CSS Text Shadow Generator
Visually build CSS text-shadow declarations with live preview. Stack multiple shadows for compound effects (outline, neon glow, layered 3D), tweak offset, blur, and color per layer, and copy the final declaration. Includes presets for common patterns.
Shadow stack
Presets
CSS
How to use the CSS Text Shadow Generator
Add layers with + Add shadow. Each layer has an X / Y offset, blur radius, and color. Multiple layers stack from first to last — useful for outline effects (one shadow at each compass direction) or neon glows (a tight bright layer plus several wider blurred layers in the same hue).
Pick a preset to load a known-good multi-layer pattern, then tweak from there. Copy the final CSS — it includes the text-shadow: declaration with all layers joined.
About CSS Text Shadow Generator
CSS text-shadow accepts a comma-separated list of shadows, each with an X offset, Y offset, blur radius, and color. The first shadow in the list paints on top of the others (counter-intuitive but consistent with how box-shadow works). Stacking shadows is how you get all the interesting effects: a 1px shadow at each compass direction (NSEW + diagonals) creates a clean outline; a sequence of shadows in the same color with increasing blur creates a glow; offsetting in one direction with progressively darker / smaller shadows creates a 3D extrusion.
The tricky part is getting the geometry right by eye. This tool lets you tweak each layer with live preview, then copy a copy-paste-ready declaration. Standard CSS support — works in every browser since IE10.
Common use cases
- Hero headings — add depth or glow to a landing-page H1.
- Game UI — outline text on dynamic backgrounds for legibility.
- Retro / neon aesthetics — stack glows in saturated colors for an 80s look.
- Accessibility contrast — a thin dark outline can boost legibility of light text on busy backgrounds.