Shadows & Effects · Free generator

CSS Text Shadow Generator

Free · no sign-up Live preview · copy or download the CSS

Lift a headline off the page or hard-stamp it into it. Offset, blur, color and opacity — the full text-shadow property with your own text, previewed live.

Settings

Shadow me
Generated CSS — updates live


Ready-made examples — click any card to copy its CSS
Proven starting points. Clicking a card copies the full CSS to your clipboard.


The CSS you need to build this yourself
Understand the output, not just copy it — these lessons on our learning path teach exactly what this tool automates:
STEP 1 · 20 minCSS Text StylingSetting display type worth shadowing.STEP 2 · 15 minCSS Colorsrgba() — the translucent shadow color.STEP 3 · 15 minCSS ShadowsThe shared theory of all CSS shadows.


  1. CSS Neon Text GeneratorShadows & Effects
  2. CSS Box Shadow GeneratorShadows & Effects
  3. CSS Text Gradient GeneratorTypography & Buttons
  4. CSS Font Pairing ToolTypography & Buttons
  5. CSS Layer Styles GeneratorShadows & Effects
  6. CSS Button GeneratorTypography & Buttons


How it works


text-shadow takes offset-x, offset-y, blur, color — no spread, no inset, otherwise identical logic to box-shadow. Small offset + moderate blur + translucent color reads as elevation; zero blur at full opacity reads as print; opposing 1px light/dark shadows fake engraving.


Like its box sibling, multiple shadows stack with commas — the "long shadow" example is three progressively offset layers, and stacking is also how neon glow works.


Run the code — try it yourself
Give the hero headline a soft lift — 0 4px 10px at rgba(0,0,0,.45) — so it separates from the gradient.


exercise.html — editable


Frequently asked questions
text-shadow vs box-shadow?
Same idea, different target: text-shadow follows the glyph outlines and has no spread or inset values.
Can I outline text with it?
Four 1px shadows in the four directions fake a thin outline; for real strokes use -webkit-text-stroke.
Does it affect readability?
Used subtly it improves contrast on busy backgrounds; heavy blur behind small body text does the opposite. Reserve it for display sizes.
Can text shadows animate?
Yes — they transition like colors. Keep it to hover states on headings; per-frame text-shadow changes repaint the text.


Keep going
A well-set shadow is felt, not seen: at display sizes it buys contrast and depth for one line of CSS. Go deeper in the Shadows lesson, or push the stacking idea to its glowing extreme in the Neon Text generator.
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