CSS Generators
Create stunning CSS effects without writing code manually. Our visual generators let you design gradients, shadows, and border radius interactively — then copy production-ready CSS with a single click. Perfect for designers and developers who want pixel-perfect results fast.
Gradient Generator
Create beautiful linear and radial gradients with multiple color stops and preview
Box Shadow Generator
Design complex box shadows with multiple layers, blur, spread, and inset options
Border Radius Generator
Create custom border radius with individual corner control for unique shapes
What are CSS Generators?
CSS generators are visual tools that help you create complex CSS properties without memorizing syntax or experimenting with trial-and-error. Instead of tweaking values in your code editor, you adjust sliders, pick colors, and see results in real-time. When satisfied, you copy the generated CSS and paste it into your stylesheet.
These tools are particularly valuable for CSS properties that are hard to visualize mentally. A gradient with five color stops at specific positions? A layered box shadow with different blur and spread values? An asymmetric border radius for a speech bubble shape? Generators make these effects accessible to everyone, not just CSS experts.
Why Use Visual CSS Generators?
- Speed: Create complex effects in seconds instead of minutes of trial and error
- Accuracy: Get exactly the visual result you want without guessing values
- Learning: See how CSS properties affect appearance in real-time
- Consistency: Generate syntactically correct CSS every time
- Cross-browser: Some generators include vendor prefixes for older browser support
CSS Properties We Help You Generate
Our tools cover the CSS properties that developers struggle with most:
- background-image (gradients): Linear, radial, and conic gradients with multiple color stops
- box-shadow: Single or multiple shadows with color, offset, blur, spread, and inset
- border-radius: Individual corner control for circles, pills, and custom shapes
When to Use CSS Generators
UI/UX Design
Designers use CSS generators to prototype visual effects before committing to a design system. Create gradient backgrounds for hero sections, subtle shadows for card components, and rounded corners for buttons — all without touching code.
- • Prototype button styles with shadows
- • Create gradient backgrounds for sections
- • Design card components with depth
- • Experiment with shape variations
Frontend Development
Developers save time by generating complex CSS instead of writing it manually. When a design spec shows a specific gradient or shadow, use the generator to recreate it precisely rather than guessing the values.
- • Match design mockups precisely
- • Create consistent shadow tokens
- • Generate vendor-prefixed code
- • Export CSS variables for themes
Learning CSS
Students and junior developers use generators to understand how CSS properties work. Adjust a slider and see the code change — it's the fastest way to internalize CSS syntax and understand the relationship between values and visual results.
- • Understand gradient syntax
- • Learn shadow offset vs blur vs spread
- • Master border-radius shorthand
- • Explore CSS possibilities
Quick Prototyping
When you need to quickly show a client or stakeholder what something will look like, generators let you create polished effects in seconds. Perfect for meetings, reviews, and rapid iteration.
- • Demonstrate visual options quickly
- • Iterate on designs in real-time
- • Create multiple variations fast
- • Present to stakeholders live
Understanding CSS Effects
CSS Gradients
Gradients create smooth color transitions, adding depth and visual interest without images. CSS supports linear gradients (straight lines), radial gradients (circular/elliptical), and conic gradients (color wheel effect). Gradients can have multiple color stops at specific positions, enabling complex multi-color effects.
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%);CSS Box Shadow
Box shadows add depth and dimension to elements, creating the illusion of elevation. The property accepts horizontal offset, vertical offset, blur radius, spread radius, color, and an optional inset keyword. Multiple shadows can be layered for realistic effects like soft shadows with sharp highlights.
box-shadow: 0 10px 40px rgba(0,0,0,0.15), 0 2px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);CSS Border Radius
Border radius rounds the corners of elements. While simple rounded corners use a single value, CSS allows independent control of each corner with both horizontal and vertical radii. This enables organic shapes, speech bubbles, blobs, and other non-rectangular forms.
border-radius: 30% 70% 70% 30% / 30% 30% 70% 70%;Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need vendor prefixes for these CSS properties?
Modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) support gradients, box-shadow, and border-radius without prefixes. However, if you need to support older browsers, you may need -webkit- prefixes for older Safari/Chrome versions.
Can I use multiple box shadows on one element?
Yes! Separate multiple shadows with commas. This is how designers create realistic shadows with both a soft ambient shadow and a sharper drop shadow. Our generator supports adding multiple shadow layers.
How do I create a circular element?
Set border-radius: 50% and ensure the element has equal width and height. For a pill shape (rounded rectangle), use a large fixed value like border-radius: 9999px.
What's the difference between blur and spread in box-shadow?
Blur makes the shadow fuzzy by expanding it outward gradually. Spread makes the shadow larger (positive) or smaller (negative) before blurring. A shadow with 0 blur and positive spread creates a hard-edged outline effect.
Can gradients be animated?
CSS gradients themselves can't be transitioned smoothly. However, you can animate background-size and background-position to create gradient animation effects. For true color transitions, use CSS custom properties with @property for color values.
CSS Best Practices
Performance Tips
- • Box shadows are GPU-accelerated but can impact performance on mobile
- • Use
will-change: transformfor animated shadows - • Large blur values are more expensive to render
- • CSS gradients are generally faster than gradient images
Design Tips
- • Subtle shadows (low opacity, high blur) look more natural
- • Use colored shadows matching the element for a glow effect
- • Gradients work best with related colors on the color wheel
- • Asymmetric border-radius creates organic, friendly shapes
Code Organization
- • Store common shadows in CSS custom properties
- • Create a shadow/elevation system (sm, md, lg, xl)
- • Use Tailwind/CSS variables for consistent gradients
- • Document complex border-radius values with comments
Start Creating Beautiful CSS
Choose a generator and create production-ready CSS in seconds. All tools are free and work directly in your browser.