CSS Text Shadow Generator with Live Preview
This text shadow generator builds the CSS text-shadow property visually, so you can design a shadow with sliders and a color picker instead of guessing values by hand. Adjust offset, blur, color, and opacity and watch a live preview update instantly as you go.
It is made for front-end developers and designers who want a subtle shadow for readability, a neon glow, a layered 3D look, or a clean text outline. Stack as many shadow layers as you like, start from a built-in preset, and copy production-ready CSS with one click.
How to Use the Text Shadow Generator
Adjust the shadow controls
Each layer has five controls: Offset X (-50 to 50px), Offset Y (-50 to 50px), Blur (0 to 100px), Color via picker or hex, and Opacity (0% to 100%). Drag the sliders and the preview reacts in real time.
Add more layers
Click Add Layer to stack additional shadows for effects like neon glow or fire. Use the eye icon to toggle a layer on or off, and the remove icon to delete it.
Try a preset
Pick any of the eight presets — Soft, Neon Glow, Retro 3D, Emboss, Outline, Long Shadow, Fire, or Vintage — to load a ready-made effect, then fine-tune it with the sliders.
Customize the preview
Click the preview text to type your own words, then set the font size (24 to 120px), text color, background color, and font family (sans-serif, serif, monospace, or cursive) to match your design.
Copy the CSS
The generated text-shadow property appears in a code block. Click Copy to send it to your clipboard and paste it straight into your stylesheet.
Features
Multi-Layer Shadows
Stack as many shadow layers as you need, each with its own offset, blur, color, and opacity. Toggle individual layers on or off to compare without losing settings.
Visual Controls
Precise range sliders for offset X/Y, blur, and opacity, plus a color picker with hex input for exact color matching.
Live Preview
Every change renders instantly on editable preview text, so you see the real result before you copy a single line of code.
8 Built-In Presets
Start from Soft, Neon Glow, Retro 3D, Emboss, Outline, Long Shadow, Fire, or Vintage, then customize each one to taste.
Customizable Preview
Edit the text, set font size from 24 to 120px, change text and background colors, and switch between sans-serif, serif, monospace, and cursive fonts.
One-Click Code Export
The clean, comma-separated text-shadow CSS is ready in a code block — copy it to your clipboard with a single click.
Reset to Defaults
Clear all layers and preview settings back to a single default shadow whenever you want a fresh start.
Runs Entirely In-Browser
No accounts, no uploads, no tracking. Everything happens locally, so your text and styles stay on your device.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add a text shadow in CSS?
Apply the text-shadow property to a text element. Each shadow is written as offset-x offset-y blur-radius color, for example text-shadow: 2px 2px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);. With this generator you set those values on sliders and copy the finished property straight into your CSS.
What do the text-shadow values mean?
The first value is the horizontal offset, the second is the vertical offset, the third is the blur radius (how soft the shadow looks), and the last is the color. Larger offsets push the shadow further from the text; a higher blur spreads and softens it. In this tool, opacity is folded into the color as an rgba() alpha value.
How do I add multiple text shadows?
The CSS text-shadow property accepts several shadows separated by commas. Click Add Layer to stack as many as you like — there is no fixed limit. Simple effects use one or two layers, while a neon glow typically uses three or four overlapping layers.
How do I create a glow or neon text effect?
Load the Neon Glow preset as a starting point. It stacks several layers with zero offset and increasing blur in the same bright color, which creates the soft halo of a glow. Switch the preview to a dark background, then adjust the color and blur to dial the intensity up or down.
How do I make 3D or outline text with text-shadow?
For a 3D look, use the Retro 3D or Long Shadow preset, which stack offset layers with zero blur to build a sense of depth. For an outline, use the Outline preset: it places four shadows — left, right, up, and down — each with zero blur to trace the edge of every letter. Increase the offset values for a thicker outline.
What is the difference between text-shadow and box-shadow?
text-shadow applies the shadow to the glyphs of the text itself, so it follows the shape of each letter. box-shadow applies the shadow to the element's rectangular box. Use this generator for typography effects; use a box-shadow tool when you want a shadow around a card or button.
Why does my shadow look different at different font sizes?
Shadow values are in pixels, which are absolute units, so a 4px shadow looks proportionally larger on 24px text than on 120px text. Use the font size slider to preview your shadow at the size you will actually ship, and adjust the offset and blur to suit it.
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