CSS Text Shadow Generator - Multi-Layer Shadow Builder

CSS text-shadow syntax

text-shadow: offset-x offset-y blur-radius color;

Multiple shadows can be layered by separating them with commas. They are rendered bottom-to-top in the stack order.

Common effects

Layering logic

When multiple shadows are comma-separated, the first shadow in the list renders on top. Each subsequent shadow is beneath it. This counter-intuitive ordering matters when shadows overlap.

A popular technique is a "stacked depth" shadow: list three or four shadows with increasing offset and no blur, each slightly darker. For example:

text-shadow:
  1px 1px 0 #888,
  2px 2px 0 #777,
  3px 3px 0 #666,
  4px 4px 0 #555;

This creates the illusion of physical depth without any blur.

Performance note

Large blur radii are GPU-accelerated in modern browsers, but shadows with high spread or blur on large text can cause repaint overhead - especially when animated. If you need to animate a glowing effect, prefer filter: drop-shadow() instead of text-shadow. The filter property is applied to the element as a composited layer, which avoids per-frame repaints.

Accessibility caveat

Text shadow does not substitute for adequate foreground-to-background contrast. WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.4.3 requires a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, measured between the text color and the background color - not the shadow. Ensure your color combination meets the requirement independently, and use shadow only for visual enhancement.