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CSS Shadow & Effect Builder

Our CSS shadow generator helps you create beautiful box-shadow and text-shadow effects with visual controls. Generate, preview, and copy CSS shadow code instantly for professional web design.

⚡ Generate CSS How it works

Shadow Types: 2 Options
Mode: In-browser
Time: Instant
Price: Free

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Box & Text Shadows

Generate both box-shadow for elements and text-shadow for typography with unified controls.

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Live Preview

See exactly how your shadow appears with real-time preview as you adjust controls.

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100% Private

Everything runs locally in your browser. Your code never leaves your device.

CSS Shadow & Effect Builder online

Select shadow type and adjust properties to generate CSS code.

Shadow Properties

Offset X: 0px

Offset Y: 4px

Blur: 15px

Spread: 0px

Color

#000000

Opacity: 40%

Generated CSS

box-shadow: 0px 4px 15px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);

Live Preview

This preview shows how your box-shadow appears in real-time.

What is CSS Shadow?

CSS shadows are visual effects that create depth, dimension, and elevation in web design. The two primary shadow properties are box-shadow (for elements) and text-shadow (for text). Shadows help elements stand out from backgrounds, create visual hierarchy, and add a sense of depth that makes interfaces feel more three-dimensional and polished.

According to the W3C CSS Backgrounds and Borders Module Level 3, box-shadow creates one or more shadows on an element's box. The property supports offset (x, y), blur radius, spread radius, color, and inset keyword. Text-shadow, defined in CSS Text Decoration Module Level 3, applies shadows to text content with offset, blur, and color values.

CSS shadows are essential for modern web design, enabling designers to create card-based layouts, floating buttons, elevated navigation bars, and readable text over images. Shadows provide visual feedback for interactive elements, indicate depth in material design, and improve accessibility by enhancing contrast. Both properties support multiple shadows (comma-separated), allowing for complex layered effects that create sophisticated visual designs.

✓Box Shadow Example

Card with box-shadow

box-shadow: 0 4px 15px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);

✓Text Shadow Example

Text with shadow

text-shadow: 2px 2px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);

The box-shadow property syntax is: box-shadow: offset-x offset-y blur-radius spread-radius color inset. The spread parameter (unique to box-shadow) enlarges or shrinks the shadow, while the inset keyword creates an inner shadow. Text-shadow uses a simpler syntax: text-shadow: offset-x offset-y blur-radius color, without spread or inset support.

Learn more on MDN Web Docs and Google Web.dev.

CSS Shadow Benefits

Real advantages of using CSS shadows in modern web development

40.5K+

Monthly Searches

Box shadow queries

100%

Browser Support

All modern browsers

CSS3

Since 2009

Mature standard

2 Types

Box & Text

Complete coverage

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Industry Usage

According to Google Web.dev, CSS shadows are used in over 92% of modern websites. The properties are essential for creating depth, visual hierarchy, and modern UI patterns. Major design systems like Material Design, Fluent Design, and Apple's Human Interface Guidelines rely heavily on shadows for elevation and depth. The W3C CSS Backgrounds and Borders Module specification ensures long-term compatibility and standardization across all browsers.

CSS Shadow Benefits

1Visual Depth & Hierarchy

Shadows create visual depth that helps users understand the relationship between elements. Elevated elements appear closer, creating a clear visual hierarchy that guides user attention.

2Enhanced Readability

Text shadows improve readability by creating contrast between text and background images. This is especially important for hero sections, overlays, and text placed on complex backgrounds.

3Modern UI Patterns

Shadows enable modern design patterns like cards, floating action buttons, elevated navigation bars, and material design principles. They're essential for creating contemporary, polished interfaces.

4Interactive Feedback

Shadows provide visual feedback for interactive elements. Hover states, active states, and focus states can use shadow changes to indicate interactivity, improving user experience and accessibility.

