Flutter - ShaderMask Widget

Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025

ShaderMask is a widget in Flutter that applies a shader to its child. It allows you to create various visual effects by manipulating the colors and gradients of the child widget. In this article, we are going to implement the ShaderMask widget and explore some of it.

Basic Syntax of ShaderMask Widget

Dart 
ShaderMask(
    shaderCallback: (Rect bounds) {
        // Define the shader here
        return Shader;
    },
    // Optional, specifies how the 
    // shader blends with the child
    blendMode: BlendMode.modulate, 
    // The widget you want 
    // to apply the shader to
    child: Widget, 
)

Required Tools

To build this app, you need the following items installed on your machine:

  • Visual Studio Code / Android Studio
  • Android Emulator / iOS Simulator / Physical Device.
  • Flutter Installed
  • Flutter plugin for VS Code / Android Studio.

Step-by-Step Implementations

Step 1: Create a new Flutter Application

Create a new Flutter application using the command Prompt. To create a new app, write the following command and run it.

flutter create app_name

To know more about it refer this article: Creating a Simple Application in Flutter.

Step 2: Import the Package

First of all, import material.dart file.

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

Step 3: Execute the main Method

Call the runApp() method in the main() method to start the app.

Dart 
void main() {
  runApp(MyApp());
}


Step 4: Create MyApp Class

In this class, we are going to implement the MaterialApp, Here, we are also setting the Theme of our App.

Dart 
class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      theme: ThemeData(
        primarySwatch: Colors.green, // Set the app's primary theme color
      ),
      debugShowCheckedModeBanner: false,
      home: ShaderMaskExampleScreen(),
    );
  }
}


Step 5: Create ShaderExampleScreen Class

In this class, we are going to implement the ShaderExampleScreen widget that helps to add shader color effects to its child.

ShaderMask(
  shaderCallback: (Rect bounds) {
    // Create a linear gradient shader for the mask
    return LinearGradient(
      colors: [Colors.red, Colors.blue],
      stops: [0.5, 0.9],
      begin: Alignment.topCenter,
      end: Alignment.bottomCenter,
    ).createShader(bounds);
  },
  child: Image.network(
    'https://media.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-content/cdn-uploads/20220512131412/Student-Chapter-Article-Banner.png',
    width: 300.0,
    height: 300.0,
    fit: BoxFit.cover,
  ),
),

Code:

Dart 
class ShaderMaskExampleScreen extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(title: Text('ShaderMask Example')),
      body: Center(
        child: Column(
          mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
          children: [
            // Original Image
            Image.network(
              'https://media.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-content/cdn-uploads/20220512131412/Student-Chapter-Article-Banner.png',
              width: 300.0,
              height: 300.0,
              fit: BoxFit.cover,
            ),
            Text(
              "Original Image",
              style: TextStyle(fontWeight: FontWeight.bold),
            ),

            SizedBox(height: 20.0), // Add some spacing between the images
            // Image with ShaderMask
            ShaderMask(
              shaderCallback: (Rect bounds) {
                // Create a linear gradient shader for the mask
                return LinearGradient(
                  colors: [Colors.red, Colors.blue],
                  stops: [0.5, 0.9],
                  begin: Alignment.topCenter,
                  end: Alignment.bottomCenter,
                ).createShader(bounds);
              },
              child: Image.network(
                'https://media.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-content/cdn-uploads/20220512131412/Student-Chapter-Article-Banner.png',
                width: 300.0,
                height: 300.0,
                fit: BoxFit.cover,
              ),
            ),
            Text(
              "Shadered Image",
              style: TextStyle(fontWeight: FontWeight.bold),
            ),
          ],
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}


Complete Source Code

main.dart:

main.dart 
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      theme: ThemeData(
        primarySwatch: Colors.green, // Set the app's primary theme color
      ),
      debugShowCheckedModeBanner: false,
      home: ShaderMaskExampleScreen(),
    );
  }
}

class ShaderMaskExampleScreen extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(title: Text('ShaderMask Example')),
      body: Center(
        child: Column(
          mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
          children: [
            // Original Image
            Image.network(
              'https://media.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-content/cdn-uploads/20220512131412/Student-Chapter-Article-Banner.png',
              width: 300.0,
              height: 300.0,
              fit: BoxFit.cover,
            ),
            Text(
              "Original Image",
              style: TextStyle(fontWeight: FontWeight.bold),
            ),

            SizedBox(height: 20.0), // Add some spacing between the images
            // Image with ShaderMask
            ShaderMask(
              shaderCallback: (Rect bounds) {
                // Create a linear gradient shader for the mask
                return LinearGradient(
                  colors: [Colors.red, Colors.blue],
                  stops: [0.5, 0.9],
                  begin: Alignment.topCenter,
                  end: Alignment.bottomCenter,
                ).createShader(bounds);
              },
              child: Image.network(
                'https://media.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-content/cdn-uploads/20220512131412/Student-Chapter-Article-Banner.png',
                width: 300.0,
                height: 300.0,
                fit: BoxFit.cover,
              ),
            ),
            Text(
              "Shadered Image",
              style: TextStyle(fontWeight: FontWeight.bold),
            ),
          ],
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Output:

Flutter_ShaderMask-


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