💫 CSS Box Shadow Generator
Create and preview beautiful box shadows. Layer multiple shadows, tweak every parameter, and copy the CSS. Runs in your browser.
CSS Box Shadow Generator - Create Beautiful Shadows Instantly
The CSS box-shadow property is one of the most versatile styling tools available to web developers and designers. It allows you to add depth, dimension, and visual interest to any HTML element. Whether you are building a card layout, designing buttons, or crafting a complete UI, well-tuned shadows can transform a flat design into something that feels polished and professional.
What Is Box Shadow?
Box shadow is a CSS property that draws one or more shadow effects around the frame of an element. Each shadow is defined by a combination of horizontal offset, vertical offset, blur radius, spread radius, color, and an optional inset keyword. A positive horizontal offset pushes the shadow to the right, while a negative value pushes it to the left. The same logic applies vertically: positive goes down, negative goes up. The blur radius controls how soft or sharp the edge of the shadow appears. A blur of zero produces a hard, crisp edge, while larger values create a gentle, diffused glow. The spread radius expands or contracts the shadow relative to the element. A positive spread makes the shadow larger than the element, and a negative spread makes it smaller. When the inset keyword is present, the shadow is drawn inside the element rather than outside, creating an impression of depth or a pressed-in effect.
How to Use This Generator
Start by adjusting the sliders for horizontal offset, vertical offset, blur, and spread. Pick a shadow color using the color picker and control its transparency with the opacity slider. Toggle the inset checkbox to switch between outer and inner shadows. To create more complex and realistic effects, click the "Add Shadow" button to layer multiple shadows on top of each other. Each layer can be edited independently. Use the presets to quickly load common shadow styles like Subtle, Medium, Heavy, Floating, Pressed, or Neon Glow. The preview card updates in real time as you make changes, and you can switch the preview background between dark, light, and white to test how your shadow looks against different surfaces. When you are satisfied, click "Copy CSS" to grab the generated code and paste it directly into your stylesheet.
Key Features
This tool offers a real-time visual preview that reflects your changes the instant you move a slider. You can layer multiple shadows to create complex depth effects, and each layer has its own full set of controls including color, opacity, offsets, blur, spread, and inset. Six built-in presets provide quick starting points for common shadow patterns. The background toggle lets you verify that your shadow reads well on both light and dark layouts. The generated CSS is displayed live and can be copied with a single click. Everything runs entirely in your browser with no data sent to any server, so your work stays private and the tool is fast regardless of your internet connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use multiple box shadows on a single element? Yes. The CSS box-shadow property accepts a comma-separated list of shadow values. This generator supports adding as many layers as you need, and each one is included in the output.
What is the difference between blur and spread? Blur controls how soft the shadow edge is. A larger blur makes the shadow more diffused. Spread controls the size of the shadow. A positive spread makes the shadow larger than the element, while a negative spread shrinks it.
What does the inset keyword do? Inset tells the browser to render the shadow inside the element instead of outside. This creates an effect that looks like the element is pressed into the page or has an inner glow.
Is box-shadow supported in all browsers? Yes. The box-shadow property is supported in all modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. No vendor prefixes are needed for current browser versions.
Does this tool send my data anywhere? No. This tool is 100% client-side. All processing happens in your browser and nothing is transmitted to any external server.