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CSS Box Shadow Generator

A CSS box-shadow generator builds the box-shadow CSS property visually — offset X, offset Y, blur radius, spread radius, colour, alpha, inset / outset — with a live preview on a card-shaped element so the result looks right before you paste it into your stylesheet. The ZTools CSS Box-Shadow Generator supports stacking multiple shadows for layered depth (the modern "soft, ambient + sharp, near" convention popular in UI design), saves recipes locally, and exports plain CSS or Tailwind 3/4 utility chains.

Use cases​

Card and modal elevation​

Modern UIs use 2-layer shadows: a wide soft ambient shadow plus a tight near shadow. Build both, stack, copy CSS into the card component.

Button hover lift​

Subtle 2 px lift on hover with a softer shadow. Generate, paste, animate via a simple transition.

Inset shadows for inputs​

Input fields with a soft inset shadow look "carved" — useful in form-heavy designs. Toggle inset and copy.

Drop-shadow alternatives​

For non-rectangular elements (icons), filter:drop-shadow may suit better. The generator emits both options for comparison.

How it works​

  1. Drag the offset — X / Y offset on a 2D pad. Visual feedback updates the preview live.
  2. Tune blur and spread — Blur softens; spread enlarges. Negative spread shrinks the shadow inside the element bounds.
  3. Pick colour and alpha — Hex / RGB / HSL with alpha. Most natural shadows are dark with low alpha (e.g., rgba(0,0,0,0.15)).
  4. Stack multiple shadows — Add another layer; reorder by drag. Up to 6 layers comfortably.
  5. Copy CSS or Tailwind — Pure CSS string, or a Tailwind 4 arbitrary-value utility for in-place use.

Examples​

Input: 0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,0.15)

Output: Standard "card lift" shadow

Input: Two-layer: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.12), 0 8px 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.08)

Output: Modern UI elevation — sharp + ambient

Input: inset 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.08)

Output: Subtle carved-input feel

Frequently asked questions​

How many shadow layers should I stack?

2 layers covers 95% of UI needs (sharp + ambient). 3+ layers risk performance and rarely improve realism.

Are box-shadows expensive to render?

Large blur radii on many elements can hurt scroll performance. For long lists, prefer subtle shadows or use will-change carefully.

What is the difference between box-shadow and filter:drop-shadow?

box-shadow follows the element's rectangle (or border-radius). filter:drop-shadow follows the element's actual painted shape — useful for icons / non-rectangular elements.

Why does my shadow look too harsh?

High alpha (> 0.3) on dark colours reads as a stamp, not a shadow. Lower alpha (0.1–0.2) and add blur for natural softness.

Can I emit Tailwind shadows?

Yes — the generator emits a Tailwind 4 shadow-[...] arbitrary value, or a Tailwind 3 plugin entry for the theme.

Inset vs outset?

Inset draws inside the element (carved feel). Outset (default) draws outside (lifted feel).

Tips​

  • Use 2 layers for cards: one tight (0 1px 2px) and one wide (0 8px 24px) at low alpha.
  • Match shadow direction across the page — typically all shadows fall down-right, simulating one light source.
  • For dark mode, increase alpha and reduce blur — shadows work harder against dark backgrounds.
  • Prefer rgba() for shadow colour so you can tune alpha without picking a new hex.
  • Save your favourite recipe (e.g. "card lift") in your design system so the team uses the same shadow everywhere.

Try it now​

The full CSS Box Shadow Generator runs in your browser at https://ztools.zaions.com/css-box-shadow-generator — no signup, no upload, no data leaves your device.

Open the tool ↗

Last updated: 2026-05-05 · Author: Ahsan Mahmood · Edit this page on GitHub