About

Background design is a critical component of User Interface (UI) aesthetics, influencing perceived performance and visual hierarchy. While static images can weigh heavily on bandwidth (often exceeding 500 KB), CSS3 gradients offer resolution-independent, vector-quality backgrounds with a near-zero footprint.

This tool synthesizes the mathematical properties of linear-gradient, radial-gradient, and complex multi-point Mesh topologies. By manipulating color stops C_n and angle θ, it generates compliant CSS code and renderable bitmaps. It addresses the risk of "banding" in digital gradients by offering a procedural noise layer, which introduces dithering to smooth color transitions on 8-bit displays.

Formulas

The mathematical model for a standard linear gradient interpolation between two colors C_start and C_end at a position t (where 0 ≤ t ≤ 1) is defined as:

C(t) = C_start + t × (C_end − C_start)

For Mesh Gradients, the visual result is a superposition of multiple radial gradients R_i, positioned at coordinates (x_i, y_i) with blur radius σ:

Mesh(x,y) = n∑i=1 R_i(x,y, c_i) * Gaussian(σ)

Reference Data

CSS Property	Description	Syntax Structure	Performance Impact
linear-gradient	Transitions colors along a straight line.	linear-gradient(θ, c₁, c₂)	Low (GPU Accelerated)
radial-gradient	Transitions from a central point outward.	radial-gradient(circle, c₁, c₂)	Low (GPU Accelerated)
filter: blur()	Used for Mesh effects; blurs distinct shapes.	blur(100px)	High (Calculated per pixel)
Hex Code	6-digit hexadecimal color representation.	#RRGGBB	None
RGBA	Color with Alpha (opacity) channel.	rgba(r,g,b,a)	Low (Alpha blending cost)

Frequently Asked Questions

Digital screens typically display 8-bit color (256 levels per channel). Smooth gradients often span more mathematical values than the screen can display, causing "banding" (visible lines). Adding subtle noise introduces dithering, breaking up these lines and creating the illusion of a smoother transition.

Yes. The "Copy CSS" function generates standard W3C-compliant CSS code compatible with all modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge). It is lightweight and resolution-independent.

The Mesh Gradient is simulated using multiple "radial-gradient" background layers positioned at different corners or percentages of the container. This avoids the need for heavy image files or complex WebGL implementations.

CSS is rendered by the browser's painting engine (often GPU-accelerated) and requires only a few bytes of text code. A PNG image requires an HTTP request and has a file size ranging from 50KB to 2MB. CSS is universally faster for loading, while PNG ensures pixel-perfect consistency across older devices.