Tailwind CSS v4.1 Effects
Effects utilities to add shadows, filters, masks and visual effects to elements.
Box Shadow
Shadows Standard
<!-- Preset shadows -->
<div class="shadow-none">No shadow</div>
<div class="shadow-xs">Extra small shadow</div>
<div class="shadow-sm">Small shadow</div>
<div class="shadow">Base shadow</div>
<div class="shadow-md">Medium shadow</div>
<div class="shadow-lg">Large shadow</div>
<div class="shadow-xl">Extra large shadow</div>
<div class="shadow-2xl">2XL shadow</div>Shadow Color (v4.1 NEW)
<!-- Custom shadow colors -->
<div class="shadow-sm shadow-red-500">Red tinted shadow</div>
<div class="shadow shadow-blue-400">Blue tinted shadow</div>
<div class="shadow-lg shadow-purple-500/50">Purple shadow with opacity</div>Inset Shadow (v4.1 NEW)
<!-- Inner shadows -->
<div class="inset-shadow-sm">Inset small shadow</div>
<div class="inset-shadow">Inset base shadow</div>
<div class="inset-shadow-lg">Inset large shadow</div>
<div class="inset-shadow-lg inset-shadow-blue-500">Inset shadow with color</div>Arbitrary Shadow Values
<div class="shadow-[0_4px_12px_rgba(0,0,0,0.3)]">Custom shadow</div>
<div class="shadow-[inset_0_1px_3px_0_rgba(0,0,0,0.1)]">Custom inset</div>Opacity
Opacity Utilities
<!-- Opacity scale 0-100% -->
<div class="opacity-0">Fully transparent</div>
<div class="opacity-25">25% opacity</div>
<div class="opacity-50">50% opacity</div>
<div class="opacity-75">75% opacity</div>
<div class="opacity-100">Fully opaque</div>Opacity with Colors
<!-- Shorthand opacity in color values -->
<div class="bg-red-500/50">Red with 50% opacity</div>
<div class="text-blue-600/75">Text with 75% opacity</div>
<div class="border-gray-400/25">Border with 25% opacity</div>
<div class="shadow-lg shadow-black/30">Shadow with 30% opacity</div>Filters
Blur
<div class="blur-none">No blur</div>
<div class="blur-sm">Small blur (4px)</div>
<div class="blur">Base blur (12px)</div>
<div class="blur-md">Medium blur (16px)</div>
<div class="blur-lg">Large blur (24px)</div>
<div class="blur-xl">Extra large blur (40px)</div>
<div class="blur-2xl">2XL blur (64px)</div>
<!-- Arbitrary -->
<div class="blur-[8px]">Custom blur 8px</div>Brightness
<div class="brightness-50">Darken to 50%</div>
<div class="brightness-75">Darken to 75%</div>
<div class="brightness-100">Normal (100%)</div>
<div class="brightness-125">Brighten to 125%</div>
<div class="brightness-150">Brighten to 150%</div>
<div class="brightness-200">Brighten to 200%</div>Contrast
<div class="contrast-50">Reduce contrast 50%</div>
<div class="contrast-75">Reduce contrast 75%</div>
<div class="contrast-100">Normal contrast (100%)</div>
<div class="contrast-125">Increase contrast 125%</div>
<div class="contrast-150">Increase contrast 150%</div>
<div class="contrast-200">Increase contrast 200%</div>Grayscale
<div class="grayscale-0">No grayscale</div>
<div class="grayscale">Full grayscale (100%)</div>
<!-- Arbitrary -->
<div class="grayscale-[50%]">50% grayscale</div>Sepia
<div class="sepia-0">No sepia</div>
<div class="sepia">Full sepia (100%)</div>
<!-- Arbitrary -->
<div class="sepia-[75%]">75% sepia</div>Hue Rotate
<div class="hue-rotate-0">No rotation</div>
<div class="hue-rotate-15">15 degree rotation</div>
<div class="hue-rotate-30">30 degree rotation</div>
<div class="hue-rotate-60">60 degree rotation</div>
<div class="hue-rotate-90">90 degree rotation</div>
<div class="hue-rotate-180">180 degree rotation</div>
<!-- Arbitrary -->
<div class="hue-rotate-[120deg]">Custom rotation</div>Invert
<div class="invert-0">No invert</div>
<div class="invert">Full invert (100%)</div>
<!-- Arbitrary -->
<div class="invert-[50%]">50% invert</div>Saturate
<div class="saturate-50">Desaturate to 50%</div>
<div class="saturate-100">Normal saturation (100%)</div>
<div class="saturate-150">Increase saturation 150%</div>
<div class="saturate-200">Increase saturation 200%</div>Backdrop Filters
Applies filters to the backdrop (element behind).
