CSS Gradient Generator

Design beautiful CSS gradients with a live visual editor. Choose between linear, radial, and conic gradient types. Add up to 10 color stops, adjust their positions along the gradient, and fine-tune the angle (for linear/conic) or shape (for radial).

The large preview panel updates in real time as you adjust controls. Start from six built-in presets (Sunset, Ocean, Forest, Royal, Fire, Night) or build from scratch. For two-stop linear gradients, the tool also generates an approximate Tailwind CSS class.

The output is a copy-ready CSS background property that works in all modern browsers. No vendor prefixes needed — linear-gradient, radial-gradient, and conic-gradient have full browser support.

Every gradient you design stays in your browser — no data is transmitted anywhere.

Linear gradients transition colors along a straight line defined by an angle. A 0deg angle goes bottom to top, 90deg goes left to right, 180deg goes top to bottom (the default), and 270deg goes right to left. You can also use directional keywords like to top right for diagonal gradients. Linear gradients are the most common type and work well for backgrounds, buttons, overlays, and hero sections.

Radial gradients transition colors outward from a center point in a circular or elliptical shape. The circle shape creates a round gradient, while ellipse stretches to fill the element proportions. You can control the center position with keywords or exact coordinates. Radial gradients are excellent for creating spotlight effects, vignettes, and ambient lighting backgrounds.

Conic gradients transition colors around a center point in a rotational sweep, like a color wheel. They are perfect for pie charts, color wheels, sunburst patterns, and unique decorative elements. Conic gradients were added to CSS later than linear and radial but now have full browser support.

Color stops define the colors and their positions within the gradient. Each stop has a color value and an optional position percentage. Positions can overlap for sharp transitions, or spread out for smooth blends. Using three or more stops creates more complex gradients that can simulate lighting, depth, and atmospheric effects.

Tips for effective gradients: Limit your palette to 2-3 colors for clean, professional designs. Use analogous colors (nearby on the color wheel) for harmonious gradients. Add a very dark or very light stop at one end to create depth. Avoid using too many stops — simplicity usually looks better. Test your gradient on both light and dark screens, as perception changes significantly with surrounding brightness.

Performance considerations: Gradients are rendered by the browser GPU and are generally more performant than background images. They scale infinitely without quality loss and add zero download weight. For animated backgrounds, consider using CSS animations to shift the background-position of a gradient, creating a subtle shimmer or movement effect.

When combining gradients with other CSS features, you can layer multiple backgrounds using commas. For example, a semi-transparent gradient overlay on top of a background image creates a text-readable hero section: background: linear-gradient(rgba(0,0,0,0.5), transparent), url(image.jpg).