CSS Box Shadow Generator
Create stunning depth and elevation effects with CSS box shadows. Design single or multi-layer shadows, glows, and neumorphic styles with live preview and instant CSS output.
Quick Presets
Shadow Layers
Live Preview
Generated CSS
box-shadow: 0px 4px 16px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.12);Recommended Settings
Design Best Practices
- •Use subtle shadows (0.08-0.15 opacity) for professional look
- •Larger blur values create softer, more distant shadows
- •Negative spread with blur creates tight, focused shadows
- •Match shadow direction across your design for consistency
Performance Tips
- •Limit to 1-3 shadow layers for optimal performance
- •Avoid animating box-shadow directly (use opacity instead)
- •Use transform: translateZ(0) for hardware acceleration
- •Consider filter: drop-shadow() for irregular shapes
Pro Tips
- •Offset Y should typically be larger than offset X for natural lighting
- •Use 0 blur with spread for solid border-like effects
- •Layer multiple shadows for depth: tight shadow + soft shadow
- •RGBA colors allow transparency - essential for natural shadows
Most Popular
0px 4px 16px rgba(0,0,0,0.1) for modern card elevation
When to Use This Tool
Create elevation depth for card components following Material Design principles. Use subtle shadows for low elevation (cards), medium for raised buttons, and strong for floating action buttons.
Recommended: UI Components
Design modern soft UI elements with dual light and dark shadows. Perfect for creating the trendy neumorphic design style with subtle depth and tactile feel.
Recommended: Modern Interfaces
Enhance interactive elements with shadow transitions. Add depth on hover, create focus rings with colored shadows, or simulate pressed states with inset shadows.
Recommended: User Interaction
Apply text shadows for legibility or drop shadows on images. Make text readable over images or create photo frame effects with realistic shadows.
Recommended: Content Design
Create neon glows, colored halos, or accent lighting effects. Perfect for dark mode designs, call-to-action buttons, or highlighting important elements.
Recommended: Visual Effects
How It Works
Choose a preset or start from scratch
Add shadow layers (supports multiple shadows)
Adjust offset, blur, spread, and color for each layer
Toggle inset for inner shadows
Preview shadow effect in real-time
Copy CSS or download as a file
100% Private
Files never leave your device. All processing happens locally in your browser.
Lightning Fast
Powered by Pure JavaScript for optimal performance on modern browsers.
Secure
No data collection, no tracking, no sign-up required.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between blur and spread?
Blur controls the softness of the shadow edge (higher = softer), while spread expands or contracts the shadow size before blurring. Positive spread makes the shadow larger, negative makes it smaller. Blur affects performance more than spread.
When should I use inset shadows?
Inset shadows create an inner shadow effect, useful for pressed/sunken button states, input fields with depth, or creating beveled edges. They're great for indicating active/selected states in UI elements.
How many shadow layers can I use?
CSS supports unlimited comma-separated shadows, but performance degrades with too many. For best performance, use 1-3 layers. Complex effects like neumorphism typically use 2-3 shadows. More than 5 layers is rarely necessary.
What shadow colors work best?
Use semi-transparent black (rgba(0,0,0,0.1-0.2)) for natural shadows. For colored glows, use the element's accent color with low opacity. Avoid fully opaque shadows - they look unnatural. Dark mode may need lighter shadow colors.
Are box shadows performant?
Box shadows can impact performance if overused. They trigger repaints but not reflows. For best performance: use fewer shadows, avoid animating shadows (animate opacity or transform instead), and consider using pseudo-elements for complex shadow effects.
How do I create a neumorphic effect?
Neumorphism uses two shadows: one dark (bottom-right) and one light (top-left). Use the same background color as the element, soft blur (12-20px), and opposite offset directions. Works best on light backgrounds with subtle colors.