CSS box shadow generator makes it easy to build single and layered shadow effects with a visual editor. Adjust X and Y offset, blur, spread, and color, stack multiple shadows if needed, and copy the CSS property. Free, browser-based, no upload, no signup required.
The Box Shadow Generator is a visual CSS tool for creating and layering box shadow effects on HTML elements. You configure the horizontal offset, vertical offset, blur radius, spread radius, and color for each shadow layer, preview the result in real time, and copy the generated CSS box-shadow property. Multiple shadow layers can be combined to create depth effects, inner shadows, neon glows, and complex 3D appearances. Box shadow is one of the most versatile CSS properties for adding visual depth and elevation hierarchy to UI elements: cards, buttons, dropdowns, modals, and tooltips all use box shadows to communicate their position in the visual stack. The generator includes preset styles for common shadow patterns including flat, raised, floating, and inset effects.
Box shadow design has become a discipline in itself within modern UI design, with design systems like Google Material Design providing elaborate elevation systems with 24 distinct shadow levels, each corresponding to a specific surface height above the base layer. The key insight driving these elevation systems is that shadows communicate z-position (distance from the viewer) intuitively: deeper shadows with more blur suggest greater elevation (objects further from the surface cast broader, softer shadows), while tight shadows suggest proximity to the surface. The Box Shadow Generator enables precise control over these visual metaphors. Layered box shadows are the technique that separates professional-grade shadow effects from amateur ones. A realistic shadow is not a single blur applied uniformly in one direction: it has a sharp component (the "direct shadow" cast by focused light) and a soft component (the "ambient shadow" from scattered environmental light). A two-layer approach uses one tight, low-blur shadow for the direct component and one larger, high-blur, low-opacity shadow for the ambient component. This combination reads as more natural and physically plausible to viewers. The inset keyword creates inner shadows (inside the element boundary), useful for creating the appearance of sunken or pressed surfaces, input field focus states, and the "pressed button" effect. Combining an outer drop shadow with an inner highlight shadow creates a soft embossed appearance. Box shadows are painted outside the element's border-box by default, so they do not affect layout or trigger reflow, making them safe to animate in hover transitions without performance cost.