CSS Text Shadow Generator - Create Text Effects Online
Design CSS text shadows with visual controls and live preview. Create neon glow, 3D, emboss, fire, and outline text effects with multiple shadow layers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CSS text-shadow?
CSS text-shadow is a property that adds shadow effects to text characters. Unlike box-shadow which applies to an element's bounding box, text-shadow follows the contours of individual text glyphs. It accepts horizontal offset, vertical offset, optional blur radius, and optional color. Multiple comma-separated shadows can be combined for creative effects like neon glow, 3D depth, outlines, and fire effects.
How do I use this text shadow generator?
Adjust the sliders to set horizontal offset, vertical offset, blur radius, and opacity. Pick a shadow color using the color picker. See the effect update in real-time on the preview text. Add multiple layers for complex effects like neon glow or 3D text. Customize the preview text, font size, weight, and background color. Copy the generated CSS code to your stylesheet.
What is the difference between text-shadow and box-shadow?
text-shadow applies shadows to text content only, following the shape of each character. box-shadow applies shadows to the rectangular bounding box of an element. Additionally, text-shadow does not support spread-radius or the inset keyword that box-shadow offers. Use text-shadow for typography effects and box-shadow for container/card elevation.
How do I create a neon glow text effect?
A neon glow uses multiple zero-offset shadow layers with increasing blur radii and a bright color. For example, stack 3-4 shadows with 0 0 7px, 0 0 10px, 0 0 21px, and 0 0 42px using a neon color like #00ff00. This tool's Neon Glow preset applies this technique automatically with one click.
Can I use multiple text shadows?
Yes. The CSS text-shadow property supports comma-separated multiple shadows. This tool lets you add up to 10 shadow layers, each with independent controls. Shadows are applied front-to-back (first shadow on top). This enables effects like 3D text, outlined text, fire effects, and more.
How do I create a 3D/retro text effect?
A 3D or retro text effect uses multiple shadow layers with incrementing offsets and zero blur. Each layer is offset by 1px more than the previous, with progressively darker colors. This tool's Retro 3D preset creates this automatically with 5 stacked layers.
Is my design data secure?
Yes. This tool runs entirely in your browser. No data is sent to any server. Your shadow configurations, preview text, and all customizations stay on your device, ensuring complete privacy.
Code Examples
// Generate text-shadow CSS from parameters
function generateTextShadow(layers) {
return layers.map(layer => {
const { r, g, b } = hexToRgb(layer.color);
const rgba = `rgba(${r}, ${g}, ${b}, ${layer.opacity})`;
return `${layer.offsetX}px ${layer.offsetY}px ${layer.blur}px ${rgba}`;
}).join(', ');
}
function hexToRgb(hex) {
const result = /^#?([a-f\d]{2})([a-f\d]{2})([a-f\d]{2})$/i.exec(hex);
return result ? {
r: parseInt(result[1], 16),
g: parseInt(result[2], 16),
b: parseInt(result[3], 16)
} : { r: 0, g: 0, b: 0 };
}
// Generate neon glow effect
function generateNeonGlow(color, layerCount = 4, maxBlur = 42) {
const shadows = [];
for (let i = 0; i < layerCount; i++) {
const progress = (i + 1) / layerCount;
const blur = Math.round(maxBlur * progress);
const opacity = (1 - progress * 0.6).toFixed(1);
const { r, g, b } = hexToRgb(color);
shadows.push(`0 0 ${blur}px rgba(${r}, ${g}, ${b}, ${opacity})`);
}
return shadows.join(', ');
}
// Usage
const shadow = generateTextShadow([
{ offsetX: 2, offsetY: 2, blur: 4, color: '#000000', opacity: 0.5 }
]);
console.log(`text-shadow: ${shadow};`);
// Output: text-shadow: 2px 2px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);