Breathing Long Shadow
A stacked, stepped shadow gives the text a chunky 3D look, and the shadow slowly extends and retracts as if the light were moving. Retro poster energy.
Also known as: 3D text shadow, retro text shadow, layered shadow text.
RETRO
HTML
<div class="txt-long-shadow">RETRO</div>
CSS
.txt-long-shadow {
--c: var(--txt-color, #3b82f6);
font-size: var(--txt-size, 32px);
font-family: system-ui, sans-serif;
font-weight: 700;
line-height: 1.2;
color: var(--c);
letter-spacing: 0.06em;
animation: txt-long-shadow-breathe 2.4s ease-in-out infinite alternate;}
@keyframes txt-long-shadow-breathe {
from {
text-shadow:
0.02em 0.02em 0 color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 60%, transparent),
0.04em 0.04em 0 color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 45%, transparent),
0.06em 0.06em 0 color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 30%, transparent);
}
to {
text-shadow:
0.05em 0.05em 0 color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 60%, transparent),
0.10em 0.10em 0 color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 45%, transparent),
0.15em 0.15em 0 color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 30%, transparent);
}
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.txt-long-shadow, .txt-long-shadow *, .txt-long-shadow::before, .txt-long-shadow::after {
animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
}
}Customizing this snippet
- Color: set
--txt-coloron the element or a parent. Currently previewing#3b82f6. - Font size: set
--txt-size. Every other dimension is inem, so the whole thing scales together. Currently previewing40px. - Speed: change the duration on the
transitionoranimationshorthand. Staggered delays are relative, so they keep their rhythm. - Reduced motion: the rule at the end of the CSS turns the motion off for people who asked their OS for less of it. Keep it.