I’m trying to make a glassmorphism design in Figma but I’m not sure about the best approach. I understand Figma doesn’t have built-in glass effects like 3D software since those usually need GPU rendering and special shaders for realistic lighting. Right now I’m experimenting with combining different effects to get something close. I’ve been playing around with adding noise textures, applying backdrop blur, and using layer blur effects together. Has anyone found a good method to achieve this trendy glass look? What combination of effects works best for you? I want to make sure my mockups look modern and have that frosted glass appearance that’s popular in current UI designs.
After working on several glassmorphism projects, I’ve found that layering is everything. Instead of trying to achieve the effect with one element, I create multiple overlapping shapes with different opacity levels. My approach involves using a base layer with around 8% fill opacity, then adding a second layer on top with slightly higher opacity but different blur settings. The backdrop filter blur should be strong enough to distort background elements but not so much that it looks artificial - I usually stick around 25px. One thing that took me a while to figure out is that the border treatment matters just as much as the fill. I apply inner shadows rather than outer ones most of the time, and I always test the design against various background textures since glassmorphism only works well when there’s visual complexity behind it to blur and refract.
The key to convincing glassmorphism in Figma is getting the transparency values right. I typically start with a shape filled at around 10-15% opacity using a light color, then add a stroke with 20-30% opacity in white or a subtle tint. The backdrop blur is crucial - I usually set it between 20-40px depending on the element size. What really sells the effect though is the subtle drop shadow. I use a very soft shadow with low opacity and small offset values. One trick I learned is to duplicate the glass element and apply different blur amounts to each layer, then blend them together. This creates more depth than relying on a single blur effect. Also worth noting that the background behind your glass element makes a huge difference - complex gradients or images will showcase the effect much better than flat colors.