Categories

← View All Tools

CSS Box Shadow Generator

Generate CSS box-shadow properties

-100 -100 100
-100 4 100
0 10 100
-50 -50 50
0 0.2 1

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

  • •Adjust the horizontal and vertical offset sliders to position the shadow relative to your element.
  • •Use the blur and spread radius controls to define the softness and size of the shadow effect.
  • •Select a shadow color and adjust the opacity to achieve the desired transparency level.
  • •Toggle 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.
Example Config
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.
Example Config
horizontal: 0, vertical: 2, blur: 5, spread: 0, color: #000000, opacity: 0.3, inset: true
Outcome
An inset shadow that gives the button a recessed, interactive appearance.

Try with Samples

design
CSS Selector Samples
Collection of CSS selector examples for extraction and analysis testing
title token css
sample
Tailwind CSS Samples
Tailwind CSS examples - Utility-first CSS framework with responsive design, components, and custom configurations
title token css
sample
Milligram CSS Framework Samples
Milligram CSS framework examples including typography, forms, grids, and components
title token css
sample
Bulma CSS Framework Samples
Bulma CSS framework examples including columns, components, form controls, layout system, and modern CSS-based design patterns
title token css
sample

Related Hubs

Design Generate Tools
Explore 19 design tools for generate workflows and compare closely related utilities quickly.
Design Convert Tools
Explore 98 design tools for convert workflows and compare closely related utilities quickly.
Json Generate Tools
Explore 33 json tools for generate workflows and compare closely related utilities quickly.
Pdf Generate Tools
Explore 10 pdf tools for generate workflows and compare closely related utilities quickly.

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.

API Documentation

Request Endpoint

POST /en/api/tools/box-shadow-generator

Request Parameters

Parameter Name Type Required Description
horizontal range Yes -
vertical range Yes -
blur range Yes -
spread range Yes -
color color Yes -
opacity range Yes -
inset checkbox No -

Response Format

{
  "result": "Processed text content",
  "error": "Error message (optional)",
  "message": "Notification message (optional)",
  "metadata": {
    "key": "value"
  }
}
Text: Text

AI MCP Documentation

Add this tool to your MCP server configuration: 

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elysiatools-box-shadow-generator": {
      "name": "box-shadow-generator",
      "description": "Generate CSS box-shadow properties",
      "baseUrl": "https://elysiatools.com/mcp/sse?toolId=box-shadow-generator",
      "command": "",
      "args": [],
      "env": {},
      "isActive": true,
      "type": "sse"
    }
  }
}

You can chain multiple tools, e.g.: `https://elysiatools.com/mcp/sse?toolId=png-to-webp,jpg-to-webp,gif-to-webp`, max 20 tools.

If you encounter any issues, please contact us at [email protected]