CSS Snippet Generator
Build common CSS snippets visually - free, no signup.
What this tool does
Choose a snippet type - box shadow, border radius, text shadow, or an rgba() color - adjust the sliders and color pickers, and see a live preview alongside the exact CSS to copy. Each snippet type has the specific controls it actually needs (offset, blur and spread for a shadow; just a radius value for border-radius), rather than one generic form trying to cover everything.
Builds a box-shadow snippet with adjustable X/Y offset, blur, spread, color, opacity and an inset toggle.
Builds a border-radius snippet with a live-adjustable corner radius.
Builds a text-shadow snippet with adjustable offset, blur and color.
Builds an rgba() color value with adjustable alpha (transparency).
Live preview box updates instantly for every snippet type - a shadowed box, a rounded box, sample text with a shadow, or a flat color swatch.
Copy button copies just the single generated CSS declaration line for whichever snippet is currently selected.
How to use it
- Choose which snippet you need.
- Adjust the sliders and colors to match what you want.
- Copy the generated CSS.
Why use this generator
Box shadows, rounded corners and text shadows are fiddly to tune by number. Sliders with a live preview and copyable CSS speed that up.
Why we built it
We built the CSS snippet generator for four commonly hand-tuned snippets - box shadow, border radius, text shadow and rgba colour - each with a live preview. Build layouts with the CSS grid generator and the flexbox generator.
If your task goes further, try the Color Code Extractor.
Who this tool is for
- Front-end developers who tune shadows and radii by eye
- Designers handing off CSS
- Students learning CSS
When to use it
- Styling cards, buttons and headings.
- Finding a shadow that looks right.
- Learning the properties.
- Producing rgba colours.
Why this covers four specific snippets, not a general CSS builder
Each of these has its own well-defined set of properties worth exposing as sliders.
Box-shadow, border-radius, text-shadow and rgba() colors are four of the most commonly hand-tuned CSS values, and each has a small, fixed set of numeric parameters that are much faster to adjust with a slider and see previewed live than to calculate and type by hand. Rather than one generic 'CSS property editor' that would need to support every possible CSS property (and inevitably do none of them particularly well), this tool gives each of the four its own focused set of controls, matching what that specific property actually needs.
How color and opacity become the final CSS value
Box-shadow blends your color and opacity slider into one rgba(); text-shadow always stays opaque.
For box-shadow, the color picker's hex value is converted to separate red, green and blue integers, then combined with the opacity slider (0-100%, converted to a 0-1 fraction) into a single `rgba(r, g, b, a)` value - so shadow transparency is controlled by one percentage slider rather than requiring you to pick a color that already has alpha baked in. The inset checkbox, when ticked, adds the `inset` keyword before the offset values, turning the shadow inward.
Text-shadow uses the same hex-to-RGB conversion but always outputs a plain, fully opaque `rgb(r, g, b)` - there's no opacity slider for text-shadow in this tool, since text shadows are almost always used at full opacity. The RGBA color mode is the third place this conversion happens, turning a picked color plus an alpha slider (0 to 1, in steps of 0.05) into a standalone `rgba()` value for use as a background-color or similar.
| Snippet | Control | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Box shadow | Offset X / Y | -40px to 40px |
| Box shadow | Blur | 0px to 80px |
| Box shadow | Spread | -20px to 40px |
| Box shadow | Opacity | 0% to 100% |
| Border radius | Radius | 0px to 100px |
| Text shadow | Offset X / Y | -20px to 20px |
| Text shadow | Blur | 0px to 40px |
| RGBA color | Alpha | 0 to 1, in steps of 0.05 |
What you give it, and what you get back
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Input | Sliders and colours for the chosen property. |
| Output | A preview and the CSS to copy. |
| Properties | box-shadow, border-radius, text-shadow and rgba. |
Issues you may run into
| What you see | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow looks heavy | Opacity or blur is too high. | Lower opacity and increase blur. |
| Other properties needed | Only four are covered. | Write them in CSS. |
| Different in a browser | Your layout changes the look. | Test in context. |
Assumptions and limitations
- This covers box-shadow, border-radius, text-shadow and rgba() color specifically - other CSS properties aren't included, since the goal is a fast, focused tool for these common cases rather than a general-purpose CSS editor.
- Box-shadow and text-shadow here generate a single shadow layer; CSS supports comma-separating multiple shadows on one element, which would need combining snippets by hand.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a box-shadow CSS snippet online for free?
Choose Box shadow, adjust the offset, blur, spread, color and opacity sliders, and the CSS updates live - copy it when you're happy with the preview.
How do I round the corners of an element?
Choose Border radius and adjust the radius slider - the generated border-radius CSS and a live preview update together.
How do I make text glow or have a drop shadow?
Choose Text shadow and adjust the offset, blur and color sliders - useful for both a glow effect and a classic drop shadow, depending on the values you choose.
How do I get an rgba() value with transparency?
Choose RGBA color, pick a base color, and adjust the alpha slider from 0 (fully transparent) to 1 (fully opaque) - the rgba() CSS value updates live.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No. Every snippet is generated entirely in your browser - nothing is sent to a server.
Can I generate a shadow with transparency built in?
Yes, for box-shadow - the color and opacity slider are combined into a single rgba() value automatically, so you don't need to calculate the alpha channel yourself.
Does text-shadow support an opacity/alpha setting?
No - text-shadow here always outputs an opaque rgb() color with no alpha channel, since text shadows are typically used at full opacity. Box-shadow and RGBA color mode both support transparency.