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Background Position

In CSS, the background-position property is used to specify the position of the background image of an element. This property allows you to control the placement of the background image within the element's background area.


Syntax​

The syntax for the background-position property is as follows:

index.css
selector {
  background-position: value;
}
  • selector: The element to which the background position is applied.
  • background-position: The CSS property used to set the position of the background image of an element.
  • value: Specifies the position of the background image. It can take one of the following values:
    • top: Aligns the top edge of the background image with the top edge of the background area.
    • bottom: Aligns the bottom edge of the background image with the bottom edge of the background area.
    • left: Aligns the left edge of the background image with the left edge of the background area.
    • right: Aligns the right edge of the background image with the right edge of the background area.
    • center: Aligns the background image in the center of the background area.
    • <percentage>: Specifies the position of the background image as a percentage of the background area.
    • <length>: Specifies the position of the background image using a length value (e.g., 10px, 20%).
    • initial: Sets the background position to its default value.
    • inherit: Inherits the background position from the parent element.

The default value of the background-position property is 0% 0%, which aligns the top left corner of the background image with the top left corner of the background area.

Example​

In the following example, the background-position property is used to set the position of the background image of a <div> element to center, which aligns the background image in the center of the background area:

index.css
div {
  background-image: url("path/to/background-image.jpg");
  background-position: center;
}

In the HTML code below, the CSS rule will apply the center background position to the background image of the <div> element:

index.html
<div>
  <p>
    This is a div with a background image that is centered within the background area.
   </p>
</div>

By using the background-position property, you can control the placement of the background image within the element's background area, allowing you to create visually appealing designs on your web page.


Try it yourself

You can experiment with different values of the background-position property to position the background image in various ways within the background area of an element. Try changing the background-position value to top, bottom, left, right, or a specific length or percentage to see how the background image placement changes.

Example for Background Position​

In this example, we will demonstrate how to use the background-position property to position the background image of a <div> element to the top right corner of the background area.

Step 1: Create an HTML File​

Create an HTML file named index.html and add the following code:

index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Background Position Example</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>
  <div>
    <p>
      This is a div with a background image positioned at the top right corner.
    </p>
  </div>
</body>
</html>

Step 2: Create a CSS File​

Create a CSS file named styles.css and add the following code to set the background image and position:

styles.css
div {
  background-image: url("/assets/jpeg-image.jpg");
  background-position: top right;
  height: 200px;
  width: 400px;
  border: 1px solid #333;
  background-size: cover; color: #fff;
}

p {
  padding: 10px;
}

Step 3: Add a Background Image​

Place an image file named jpeg-image.jpg in the assets directory of your project.

Step 4: View the Output in a Browser​

Open the index.html file in a web browser to see the output. You will see a <div> element with a background image positioned at the top right corner of the background area.

http://127.0.0.1:5500/index.html

This is a div with a background image positioned at the top right corner.

By following these steps, you can use the background-position property to position the background image of an element at the top right corner of the background area.

Conclusion​

The background-position property in CSS allows you to control the placement of the background image within the background area of an element. By specifying the position using keywords, percentages, or length values, you can create visually appealing designs by positioning the background image as desired.