5Performance Optimized

CSS shadows are hardware-accelerated and rendered efficiently by browsers. Unlike image-based shadows, they scale perfectly, work on any background, and don't require additional HTTP requests.

6Flexible & Customizable

Shadows support multiple values, custom colors, blur, spread, and inset options. This flexibility allows designers to create everything from subtle depth to dramatic glow effects.

How it Works

This CSS Shadow & Effect Builder processes your selections entirely in your browser. No data is sent to any server, ensuring complete privacy and instant results.

Select Shadow Type

Choose between box-shadow (for elements) or text-shadow (for text) using the tab selector.

Adjust Properties

Use sliders to adjust offset, blur, spread (box-shadow), color, and opacity. See changes in real-time.

Copy CSS

Copy the generated CSS code to your clipboard and paste it into your stylesheet.

Why Use CSS Shadows?

CSS shadows are essential for creating modern, professional web interfaces. They transform flat designs into three-dimensional experiences, guide user attention, and improve usability. Whether you need subtle depth for cards, dramatic effects for hero sections, or enhanced readability for text, shadows provide the visual tools to achieve your design goals.

Unlike image-based shadows, CSS shadows are resolution-independent, scalable, and performant. They work seamlessly with responsive design, adapt to any background color, and don't require additional HTTP requests. Modern browsers hardware-accelerate shadow rendering, making them efficient even with complex layered effects. This makes CSS shadows the preferred method for creating depth in web design.

Shadows play a crucial role in accessibility and user experience. They provide visual feedback for interactive elements, indicate elevation and hierarchy, and improve text readability over complex backgrounds. According to the WCAG 2.1 guidelines, shadows can help meet contrast requirements by creating separation between text and backgrounds.

Box Shadow Use Cases

Cards: Elevate content cards above the background
Buttons: Create depth for call-to-action buttons
Modals: Make dialogs appear above page content
Navigation: Float navigation bars above content
Hover Effects: Indicate interactive elements
Material Design: Implement elevation system

Text Shadow Use Cases

Hero Text: Make headlines readable over images
Overlays: Ensure text visibility on complex backgrounds
Branding: Create distinctive text effects
Accessibility: Improve contrast and readability
Typography: Add depth to heading styles
Effects: Create glow, emboss, or outline effects

Common Shadow Patterns:

Subtle Depth: Small offset (2-4px), low blur (4-8px), low opacity (0.1-0.2)
Card Elevation: Medium offset (4-8px), medium blur (10-20px), medium opacity (0.2-0.3)
Floating Elements: Large offset (8-16px), large blur (20-40px), higher opacity (0.3-0.5)
Glow Effects: Zero offset, large blur (20-50px), high opacity (0.4-0.6)
Inset Shadows: Inner shadows for pressed or embedded appearance
Multiple Shadows: Layered shadows for complex depth effects

According to the W3C CSS Backgrounds and Borders Module Level 3, shadows are the recommended method for creating depth in modern web design. The properties provide complete control over shadow appearance while maintaining performance and accessibility. Whether you're building simple cards or complex material design interfaces, CSS shadows provide the tools you need to create professional, polished designs.

Best Practices

Following best practices ensures your CSS shadow implementations are performant, accessible, and visually effective. Here are essential guidelines for using shadows effectively:

✓ Use Subtle Shadows for Depth

Start with subtle shadows (low opacity, small blur) and increase intensity only when needed. Overly dramatic shadows can overwhelm designs and reduce readability. A good starting point is 2-4px offset, 4-8px blur, and 0.1-0.2 opacity for subtle depth. This creates visual hierarchy without being distracting.

box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);

✓ Consider Performance

While shadows are hardware-accelerated, excessive blur values (over 50px) or multiple complex shadows can impact performance, especially on mobile devices. Limit blur to reasonable values (under 30px for most cases) and use multiple shadows sparingly. Test shadow performance on target devices to ensure smooth animations and scrolling.

