CSS Text Shadow Generator

The CSS text-shadow property adds shadow effects to text. It accepts four values: horizontal offset (x), vertical offset (y), blur radius, and color. For example, text-shadow: 2px 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.5) creates a soft shadow 2 pixels to the right and down. You can stack multiple shadows separated by commas to create complex effects like neon glows, 3D text, and outlines.

To create a neon glow effect, stack multiple text-shadow layers with increasing blur radii using the same bright color. For example: text-shadow: 0 0 7px #fff, 0 0 10px #fff, 0 0 21px #fff, 0 0 42px #0fa, 0 0 82px #0fa. The inner layers use white for the bright core, while outer layers use the neon color with larger blur values for the glow spread. Use our Neon Glow preset to try this effect instantly.

Yes, CSS supports multiple text shadows on a single element by separating each shadow with a comma. Shadows are rendered front to back, with the first shadow on top. This allows you to create complex effects like 3D/retro text (stacking offset shadows), outlines (shadows in all four directions), and glitch effects (colored shadows offset in opposite directions). There is no browser limit on the number of shadows you can apply.

CSS text-shadow is generally lightweight and GPU-accelerated in modern browsers. However, very large blur radii or many stacked shadow layers on large blocks of text can affect rendering performance. For best results, limit text-shadow to headings and short text rather than full paragraphs. Avoid animating text-shadow values directly; instead, use opacity transitions on a pseudo-element with the shadow already applied.