Clip-Path Shape Functions
Clip-Path Syntax
clip-path: circle(50% at 50% 50%);
clip-path: ellipse(50% 40% at 50% 50%);
clip-path: inset(10% 10% 10% 10% round 8px);
clip-path: polygon(50% 0%, 0% 100%, 100% 100%);
Polygon coordinates are specified as percentage pairs (x% y%) relative to the element bounding box. 0% 0% is the top-left corner and 100% 100% is the bottom-right.
Common Use Cases for Clip-Path
CSS clip-path is widely used in modern web design for hero section image masks, profile picture shapes, decorative section dividers, hover reveal effects, and creative portfolio layouts. It enables diagonal section transitions, angled image containers, and geometric card designs that stand out from standard rectangular layouts. Because clip-path is a CSS property, it can be transitioned and animated smoothly, making it ideal for interactive hover states and scroll-triggered animations.
Polygon Shape Presets
This tool includes eight polygon presets that cover the most commonly requested non-rectangular shapes. The triangle preset creates an equilateral triangle pointing upward. The diamond creates a rotated square. The pentagon and hexagon create regular five-sided and six-sided shapes respectively. The star preset creates a classic five-pointed star. The arrow creates a rightward-pointing arrow shape. The cross creates a plus-sign shape. Each preset generates precise coordinate pairs that produce clean, symmetrical shapes.
Browser Support and Performance
CSS clip-path with basic shapes is supported in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and mobile browsers on iOS and Android. The property has been stable since 2020 and requires no vendor prefixes in current browser versions. Clip-path operations are GPU-accelerated in most browsers, making them performant even for animated transitions. The only notable absence is Internet Explorer, which never implemented the property. For IE fallback, consider using SVG clipPath elements or conditional CSS.
Clip-Path vs Other Masking Techniques
Compared to image-based masking, clip-path produces sharper edges, smaller file sizes, and resolution-independent shapes. Compared to CSS mask with gradients, clip-path creates hard boundaries rather than soft alpha transitions. Compared to SVG clipPath, CSS clip-path is more concise and easier to write inline. The choice depends on your design requirements: use clip-path for geometric shapes with hard edges, CSS mask for soft transparency gradients, and SVG for complex organic shapes with curves and holes.