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CSS Text Shadow Generator

Create stunning text shadow effects — glow, neon, emboss, 3D and more. Add multiple shadow layers and see a live preview. Copy CSS in one click.

Shadow Text

Shadow Layers

Quick Tips

Layer multiple shadows for richer effects. Use small blur + large blur for neon glow. Incrementing offsets with darker colours creates 3D depth.

Try the presets above as starting points, then tweak values to match your design.

CSS Code

How to Use the CSS Text Shadow Generator

Type your preview text, adjust the font size and text colour, then use the shadow layer controls to tweak X offset, Y offset, blur radius, colour, and opacity. Add multiple layers for complex effects. Use the presets as starting points for popular effects like neon glow, emboss, and 3D text. When you're happy with the result, click Copy CSS.

Understanding CSS Text Shadows

The text-shadow Property

The CSS text-shadow property adds shadow effects to text content. Each shadow takes three or four values: horizontal offset, vertical offset, blur radius (optional), and colour. Unlike box-shadow, text shadow has no spread radius and no inset option.

Neon Glow Effect

Neon text uses layered shadows with increasing blur radii in a bright colour. Start with a tight shadow (1–2px blur) for the inner glow, add a medium blur (8–15px) for the main glow, and finish with a large blur (30–60px) for the outer ambient light. Set the text colour to white or a very light shade of the glow colour for the most realistic effect.

3D / Long Shadow Effect

Create 3D text by stacking multiple shadows with incrementing offsets (1px, 2px, 3px...) and progressively darker colours. Each layer adds depth, creating a stacked or extruded appearance. For long shadows, extend this technique to 10+ layers stretching diagonally.

Emboss and Letterpress

Embossed text uses a light shadow offset slightly below and a dark shadow offset slightly above (or vice versa) to simulate raised or pressed text. Letterpress effects typically use a single 1px white shadow below dark text on a medium background.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is CSS text-shadow?
The text-shadow property adds shadows to text. Each shadow needs X offset, Y offset, optional blur radius, and colour. Multiple shadows are comma-separated for layered effects.
How do I create a neon text effect?
Layer 2–3 shadows with increasing blur (e.g. 2px, 15px, 40px) in a bright colour like cyan or magenta on a dark background. Set the text colour to white or a very light tint of the glow colour.
How do I make 3D text with CSS?
Stack multiple shadows with incrementing 1px offsets and progressively darker shades. Each layer adds visual depth to simulate a 3D extrusion effect.
Can I use multiple text shadows?
Yes. Comma-separate shadow values to layer them. The first shadow in the list renders on top. Combining different blur, offset, and colour values creates complex effects.
Does text-shadow affect layout?
No. Text shadows are purely visual and don't change the element's size, line height, or layout. They render outside the text's bounding box.
What's the difference between text-shadow and box-shadow?
text-shadow follows the shape of individual characters. box-shadow wraps the element's rectangular box. Text shadow has no spread radius or inset option.