CSS Shadows

 

CSS Shadows

When it comes to web design, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) plays an indispensable role in enhancing the visual aesthetics of a website. Among its vast array of properties, the ones that help bring depth and focus to an element are the shadow and outline properties. Let’s delve into the magic of CSS shadows and outlines.

Box Shadows

box-shadow is a popular CSS property that enables designers to add shadow effects around an element's frame. It can be used to give any element, be it a div, image, or button, a 3D feel or to emphasize on hover.

box-shadow: h-offset v-offset blur spread color inset;
  • h-offset and v-offset: Determines the shadow's horizontal and vertical position.
  • blur: The larger the value, the blurrier the shadow.
  • spread: Expands or shrinks the shadow size.
  • color: Defines the shadow color.
  • inset: Makes the shadow inner.


Here is an example:

.div-element { box-shadow: 5px 5px 15px 5px #888888; }

Text Shadows

text-shadow is utilized to give shadows specifically to the text. It can elevate the readability of the text or give it an elegant appearance.

 

The Syntax for Text-Shadows is as follows:

text-shadow: h-offset v-offset blur color;

Here is an example:

.text-element { text-shadow: 2px 2px 4px #888888; }

Outlines

An outline is a line that is drawn around elements, outside the borders, to make the element "stand out". It's commonly used for accessibility purposes, like highlighting focused elements.


The Syntax for Outlines is as follows:

outline: width style color;
  • width: Sets the outline width.
  • style: Determines the style of the outline such as solid, dotted, or dashed.
  • color: Sets the outline color.


Here is an example:

.button-element:focus { outline: 2px solid blue; }

Differences between Outlines and Borders:

While both can visually appear similar, outlines differ from borders in a few ways:


  1. Position: Outlines don't take up space; they're drawn around the element, outside of any border.
  2. Offset: Using the outline-offset property, you can set the space between an outline and the edge or border of an element.
  3. Width: Borders can have varying widths on different sides, outlines have a uniform width.
  4. Rounded Corners: Borders can have rounded corners using border-radius, while outlines generally cannot.