Backdrop Blur
<div class="backdrop-blur-none">No blur</div>
<div class="backdrop-blur-sm">Small blur (4px)</div>
<div class="backdrop-blur">Base blur (12px)</div>
<div class="backdrop-blur-md">Medium blur (16px)</div>
<div class="backdrop-blur-lg">Large blur (24px)</div>
<div class="backdrop-blur-xl">Extra large blur (40px)</div>Backdrop Brightness
<div class="backdrop-brightness-50">Darken backdrop 50%</div>
<div class="backdrop-brightness-75">Darken backdrop 75%</div>
<div class="backdrop-brightness-100">Normal (100%)</div>
<div class="backdrop-brightness-125">Brighten backdrop 125%</div>
<div class="backdrop-brightness-150">Brighten backdrop 150%</div>Backdrop Contrast
<div class="backdrop-contrast-50">Reduce backdrop contrast 50%</div>
<div class="backdrop-contrast-100">Normal (100%)</div>
<div class="backdrop-contrast-150">Increase backdrop contrast 150%</div>Backdrop Grayscale
<div class="backdrop-grayscale-0">No grayscale</div>
<div class="backdrop-grayscale">Full grayscale (100%)</div>Backdrop Invert
<div class="backdrop-invert-0">No invert</div>
<div class="backdrop-invert">Full invert (100%)</div>Backdrop Saturate
<div class="backdrop-saturate-50">Desaturate backdrop 50%</div>
<div class="backdrop-saturate-100">Normal (100%)</div>
<div class="backdrop-saturate-150">Increase backdrop saturation 150%</div>
</div>Backdrop Sepia
<div class="backdrop-sepia-0">No sepia</div>
<div class="backdrop-sepia">Full sepia (100%)</div>Mask (v4.1 NEW)
Mask Image
<!-- Preset masks -->
<div class="mask-none">No mask applied</div>
<div class="mask-linear">Linear gradient mask (top to bottom)</div>
<div class="mask-radial">Radial gradient mask (center)</div>
<!-- Custom mask image -->
<div class="mask-image-[url('/images/mask.svg')]">Custom mask</div>Mask Position
<div class="mask-linear mask-position-center">Center mask</div>
<div class="mask-linear mask-position-top">Top mask</div>
<div class="mask-linear mask-position-bottom">Bottom mask</div>
<div class="mask-linear mask-position-left">Left mask</div>
<div class="mask-linear mask-position-right">Right mask</div>Mask Size
<div class="mask-linear mask-size-contain">Contain mask</div>
<div class="mask-linear mask-size-cover">Cover mask</div>
<div class="mask-linear mask-size-auto">Auto mask size</div>
<!-- Arbitrary -->
<div class="mask-linear mask-size-[200%_100%]">Custom size</div>Mask Repeat
<div class="mask-linear mask-repeat">Repeat mask</div>
<div class="mask-linear mask-repeat-x">Repeat horizontally</div>
<div class="mask-linear mask-repeat-y">Repeat vertically</div>
<div class="mask-linear mask-no-repeat">No repeat</div>Combined Effects
Blur + Brightness
<div class="blur-md brightness-75">
Blurred and darkened
</div>Shadow + Opacity
<div class="shadow-lg shadow-blue-500/50 opacity-90">
Shadow with tint and opacity
</div>Backdrop Blur + Brightness
<div class="backdrop-blur-md backdrop-brightness-90">
Frosted glass effect
</div>Inset Shadow + Grayscale
<div class="inset-shadow inset-shadow-black/20 grayscale-50">
Pressed effect with grayscale
</div>Responsive Effects
<!-- Mobile: small blur, Tablet: medium blur, Desktop: large blur -->
<div class="blur-sm md:blur-md lg:blur-lg">
Responsive blur
</div>
<!-- Mobile: light opacity, Desktop: darker -->
<div class="opacity-75 md:opacity-50">
Responsive opacity
</div>
<!-- Backdrop blur on medium+ screens -->
<div class="md:backdrop-blur-lg">
Frosted glass on desktop
</div>Dark Mode
<!-- Shadow color changes in dark mode -->
<div class="shadow-md shadow-black/25 dark:shadow-black/50">
Darker shadow in dark mode
</div>
<!-- Opacity adjustments -->
<div class="opacity-70 dark:opacity-60">
More visible in dark mode
</div>
<!-- Different blur in dark mode -->
<div class="blur-sm dark:blur-none">
Less blur in dark mode
</div>Configuration (v4.1)
CSS Theme Variables
@import "tailwindcss";
@theme {
--color-shadow: #000;
--blur-custom: 20px;
}Custom Effects
@utility glass-effect {
@apply backdrop-blur-md backdrop-brightness-90 opacity-90;
}
@utility glow {
box-shadow: 0 0 20px var(--color-cyan-500);
}Real-world Examples
Modal with frosted backdrop
<div class="fixed inset-0 backdrop-blur-sm backdrop-brightness-75">
<!-- Modal content -->
</div>Card with elevated shadow
<div class="rounded-lg bg-white p-6 shadow-lg shadow-blue-500/10">
Card with subtle colored shadow
</div>Image with fade-out mask
<div class="mask-linear mask-position-bottom">
<img src="image.jpg" alt="Fading image" />
</div>Glassmorphism component
<div class="backdrop-blur-md bg-white/30 rounded-lg border border-white/20">
Glass effect container
</div>Browser Support
- Shadows: All modern browsers
- Filters: Chrome 18+, Firefox 35+, Safari 6+
- Backdrop filters: Chrome 76+, Safari 9+, Firefox 103+
- Masks: Chrome 1+, Safari 4+, Firefox 53+
- Opacity: All modern browsers
Performance Tips
- Use backdrop-blur sparingly - heavy performance impact
- Prefer opacity for transparency over rgba colors
- Use inset-shadow instead of multiple box-shadows for layering
- Combine related effects in custom utilities to reduce class count
- Test backdrop effects on low-end devices
References
- shadows.md - Detailed shadow configuration
- filters.md - Filter effects reference
- opacity.md - Opacity and transparency