CSS Gradient Generator
Build linear and radial CSS gradients with a live preview, custom colours, angles and stops, then copy ready to use CSS. No signup. Perfect for web designers and developers.
This CSS gradient generator lets you build linear and radial gradients visually and copy production ready CSS. Pick your colours, add stops, set the angle or shape, and watch the live preview update instantly. No account, no install, so web designers and developers can craft a gradient and paste the code straight into a stylesheet on any device.
How to Build a CSS Gradient Step by Step
- Choose your gradient type. Select linear for a straight directional blend or radial for a circular blend spreading from a centre point. The preview switches to show the type you picked.
- Pick your colours. Set the starting and ending colours using the colour pickers. Add more colour stops for a multi colour gradient that transitions through several hues.
- Position the colour stops. Drag each stop along the gradient bar to control where one colour gives way to the next. Stops close together create a sharp transition, spread apart a smooth one.
- Set the angle or shape. For a linear gradient, set the angle in degrees to point the blend in any direction. For a radial gradient, choose the shape and position of the centre.
- Copy the CSS. The generated CSS updates live beneath the preview. Copy the complete background property and paste it into your stylesheet, where it works immediately.
What CSS Gradients Are and How They Work
CSS gradients let a browser draw a smooth transition between colours without an image file. Before they were standardised, designers exported gradient images from graphics software and loaded them as backgrounds, which added download weight and could not scale cleanly. The CSS gradient, introduced in CSS3 and widely supported since the early 2010s, generates the same effect in code, so it scales to any size, adds no HTTP request, and can be edited by changing a line of text.
A linear gradient blends colours along a straight line whose direction you set with an angle. Zero degrees points upward, ninety degrees points to the right, and you can use any value in between. The colours are defined as stops, each a colour paired with a position along that line, and the browser interpolates smoothly between them. This is the workhorse gradient, used for buttons, hero sections, cards and backgrounds across the modern web.
A radial gradient blends colours outward from a central point in a circle or ellipse, rather than along a straight line. It is defined by its shape, its size, and the position of its centre, with the same colour stop system controlling the transition. Radial gradients suit spotlights, glows, and soft vignette effects, and pairing a radial highlight with a solid or linear background is a common way to add subtle depth to a flat design.
Colour stops are the precise control that separates a crude gradient from a polished one. Each stop pins a colour to a percentage position, and the placement of those stops shapes the whole blend. Evenly spaced stops give a balanced transition, while clustering stops creates bands or sharp edges, and adding a stop of the same colour at two positions produces a solid stripe within the gradient. Mastering stop placement is the key skill in gradient design.
Generator Versus Writing Gradient CSS by Hand
| Approach | This generator | Hand written CSS | Gradient image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed to a result | Seconds with live preview | Slower, trial and error in the browser | Slow, requires graphics software |
| Visual feedback | Instant live preview | Refresh and check each edit | See it only after export |
| File weight | None, pure CSS | None, pure CSS | Adds an image download |
| Scalability | Perfect at any size | Perfect at any size | Blurs or bands when scaled |
| Editing later | Regenerate or tweak the CSS | Edit the CSS by hand | Re export the whole image |
Who Uses a CSS Gradient Generator
Pro Tips for Better Looking Gradients
Common CSS Gradient Mistakes to Avoid
Related Tools You May Need Next
To ensure text stays readable on your gradient, the Color Contrast Checker tests legibility, and the Color Converter translates colours between hex, RGB and HSL. For soft shadow depth alongside your gradient, the Box Shadow Generator pairs well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create a CSS gradient?
Choose linear or radial, pick your colours with the colour pickers, position the colour stops along the gradient bar, and set the angle or shape. The live preview updates as you work, and the ready to use CSS appears below it. Copy the background property and paste it into your stylesheet, where the gradient renders immediately with no image file needed.
What is the difference between a linear and radial gradient?
A linear gradient blends colours along a straight line in a direction you set with an angle, making it ideal for buttons, banners and backgrounds. A radial gradient blends colours outward from a central point in a circle or ellipse, suiting glows, spotlights and vignette effects. Both use the same colour stop system, differing only in the direction the colours spread.
What are colour stops in a gradient?
Colour stops are colours pinned to specific positions along the gradient, and they control where each colour begins and ends. Evenly spaced stops give a smooth balanced blend, while clustering stops creates sharper transitions or bands. Placing two stops of the same colour at adjacent positions produces a solid stripe. Adjusting stop positions is the main way to shape a gradient.
Are CSS gradients better than gradient images?
In almost all cases, yes. A CSS gradient adds no image download, scales to any size without blurring or banding, and can be edited by changing a line of code. A gradient image adds weight, must be re exported to change, and degrades when scaled. Gradients only lose out for effects too complex to express in CSS, which is rare for typical web design.
Can I use the generated gradient with any colours?
Yes. You can pick any colours using the colour pickers, and for exact brand matching you can enter specific hex values. For consistency with the rest of your design, copy precise colours from your palette rather than approximating them by eye. A colour converter can translate a brand colour into the format the gradient needs.
Will the gradient work in all browsers?
CSS gradients have been widely supported across modern browsers since the early 2010s, so they work virtually everywhere today. For maximum robustness, you can add a solid background colour as a fallback, which ensures the element still looks intentional in the rare or very old browser that cannot render the gradient itself.
How do I keep text readable on a gradient background?
Ensure the text colour contrasts strongly with every part of the gradient, not just its average colour, since a blend can pass through a shade close to your text and make it hard to read there. Check the lightest and darkest points of the gradient against your text colour using a contrast checker to confirm accessibility across the whole area.
Is the CSS gradient generator free?
Yes, it is completely free with no account and no limit on how many gradients you build. You can create as many linear and radial gradients as you like, with custom colours, stops and angles, and copy the CSS each time at no cost. It runs entirely in your browser, so there is nothing to download or install.