📦 CSS Box-Shadow Generator
Professional CSS box-shadow generator with real-time preview, interactive sliders for all shadow properties, preset library, and multiple CSS output formats. Perfect for web developers, designers, and UI component styling with copy-to-clipboard functionality.
CSS Box-Shadow Preview:
Interactive Shadow Design Complete
Live preview with customizable shadow properties
🎯 Live Shadow Preview
H-Offset
V-Offset
Blur
Spread
💻 Generated CSS Code
🎨 Shadow Preset Gallery
How to Use This CSS Box-Shadow Generator
How to Use the CSS Box-Shadow Generator
- Choose a Starting Point: Select a preset shadow (soft, medium, hard) or start with custom
- Pick Preview Element: Choose the type of element to see your shadow on (card, button, image)
- Adjust Shadow Properties: Use interactive sliders to modify offset, blur, spread, and color
- Preview in Real-Time: Watch your shadow update instantly as you make changes
- Select Output Format: Choose CSS, SCSS, Tailwind, or Styled Components format
- Copy or Download: Get your final CSS code with one-click copying
Pro Tips: Start with presets for quick results, use negative values for inner shadows, combine multiple shadows for complex effects
How It Works
How the CSS Box-Shadow Generator Works
1. Interactive Slider Controls
Real-time sliders control all box-shadow properties: horizontal offset, vertical offset, blur radius, spread radius, color, and opacity
2. Live Preview System
Instant visual feedback on different element types (cards, buttons, images) showing exactly how your shadow will appear
3. CSS Generation Engine
Converts slider values to proper CSS box-shadow syntax with support for multiple output formats including Tailwind and SCSS
4. Preset Shadow Library
Pre-built shadow collections for common UI patterns with easy customization and professional design standards
Technology: Built with HTML5 range inputs, CSS custom properties, and JavaScript for real-time shadow calculation and preview updates
When You Might Need This
- • Design card shadows for modern UI components with proper elevation hierarchy and visual depth
- • Create button hover effects with dynamic shadow animations for enhanced user interaction feedback
- • Build image gallery frames with realistic drop shadows that enhance photo presentation and visual appeal
- • Generate modal dialog shadows to create proper layering and focus separation from background content
- • Design navigation bar shadows for sticky headers that provide clear visual separation from page content
- • Create form input field focus shadows that improve accessibility and provide clear interaction states
- • Build sidebar panel shadows for dashboard layouts with proper depth perception and content organization
- • Design tooltip shadows that enhance readability and provide clear visual hierarchy for contextual information
- • Generate product card shadows for e-commerce sites that highlight items and encourage user engagement
- • Create text container shadows for blog posts and articles that improve readability and content focus
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between blur radius and spread radius in box-shadow?
Blur radius controls how soft or sharp the shadow edges are - higher values create more diffused, softer shadows. Spread radius controls the size of the shadow - positive values make it larger than the element, negative values make it smaller. Blur creates softness, spread controls size.
How do I create an inset (inner) shadow effect?
Add the 'inset' keyword at the beginning of your box-shadow property. For example: 'box-shadow: inset 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.2);'. Our generator includes an inset toggle and preset options. Inset shadows are perfect for creating pressed button effects or recessed input fields.
Can I use multiple box-shadows on the same element?
Yes! Separate multiple shadows with commas in the box-shadow property. For example: 'box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.1), 0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);'. This creates layered shadow effects for more realistic depth and complex visual effects.
What are the best practices for box-shadow performance?
Use rgba() colors instead of hex for better alpha blending, avoid extremely large blur values (stick to 0-50px), limit the number of shadows per element (2-3 maximum), and consider using CSS transforms for animations instead of animating box-shadow properties directly.
How do I make box-shadows responsive for mobile devices?
Use CSS media queries to reduce shadow intensity on mobile: smaller blur values, lower opacity, and less pronounced offsets. Mobile devices often have different lighting conditions, so lighter shadows (0.05-0.1 opacity) typically work better than desktop shadows (0.1-0.3 opacity).