About this css gradient generator
Build a two-color CSS linear gradient with a live preview and a copyable background declaration. Choose both endpoint colors and an angle to explore backgrounds for a panel, banner or illustration.
The output uses the CSS linear-gradient function with two stops at the default endpoints. The browser draws the same declaration in the preview. Angles follow CSS convention: zero points upward and ninety points to the right.
This tool generates opaque hexadecimal endpoints, not transparent stops, radial gradients or multi-stop interpolation. Contrast can vary across the background. Test text at the least contrasting part of the gradient and inspect the result in the target layout.
Using CSS Gradient Generator starts with the Start color and End color and Angle in degrees controls. Black to white at 90 degrees generates linear-gradient(90deg, #000000, #ffffff), running from left to right. Select Generate gradient to update the result below the controls. Read the output together with the css gradient generator limitations described here before using it in a document, project or decision. Change one input at a time when comparing alternatives so that you can identify which change affected the result.
Which controls should I check first?
The CSS Gradient Generator form labels its controls as Start color; End color; Angle in degrees; Result. Use those labels to keep the source and settings separate. A sample argument that selects a mode is not additional source text. Choose the setting matching your intended operation before copying a result, and change it explicitly when comparing another mode. The labels describe what this form accepts; the worked examples below demonstrate only the stated supplied values.
How should I interpret this specific operation?
CSS angles use zero toward the top and ninety degrees toward the right. The two colors occupy the default ends of the linear gradient. The generated declaration can be pasted into a stylesheet, but the visible result depends on the element's size and surrounding background. Check the complete declaration rather than copying only the angle or a preview image.
Worked helper values
These values come from the reproducible calculation examples supplied with this tool. Each row identifies the complete supplied arguments and the returned value. A visible ↵ denotes a line break and ⇥ denotes a tab in text examples. Settings appear alongside source data so that a different mode is not mistaken for an identical input. These are helper calculations, not observations of a live device, fetched target, image decoder, browser preview or downloaded file. Use the stated method above to relate the returned fields to the actual operation.
| Supplied values | Calculated return value |
|---|---|
| #000000; #ffffff; 90 | linear-gradient(90deg, #000000, #ffffff) |
What is a channel calculation and what is a visual judgment?
A palette, gradient or contrast calculation follows the explicit channel rule above. That creates a reproducible result, but the purpose of the color choice still needs visual inspection. A contrast ratio is a measured relationship between the supplied opaque colors; a gradient declaration describes a transition; a palette is a sequence of colors. Keep the type of result attached to its value. A smooth-looking transition does not establish readable text, and a high contrast pair does not establish that every part of a multi-color layout uses that pair.
How should I inspect the destination background?
Check the colors in the element where they will be used, with its real dimensions, text and surrounding background. A translucent overlay can change the visible colors, so a comparison of two unblended color values can miss the actual result. A gradient also exposes several backgrounds under a text label rather than just one endpoint. Inspect the least favorable area where text appears. The numerical example is useful for understanding the calculation, while the destination preview checks how the chosen values are combined in that particular layout.
Why do exact color values matter?
Keep six-digit HEX values or the full declaration alongside a saved design choice. A screenshot can change through display settings and image compression, and sampling it may yield values that differ from the original token. For a palette, preserve order as well as each value. For a gradient, preserve angle and stops. For contrast, preserve which foreground and background were compared. A short label such as blue or light gray is not sufficient to reproduce the same calculation. Source values make later comparisons traceable when a theme changes.
What does interpolation leave out?
Interpolating channel values describes a numerical path between colors. It does not guarantee equal perceived steps, meaningful categories or appropriate emphasis in a chart. Check neighboring colors under the conditions where users need to distinguish them. A palette containing black, a base and white can be useful for a simple exploration, but the midpoint rule alone does not create a complete design system. Choose semantic roles and inspect actual text and shapes separately. Keep the mathematical sequence as one ingredient of the design rather than interpreting it as an automatically approved visual hierarchy.
How do I use css gradient generator?
Black to white at 90 degrees generates linear-gradient(90deg, #000000, #ffffff), running from left to right.
What does css gradient generator support?
The output uses the CSS linear-gradient function with two stops at the default endpoints. The browser draws the same declaration in the preview. Angles follow CSS convention: zero points upward and ninety points to the right.
What are the limits of css gradient generator?
This tool generates opaque hexadecimal endpoints, not transparent stops, radial gradients or multi-stop interpolation. Contrast can vary across the background. Test text at the least contrasting part of the gradient and inspect the result in the target layout.