Use when a UI needs better depth, elevation, and shadow treatment without looking muddy.
Real-world examples
Live HTML demos for this skill — rendered directly in the page. 3 examples.
- 01
Compact controls
Beautiful sm on pills, inputs, and quiet filter chips — refined lift without blunt default shadows.
- 02
Panels & popover
Beautiful md on cards and a floating actions popover — layered neutral elevation for everyday surfaces.
- 03
Hero media & modal
Beautiful lg on hero imagery and a modal callout — the strongest polished lift for feature surfaces.
Skill markdown
# Beautiful Shadows ## Use When - A surface needs polished, layered elevation. - Default Tailwind shadows feel too generic or blunt. - The design needs neutral, refined depth without colored glow. ## Shadow Utilities Use these exact Tailwind classes. ### Beautiful sm Use for compact cards, form controls, pills, and quieter surfaces. ```txt shadow-[0px_2px_3px_-1px_rgba(0,0,0,0.1),0px_1px_0px_0px_rgba(25,28,33,0.02),0px_0px_0px_1px_rgba(25,28,33,0.08)] ``` ### Beautiful md Use for cards, panels, popovers, and the default elevated surface style. ```txt shadow-[0px_0px_0px_1px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_1px_1px_-0.5px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_3px_3px_-1.5px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),_0px_6px_6px_-3px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_12px_12px_-6px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_24px_24px_-12px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06)] ``` ### Beautiful lg Use for hero media, feature callouts, modal-like containers, and the strongest lift. ```txt shadow-[0_2.8px_2.2px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.034),_0_6.7px_5.3px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.048),_0_12.5px_10px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.06),_0_22.3px_17.9px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.072),_0_41.8px_33.4px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.086),_0_100px_80px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.12)] ``` ## Examples ```html <div class="rounded-xl bg-white shadow-[0px_0px_0px_1px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_1px_1px_-0.5px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_3px_3px_-1.5px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),_0px_6px_6px_-3px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_12px_12px_-6px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_24px_24px_-12px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06)]"> ... </div> ``` ## Usage Rules - Use `Beautiful sm` for compact cards, form controls, pills, and quieter surfaces. - Use `Beautiful md` for cards, panels, popovers, and the default elevated surface style. - Use `Beautiful lg` for hero media, feature callouts, modal-like containers, and the strongest lift. - Pair with a clean surface fill and a consistent radius. - Use one shadow strength per component state unless an interaction clearly changes elevation. ## Avoid - Mixing these with default Tailwind shadow scales on the same component. - Tinting these shadows with strong colors; keep them neutral and refined. - Applying `Beautiful lg` to dense lists or tiny controls. - Stacking multiple shadow utilities on one element. - Using these as a substitute for clear borders in very low-contrast layouts.
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