Tip: Use will-change: transform for animated elements with shadows to optimize rendering.

✓ Maintain Consistency

Use consistent shadow patterns throughout your design to create a cohesive visual language. Define shadow levels (e.g., small, medium, large) and apply them consistently across similar elements. This creates visual harmony and helps users understand the interface hierarchy. Material Design's elevation system is a great reference for consistent shadow usage.

Level 1 (Subtle)

Level 2 (Medium)

Level 3 (Large)

✓ Ensure Accessibility

Shadows can improve accessibility by enhancing contrast and visual separation, but they shouldn't be the only method for indicating interactivity or importance. Ensure sufficient color contrast independent of shadows, and use shadows to enhance rather than replace other accessibility features. For text shadows, ensure text remains readable even if shadows are disabled.

According to MDN Accessibility Guidelines, shadows should complement, not replace, proper contrast ratios.

✓ Use Multiple Shadows Sparingly

Multiple shadows (comma-separated) can create sophisticated effects, but use them judiciously. Each additional shadow increases rendering complexity. Limit to 2-3 shadows maximum for most use cases. Multiple shadows work well for creating depth layers or combining different shadow types (e.g., inner and outer shadows).

box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.1), 0 8px 16px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);

✓ Test on Different Backgrounds

Shadows interact differently with various background colors and images. Test shadows on light, dark, and complex backgrounds to ensure they provide the intended visual effect. Consider using semi-transparent shadows (rgba) that adapt better to different backgrounds than solid colors. This ensures shadows work well across your entire design system.

✓ Use Inset Shadows for Depth

Inset shadows (using the inset keyword) create inner shadows that give elements a pressed or embedded appearance. They're perfect for input fields, buttons in pressed states, and creating depth within elements. Inset shadows work particularly well for creating neumorphic design patterns.

box-shadow: inset 0 2px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use the CSS Shadow & Effect Builder?

Select either box-shadow or text-shadow, then adjust the offset, blur, spread (box-shadow only), and color controls. The preview updates in real-time, and you can copy the generated CSS code to use in your stylesheets.

What is the difference between box-shadow and text-shadow?

Box-shadow creates shadows around an element's box (the entire element), while text-shadow creates shadows around the text content only. Box-shadow supports a spread parameter for enlarging the shadow, while text-shadow does not. Both support offset, blur, and color values.

What are the CSS shadow property values?

Box-shadow syntax: box-shadow: offset-x offset-y blur-radius spread-radius color. Text-shadow syntax: text-shadow: offset-x offset-y blur-radius color. Both support multiple shadows by comma-separating values. The color can be specified as hex, rgb, rgba, or named colors.

Can I create multiple shadows?

Yes, both box-shadow and text-shadow support multiple shadows by comma-separating shadow values. For example: box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.2), 0 4px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.1). This allows you to create layered shadow effects for depth and dimension.

What is the spread parameter in box-shadow?

The spread parameter (fourth value) in box-shadow enlarges or shrinks the shadow. Positive values enlarge the shadow, negative values shrink it. Spread is particularly useful for creating glow effects or making shadows larger than the element. Text-shadow does not support spread.

Do CSS shadows work in all browsers?

Yes, CSS box-shadow and text-shadow are supported in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. Box-shadow has been supported since CSS3 (2009), and text-shadow since CSS2 (1998). All modern browsers fully support both properties without vendor prefixes.

How do I create inset shadows?

Box-shadow supports inset shadows using the "inset" keyword at the beginning of the value. For example: box-shadow: inset 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.2). This creates a shadow inside the element, giving a pressed or embedded appearance. Text-shadow does not support inset shadows.

What are best practices for using CSS shadows?

Use subtle shadows (low opacity, small blur) for depth without overwhelming the design. Avoid excessive blur values that can impact performance. Use multiple shadows sparingly for layered effects. Consider accessibility by ensuring sufficient contrast. Test shadows on different backgrounds to ensure readability.