Text Shadow Generator

How to use

1. Adjust settings — Tweak offset, blur, and color
2. Preview — See the shadow on sample text
3. Copy CSS — Copy the text-shadow property

What Is a Text Shadow Generator?

A text shadow generator builds CSS text-shadow values using sliders and color pickers instead of trial-and-error in code. You drag the offset and blur controls, watch the preview update in real time, then copy the final CSS rule into your stylesheet. It removes the guesswork from designing readable shadows for headings, hero text, buttons, and overlay captions.

The Four Parameters of text-shadow

• Horizontal offset (h-offset): Positive values push the shadow right; negative values push it left. Typical range: -10px to 10px.
• Vertical offset (v-offset): Positive moves the shadow down; negative moves it up. Most natural light comes from above, so positive values usually look most realistic.
• Blur radius: Zero produces a hard, sharp shadow; larger values diffuse it into a soft glow. Glow effects use blur values of 10-30 px with no offset.
• Color and alpha: Any CSS color works. Lower alpha (e.g. rgba(0,0,0,0.3)) creates subtle, modern shadows.

Common Design Patterns

Subtle depth: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.2) — barely visible but adds dimension to UI text. Drop shadow: 2px 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.4) — classic shadow for hero headings. Neon glow: 0 0 10px #00ffff, 0 0 20px #00ffff — duplicated shadows of the same color produce intense glow. Letterpress: 0 1px 0 rgba(255,255,255,0.5) — light shadow below dark text on a similar-toned background.

Layering Multiple Shadows

The CSS spec allows comma-separated lists of shadows on a single element, applied back-to-front. Layering lets you build complex effects: outer glow plus inner highlight, dual-color drop shadows, or stepped 3D extrusions. The generator outputs single shadows by default; copy and combine them manually for layered effects.

Privacy

Everything runs in your browser — no values, designs, or copy operations are tracked.

Build CSS gradients with the CSS Gradient Generator. Generate box shadows with the Box Shadow Generator. Convert between color formats with the Color Converter.

Frequently asked questions

What is text-shadow?

CSS text-shadow adds shadow effects to text characters, controlled by horizontal offset, vertical offset, blur radius, and color.

Can I add multiple text shadows?

Yes in CSS — comma-separate multiple values. This tool generates one shadow at a time.

Does text-shadow affect layout?

No, it's purely visual and doesn't change element dimensions.

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