10 Best Web-Based CSS Tools for Designers and Developers
To supercharge their efficiency and accuracy at work, developers specifically like to employ CSS tools that help them easily and quickly build web apps and launch them online. While CSS is the basic knitwork for websites, as soon as the project starts to take shape and major work needs to be taken care of, everything can turn into an absolute mess. This is where such web-based CSS tools come to the rescue.
Web-based CSS efficiency tools not only make sure that your work is done in less time, they also leave no room for errors if you know what you are doing.
In this blog post, we have curated a list of the 10 best web-based CSS tools that are going to be your absolute new best friends if they aren’t already.
1. SCSS Compiler
The SCSS compiler web app tool by BeautifyTools is an auto code generator for modern CSS workflow. So, if you are looking to utilize a great tool that can help you build and launch a site seamlessly, this is the ideal online CSS tool for you. Based on the structure and preformatted settings, the tool helps you convert raw SCSS into CSS while also enabling code minification and combining multiple files. So, now you can easily generate formatted CSS styles from SCSS code.
2. Keyframes.app
When starting a blog or building a new website, simple tools are always charming because of their ease of usage and the fact that they get work done without any hassle. The Keyframes.app tool is one such tool that not only helps you generate CSS for all your projects but lets you do it the simple way. This is a web app that also offers a Chrome extension to help you easily create CSS animations. So, if you would be working with website builders to create powerful CSS, you must do it the easy way.
The Keyframes.app is a great tool that provides you a timeline view of how your work is progressing. So, you can easily see how your animations look, how they loop, and what are the prime areas of the sequence. This visual timeline and the ability to see the animations right in front of you lets you easily manipulate elements on the page.
So, now you can easily create basic or complex CSS just like it is with video-editing software. The tool also lets you create single or multi-layer box shadows through the use of some simple sliders. You can also create and save instant palettes by picking your chosen colors and converting between hex and RGB.
3. CSS Doodle
This tool is a classic web component for drawing patterns with CSS. The tool is an SVG-enabler because it easily and quickly draws repeatable patterns. We talk of repeatable patterns because SVG graphics are all about reducing bandwidth by replacing patterns. Since the SVG graphic is also available in raw code format, CSS Doodle lets you utilize that to create further repeatable patterns.
The tool can be used on all major browsers without polyfills and is based on Shadow DOM v1 and Custom Elements v1. Based on these components, the CSS Doodle lets you generate a grid of divs by the rules (plain CSS) inside it. Users can further use CSS to manipulate the cells and craft patterns they want to.
4. CSS Filters
We bet you have tried a filter or two on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. They are so much in trend that a basic job expectation out of a designer is to at least be able to deliver kickass filters. Filters are the new cool reality that people of the Internet thoroughly love. So, if you are a programmer and are looking to create a filter of your own, the CSS Filters is a great tool for you. While creating such a tool from the beginning can be a huge challenge and overwhelming for a first-timer, using CSS Filters web app is going to provide the much-needed assistance.
The process is fairly simple with this web app; all you have to do is upload your cohen image and edit the settings using the tool. Now, simply export the code to start using your filters. And you will be done!
5. Gradient Hunt
If you are a programmer who has a knack for designing and colors, you very well know the amount of pain that it takes to design and match colors with precision. Pages that do not blend well are disastrous to look at and cause a horrible user experience. One such dicey designing element is the gradient. Since gradients make up for excellent designing elements and are now heavily used across the designing industry, there is a need to do it the right way.
Creating the right gradient might not be a cakewalk but with the right tool such as the Gradient Hunt, it is fairly easy to employ CSS3 code to create great-looking gradients. While the tool lets you do it easily, it also speeds up the process. It lets you choose the desired gradient from its curated collection and from there, you can further customize the gradients to suit your need and taste. Once done with the customization, you can simply copy the CSS code for your further use and apply the gradient as and when wanted.
6. PostCSS
If you are looking to work with a tool that helps transform CSS with JavaScript, PostCSS is the tool. This tool lets you increase code readability by adding vendor prefixes to CSS rules using values from Can I Use. Its Autoprefixer assesses the popularity of the current browser and uses the data thereof to apply prefixes.
The tool comes with a collection of solutions that you can use for scenarios like grid generation and code linting. This free tool is a great one for enhancing developer skills.
7. CSS Blocks
While CSS can be seamless to use and employ, it can sometimes really become a time-consuming factor towards your project completion. Built around modules, this CSS tool is a highly recommended one. Being a collection of CSS styles, CSS Blocks lets you choose the modules you need and from there on, you can easily export the modules and work on them based on how you want them to turn out.
The tool is known for its tiny runtime (~500b), dead code elimination, scoped styles, super-fast stylesheets, project-wide optimization, and the ability to showcase build time CSS errors. So, if you are a fan of designing super-efficient and fast CSS for your apps in less turnaround time, this is the right tool for you.
8. Scout app
If you are a developer looking to get started with dynamic CSS to be able to work in Windows, Mac, and Linux environments, Scout App is a great tool to utilize. By employing a Sass/Compass GUI, one can easily work with dynamic CSS. This tool lets you organize everything in one place: CSS files, templates, boilerplates, etc. You won’t have to worry about spending time learning terminal commands. So, Scout App is your best way to process Sass and SCSS to CSS and is also designed with a powerful translation engine allowing it to be multilingual.
9. Sierra Library
Touted to be the smallest and lightest SCSS library, Sierra Library is an open-source, lightweight, and customizable tool. It is quick to install and download. You can also customize the library’s theme settings, including fonts, margins, paddings and/or colors. You can also create your custom-settings file. The tool lets you take care of elements such as Badges, Buttons, Fonts, Forms, Loaders, Notifications, Pagination, Tables, Tabs, Tags, and Utilities among others.
10. CSS Menu Maker
Well, glamorous webapps for CSS also exist and if you are drawn towards them, CSS Menu Maker is the tool or you. The web app lets you browse through different styles of navigation menus to help you with dropdowns, fly-ins, and other pure CSS based options. So, if your work or current projects need you to work around menus, the tool lets you build & download HTML, CSS, & jQuery menus for desktop & mobile websites.
With CSS Menu maker, you get 65+ menu themes to choose from while creating custom, cross-browser compatible CSS menus. You don’t need to know complicated code in order to be able to create awesome menus. The tool provides the source code for all our CSS menus. Hence, you can easily customize and integrate as per your requirements.
Conclusion
Modern CSS can be easy as well as complicated to work with. We have carefully curated the above list of some awesome web-based tools that are going to be super-useful if you are going to be working with CSS. These tools are empowering, time-saving, and really capable of providing you an added edge for your project completion.
While some of them are basic CSS tools, others are tailored for certain scenarios where users often get stuck. So, if you are looking to really improve your workflow, you can bookmark from our list above and check them out to handpick the ones that really work for you.
