Gradient Generator

Create CSS gradients with visual controls and code output. Free, fast, and works entirely in your browser with no sign-up required.

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Gradient Generator

Create stunning CSS gradients with a pro-grade visual editor. Linear, radial, conic, and mesh gradients with 58+ presets, drag-to-reorder stops, multiple preview modes, animated gradients, and PNG/SVG/JPG export.

Live Preview

linear
W:H:
0%50%100%

Gradient Settings

Hard Stops

Sharp transitions between color stops

90°
deg

Color Stops

2
%
%

Preset Library

60 curated

Generated Code

background property
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%);

About Gradient Generator

  • Linear, radial, conic, and mesh gradient types
  • Multiple color stops with drag-to-reorder on the gradient bar
  • Per-stop opacity control with rgba output and opacity preview swatch
  • Interactive angle dial — click or drag to set direction
  • Hard stops toggle for sharp, no-blend transitions
  • Distribute stops evenly and add complementary color
  • 58+ curated preset gradients in 7 categories
  • 4-point and 6-point mesh gradient generator
  • 5 preview modes: Swatch, Text, Button, Card, Border
  • Animated gradient preview (continuous rotation)
  • Adjustable canvas size for precise export dimensions
  • Export as PNG, JPG, or SVG image
  • History with visual thumbnails and one-click restore (last 20)
  • CSS, Tailwind, styled-components, CSS Variables, and value-only output

Privacy First: All processing happens locally in your browser. No data is sent to any server.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

These three CSS gradient types differ in how color spreads across an element. A linear gradient blends colors in a straight line along an angle you set from 0 to 360 degrees, which suits backgrounds, buttons, and hero banners. A radial gradient radiates color outward from a center point as a circle or ellipse, creating a spotlight or glow effect. A conic gradient sweeps colors around a center point like a color wheel, which is ideal for pie charts, loaders, and color-picker UIs. This tool also offers mesh gradients, which layer several radial blends for the soft, multi-directional look common on modern landing pages. You can switch between all four styles in the editor and watch the preview update instantly, then copy the matching CSS so the design you see is exactly what ships.

How do color stops work in a CSS gradient?

A color stop is a single color placed at a specific point along a gradient, and the browser blends smoothly between consecutive stops. Each stop has two key settings: a color value and a position, usually expressed as a percentage from 0 to 100 along the gradient line. Two stops give a simple two-color fade, while adding more stops lets you build multi-color blends, rainbows, or branded palettes. You can also set per-stop opacity to create transparent fades that reveal whatever sits behind the element. If you turn on the hard-stops toggle, blending switches off entirely and adjacent stops form crisp color bands, which is handy for stripes, flags, and duotone blocks. In this generator you can add as many stops as you need, drag each to an exact position, and copy the resulting code in one click.

How do I set the angle or direction of a linear gradient?

In CSS, a linear gradient's direction is controlled by an angle measured in degrees. Zero degrees points the blend upward, 90 degrees runs left to right, 180 degrees points downward, and 270 degrees runs right to left, so any value from 0 to 360 lets you rotate the blend precisely. You can also use keyword directions like "to right" or "to bottom" in raw CSS, but a numeric angle gives finer control. In this tool you adjust the angle on a live canvas and see the gradient rotate immediately, so there is no need to guess which value matches the look you want. For linear and conic styles you can even enable an animation option that continuously rotates the angle to preview motion. Once it looks right, copy the exact CSS, Tailwind, or styled-components output for your project.

Can I export a gradient as a PNG or SVG image instead of CSS?

Yes. While CSS gradients are usually best left as live code so they stay crisp at any size and add no image weight, sometimes you need a flat file. This generator can export your gradient as a PNG, JPG, or SVG image, which is useful when you want a background asset for a design tool, a slide deck, a social graphic, or a platform that does not accept raw CSS. PNG and JPG give you a fixed raster image, while SVG keeps the gradient as scalable vector data that stays sharp on high-density displays. For web projects, though, copying the CSS, Tailwind, styled-components, or CSS-variable output is lighter and more flexible because the browser renders it natively. Build your gradient on the canvas, then choose code or image export depending on where it needs to go.

Why do my CSS gradients look banded or stepped instead of smooth?

