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CSS Gradient Generator

Build linear, radial, and conic CSS gradients with a visual editor, draggable color stops, and ready-to-paste CSS, Tailwind, and SVG output

Interactive tool

Color stops

0%
100%

Geometry

Presets

What is a CSS Gradient Generator?

A CSS gradient generator is a visual tool that lets you build gradient backgrounds without writing CSS by hand. You pick a gradient type (linear, radial, or conic), add color stops at specific positions, tweak the angle or shape, and copy the resulting CSS straight into your stylesheet. This generator also produces a Tailwind hint and an SVG fallback for use cases where CSS gradients are not available.

How to Use This CSS Gradient Generator

  1. 1Choose linear, radial, or conic at the top of the page
  2. 2Add or remove color stops and adjust their positions
  3. 3Use the angle slider for linear and conic gradients
  4. 4Set the center position and shape for radial and conic gradients
  5. 5Pick a preset to start from a curated combination
  6. 6Switch the output tab to copy CSS, Tailwind, or SVG
What you get

Key features

Three gradient types

Linear, radial, and conic: covers every modern CSS gradient

Up to 8 color stops

Build complex gradients with multiple precise color transitions

Live preview

See changes update instantly in a large preview pane

Curated presets

12 hand-picked gradients to start from when inspiration runs low

Multi-format output

Copy plain CSS, a Tailwind className snippet, or an SVG fallback

Hard stop detection

Warns when stops at the same position create a hard color line

Keyboard shortcuts

Cmd/Ctrl+Enter to copy the active output, Cmd/Ctrl+K to reset

100% private

No upload, no analytics: your gradients never leave the browser

Why Build Gradients Visually?

CSS gradient syntax is dense: angles, shapes, sizes, and color stops all live on a single line. A visual editor reduces feedback time from minutes to seconds: you tweak a slider, the preview updates, and you copy the exact code that produced the result you saw. That tight loop matters even more for radial and conic gradients, which are difficult to imagine from raw values.

Common use cases

  • Hero section backgrounds and call-to-action banners
  • Dashboard cards with subtle accent fills
  • Loading skeletons that animate via gradient sweeps
  • Pie/donut chart approximations with conic-gradient
  • Email-safe SVG fallbacks for dark mode hero images
  • Brand exploration during early design phases

Linear vs radial vs conic

  • Linear gradients fill along a straight axis defined by an angle
  • Radial gradients fan outward from a center point in circles or ellipses
  • Conic gradients sweep around a center, useful for pie charts and color wheels
  • All three are widely supported in modern browsers
  • Use the SVG output for legacy email clients or when CSS gradients are blocked

Tailwind compatibility notes

Tailwind v3+ ships first-class linear gradient utilities (bg-gradient-to-r, from-, via-, to-). For radial, conic, or multi-stop linear gradients, use the arbitrary value syntax bg-[…] with the raw CSS we generate. The Tailwind output tab gives you a ready-to-paste className.

Pro tips

Tips & best practices

Use 2 to 4 stops by default

More stops add complexity without proportionally more impact. Start simple and add stops only when you need a specific transition shape.

Watch for accessibility

Don't place text directly on a busy gradient. If you must, run the result through the Color Contrast Checker against the lightest and darkest stop colors.

Hard stops for stripes and pies

Place two stops at the same position to create a hard color edge: useful for bar/pie shapes via conic gradients.

Mind the GPU on huge surfaces

Animated gradients on full-screen elements can hurt performance on low-end devices. Prefer animating opacity over the gradient itself.

Save the CSS variable, not the gradient

Wrap the gradient in a CSS variable in your design system so theming and updates only require one change.

Built for trust

Privacy & security

This CSS gradient generator runs entirely in your browser. Your gradients, presets, and copied snippets are never uploaded or logged anywhere.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between linear, radial, and conic gradients?

Linear gradients fill along a straight axis defined by an angle. Radial gradients fan outward from a center point in circles or ellipses. Conic gradients sweep around a center point and are useful for pie charts and color wheels.

How do I make a hard color stop?

Place two adjacent color stops at the same position. For example, two stops at 50%: one red, one blue, produce a hard line at the midpoint. The tool warns you when this happens.

Are conic gradients supported in all browsers?

Conic gradients are supported in all evergreen browsers including Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari 12.1+. For older Safari versions, use the SVG fallback or a static image.

How do I use a generated gradient with Tailwind?

For simple linear gradients, Tailwind v3+ ships dedicated utilities (bg-gradient-to-r, from-, via-, to-). For multi-stop, radial, or conic gradients, the Tailwind output tab gives you the arbitrary-value className you can paste directly into your component.

Why do my gradients look banded?

Banding usually comes from limited color depth or aggressive compression. Increase the number of color stops gradually, avoid pure greys with subtle differences, and serve images as PNG-24 or AVIF rather than 8-bit GIF.

Is my data sent anywhere?

No. Everything happens in your browser. Gradients, presets, and copied code never leave your device.