CSS Box Shadow Generator

CSS Box Shadow Generator | Online Free Tool | Elysia Tools

Tool usage guide

Learn when to use this tool, what it supports, and how real users apply it.

Key facts

Category: Design
Input types: range, color, checkbox
Output type: text
Sample coverage: 4
API ready: Yes

Overview

The CSS Box Shadow Generator is a professional design tool that allows you to create and preview custom box-shadow properties for your web elements in real-time, ensuring precise control over depth and visual hierarchy.

When to use

When you need to add depth to UI components like cards, buttons, or modals.
When you want to experiment with shadow offsets, blur, and spread without writing manual CSS code.
When you need to generate consistent shadow styles for a design system or web project.

How it works

1Adjust the horizontal and vertical offset sliders to position the shadow relative to your element.
2Use the blur and spread radius controls to define the softness and size of the shadow effect.
3Select a shadow color and adjust the opacity to achieve the desired transparency level.
4Toggle the inset option to switch between an outer drop shadow and an inner shadow effect.

Use cases

Creating subtle elevation effects for modern card-based layouts.
Designing custom button states with inset shadows for a 'pressed' look.
Generating consistent shadow styles for responsive web design components.

Examples

1. Soft Card Elevation

Frontend Developer

Background

Building a dashboard with card-based layouts that require a clean, modern look.

Problem

Need a subtle, professional shadow that doesn't look too harsh or dark.

How to use

Set horizontal to 0, vertical to 4, blur to 20, and opacity to 0.1.

horizontal: 0, vertical: 4, blur: 20, spread: 0, color: #000000, opacity: 0.1, inset: false

Outcome

A soft, professional drop shadow that provides depth without cluttering the UI.

2. Pressed Button Effect

UI Designer

Background

Designing a custom button that needs to look 'pressed' when clicked.

Problem

Need an inner shadow to simulate the physical indentation of a button.

How to use

Enable the inset checkbox and adjust the vertical offset to 2px.

horizontal: 0, vertical: 2, blur: 5, spread: 0, color: #000000, opacity: 0.3, inset: true

FAQ

What is the difference between blur and spread?

Blur radius determines how fuzzy the shadow appears, while spread radius increases or decreases the actual size of the shadow shape.

Can I create inner shadows?

Yes, simply check the 'Inset Shadow' box to apply the shadow inside the element's border.

Does this tool provide the CSS code?

Yes, the tool generates the exact CSS box-shadow property string ready for you to copy and paste into your stylesheet.

Can I adjust the shadow color transparency?

Yes, you can use the opacity slider to control the transparency of the selected shadow color.

Are negative values supported for offsets?

Yes, you can use negative values for horizontal and vertical offsets to move the shadow to the top or left of the element.

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Result

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Inputs

Result

Learn when to use this tool, what it supports, and how real users apply it.

Key facts

Overview

When to use

How it works

Use cases

Examples

1. Soft Card Elevation

2. Pressed Button Effect

FAQ

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