Banding is the visible stepping you sometimes see between colors, where the blend looks like stripes rather than a continuous fade. It usually happens when two stops are very different in hue or brightness and the display has limited color depth, so the in-between shades round to a small set of values. To reduce it, place your color stops closer in tone, add an intermediate stop between them, or pick colors with smaller jumps in lightness. Make sure you have not accidentally enabled the hard-stops toggle, which intentionally removes blending to create sharp bands. Subtle, low-contrast gradients band the most, so a touch of extra contrast can paradoxically look smoother. Use this generator's live preview to test stop placement, try the preview-on-button or card modes to judge it in context, and copy the cleaner result once the blend looks even.

Embed This Tool

Add a free, live version of this widget to your own website or blog post — it runs entirely in your visitors' browsers, with a credit link back to The Toolbox.

Copy & paste this HTML
<iframe src="https://getthetoolbox.com/embed/utility-tools-gradient-generator" title="Gradient Generator — The Toolbox" width="100%" height="380" style="max-width:480px;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:12px" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:12px;margin:4px 0 0"><a href="https://getthetoolbox.com/utility-tools/gradient-generator?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=widget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Free Gradient Generator</a> by The Toolbox</p>

About the CSS Gradient Generator

The CSS Gradient Generator is a free visual editor for building color gradients and exporting the exact code you need to drop them into a website. Instead of guessing at linear-gradient() syntax or hunting for hex values that blend nicely, you pick colors on a live canvas and watch the result update instantly. It is built for front-end developers, web designers, and anyone styling a landing page, button, hero banner, or card who wants a polished gradient without leaving the browser.

Everything runs locally on your device. There is no sign-up, no upload, and no server round-trip — the gradient is generated in your browser as you edit, so your work stays private and the tool keeps working even on a slow connection once the page has loaded.

What you can build

The generator supports four gradient styles, each with its own controls:

  • Linear — a straight color blend along an angle you set from 0 to 360 degrees.
  • Radial — color radiating from a center point, as either a circle or an ellipse, with adjustable origin position.
  • Conic — colors sweeping around a center point like a color wheel, useful for pie-chart and loader effects.
  • Mesh — multiple overlapping radial blends for the soft, multi-directional look popular on modern hero sections.

You can add as many color stops as you like, set each one's exact position along the gradient, and dial in per-stop opacity from 0 to 100 percent for transparent fades. A hard stops toggle switches blending off entirely, turning a smooth gradient into crisp color bands — handy for stripes, flags, and duotone blocks.

Working faster with presets and helpers

The tool ships with more than 50 ready-made presets organized into categories such as Warm, Cool, Nature, Dark, Vivid, and Pastel, including brand-inspired blends like Instagram and Stripe. Load one as a starting point and tweak from there. Speed-up helpers include a Random button that generates a fresh palette, Reverse to flip the color order, a shuffle of stops, and a history panel that remembers your recent gradients (up to 20) so you can step back to an earlier version.

To judge a gradient in context rather than as an abstract swatch, you can preview it five ways — as a plain swatch, behind text, on a button, as a card background, or as a border. A fullscreen mode shows the gradient edge to edge, and for linear and conic types an animation option continuously rotates the angle so you can see how it moves.

Copying code and exporting images

When the gradient looks right, copy production-ready output in the format that fits your stack:

  • CSS — the standard linear-gradient, radial-gradient, or conic-gradient() declaration.
  • Tailwind CSS — utility-class markup for Tailwind projects.
  • styled-components — a snippet for CSS-in-JS workflows.
  • CSS variables — custom properties for theming.
  • Value only — just the gradient value, with no property name, to slot into existing rules.

Prefer a flat image? Export the gradient as a PNG, JPG, or SVG file to use as a background asset in design tools, slide decks, or social graphics.

Why gradients matter

Gradients add depth and visual interest that a flat fill cannot, which is why they appear across modern interfaces — from app onboarding screens to marketing pages. Because CSS gradients are rendered by the browser, they cost nothing in image weight, scale to any screen size without blurring, and stay crisp on high-density displays. A good gradient also reinforces brand color and guides the eye toward a call to action. The CSS Gradient Generator hands you both the visual result and the clean, copy-paste code in one place, so the design you see is exactly what ships.