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impress/impress.js

38,179JavaScriptAudience · vibe coderComplexity · 2/5MaintainedLicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A web presentation framework that uses 3D transforms to create zooming, rotating slide shows inspired by Prezi, with no dependencies.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      3D slide presentations
      Zoom and rotate effects
      Spatial positioning
      Browser-based rendering
    How it works
      HTML divs as slides
      Data attributes for position
      CSS 3D transforms
      Keyboard and touch nav
    Use cases
      Conference talks
      Product demos
      Non-linear storytelling
    Tech stack
      Plain JavaScript
      CSS 3D transforms
      No dependencies
      Plugin system

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Create a conference talk with zooming 3D transitions between topics instead of flat slides.

USE CASE 2

Build an interactive product demo that rotates and scales to highlight different features.

USE CASE 3

Design a non-linear presentation where the audience can navigate spatially through content.

USE CASE 4

Host a web-based slideshow directly in a browser without needing a server or presentation software.

Tech stack

JavaScriptCSS 3D TransformsHTML5

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

impress.js is a presentation framework for the web that uses CSS 3D transforms and transitions to create zooming, rotating, and spatially positioned slide presentations, inspired by the look and feel of the commercial Prezi presentation tool. Rather than showing slides that flip linearly one after another like a typical PowerPoint presentation, impress.js lets you position your content anywhere in a 3D space and then animates smooth camera movements between those positions as you advance through the presentation. The framework works entirely in the browser: you create an HTML file where each slide is a div element, and you set data attributes on each div to specify its position, rotation, scale, and 3D tilt. When you open the file in a browser, impress.js reads those attributes and generates the CSS needed to render the scene in 3D. Moving between slides triggers CSS transition animations. JavaScript handles keyboard navigation, touch gestures, and tracking which slide is active. The library itself has no required external dependencies and does not use jQuery. Additional functionality is available through a plugin system bundled in the main js file. You would use impress.js when you want to create a visually striking, non-linear web presentation that stands out from standard slide formats, for conference talks, product demos, or any situation where the spatial storytelling of the Prezi style fits your content. It requires a modern browser that supports CSS 3D transforms. The tech stack is plain JavaScript with no framework dependencies, and presentations are just HTML files you can open directly in a browser or host anywhere without a server.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to create a basic impress.js presentation with three slides positioned in 3D space and keyboard navigation.
Prompt 2
How do I add a zoom-in effect when transitioning between slides in impress.js?
Prompt 3
Create an impress.js presentation template for a product pitch with rotating and scaling slide transitions.
Prompt 4
What data attributes do I need to set on HTML divs to position and rotate slides in impress.js?
Prompt 5
How can I add custom animations or plugins to an impress.js presentation?
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Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.