| Filter Effects Module Level 1 | |
 Wood texture and drop shadow simulated with SVG filters | |
| Status | Working Draft (WD) |
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| Year started | 15 October 2012 |
| First published | 15 October 2012 |
| Latest version | December 18, 2018 |
| Preview version | Editor's Draft October 30, 2019 |
| Organization | W3C |
| Committee | CSS Working Group |
| Editors |
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| Domain | Visual effects |
| Scalable Vector Graphics |
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SVG filter effects are effects applied to Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) files. SVG is an open-standard XML format for two-dimensional vector graphics as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). A filter effect consists of a series of graphics operations that are applied to a given source vector graphic to produce a modified bitmapped result.
Filter effects are defined by filter elements. The filter property is set on a container element or on a graphics element to apply a filter effect to it. Each filter element contains a set of filter primitives as its children. Each filter primitive performs a single fundamental graphical operation (e.g., a Gaussian blur or a lighting effect) on one or more inputs, producing a graphical result. Because most of the filter primitives represent some form of image processing, in most cases the output from a filter primitive is a single RGBA bitmap image (however, it will be regenerated if a higher resolution is called on).
The original source graphic or the result from a filter primitive can be used as input into one or more other filter primitives. A common application is to use the source graphic multiple times. For example, a simple filter could replace one graphic for two by adding a black copy of the original source graphic but offset to create a drop shadow. In effect, there are now two layers of graphics, both with the same original source graphics.