Framer Motion Animations

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Create scroll-triggered and entrance animations using Framer Motion. Use for adding animations, implementing scroll reveals, or migrating from CSS/Intersection Observer.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
7/23/2026
Claude CodeCursorWindsurfCodex
#framer-motion#animation#react#scroll-animations#reduced-motion

Recommended for

Automated summary

This skill guides implementation of React animations with Framer Motion: scroll-triggered reveals, entrance/exit effects, staggered lists, and prefers-reduced-motion support through useReducedMotion.

Strengths

  • Supplies ready-made variants (fadeInUp, staggerContainer, staggerItem, heroEntrance) with consistent easing curves
  • Every example wires in useReducedMotion for accessibility
  • Covers three concrete patterns: scroll reveals (whileInView + viewport once), staggered lists, and entrance animations without a scroll trigger
  • Points to explicit file paths so shared variants stay centralized

Limitations

  • The document is cut off: the “4. Index-Based” section is incomplete and the advertised exit animations are never shown
  • Referenced paths (apps/web/src/app/about/_components/variants.ts) are project-specific and must be adapted
  • The title mentions the motion package v12+ while all imports use framer-motion, which can be confusing
When to use it

Use it when adding or standardizing entrance and scroll-reveal animations inside an existing React/Next.js application.

When not to use it

Skip it for lightweight pure-CSS effects, complex route transitions, or non-React projects that cannot use Framer Motion.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score86/100

The skill only provides Framer Motion animation guidance and code examples. It does not instruct destructive actions, network access, credential handling, obfuscation, or safety bypasses. The declared tools are file-editing/search tools used for legitimate code changes.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Scroll reveal on a section
Add a scroll-triggered fade-in-up animation to the testimonials section using our shared fadeInUpVariants, with viewport once and reduced-motion support.
Staggered feature grid
Animate this feature grid so the cards stagger in on scroll, reusing staggerContainerVariants and staggerItemVariants.
Migrate Intersection Observer
Replace the Intersection Observer reveal logic in this component with Framer Motion whileInView, keeping the same timing and respecting prefers-reduced-motion.

name: framer-motion-animations description: Create scroll-triggered and entrance animations using Framer Motion (motion package). Use when adding animations, implementing scroll reveals, or migrating from CSS/Intersection Observer. allowed-tools: Read, Edit, Write, Grep, Glob

Framer Motion Animations Skill

This skill helps you implement consistent, accessible animations across the codebase using Framer Motion (motion package v12+).

When to Use This Skill

  • Adding scroll-triggered reveal animations
  • Implementing entrance/exit animations
  • Creating staggered list animations
  • Migrating from CSS/Intersection Observer to Motion
  • Ensuring accessibility with reduced motion support

Key Files

| File | Purpose | |------|---------| | apps/web/src/app/about/_components/variants.ts | Shared animation variants | | apps/web/src/components/animated-number.tsx | Number animation component |

Animation Variants

Standard Variants (in variants.ts)

import type { Variants } from "framer-motion";

// Base fade-in-up animation for section content
export const fadeInUpVariants: Variants = {
  hidden: { opacity: 0, y: 20 },
  visible: {
    opacity: 1,
    y: 0,
    transition: { duration: 0.6, ease: [0.16, 1, 0.3, 1] },
  },
};

// Container variant for staggered children
export const staggerContainerVariants: Variants = {
  hidden: { opacity: 0 },
  visible: {
    opacity: 1,
    transition: { staggerChildren: 0.1, delayChildren: 0.1 },
  },
};

// Individual stagger item
export const staggerItemVariants: Variants = {
  hidden: { opacity: 0, y: 20 },
  visible: {
    opacity: 1,
    y: 0,
    transition: { duration: 0.5, ease: [0.4, 0, 0.2, 1] },
  },
};

// Hero entrance animation (faster, more dramatic)
export const heroEntranceVariants: Variants = {
  hidden: { opacity: 0, y: 24, scale: 0.98 },
  visible: {
    opacity: 1,
    y: 0,
    scale: 1,
    transition: { duration: 0.8, ease: [0.16, 1, 0.3, 1] },
  },
};

Usage Patterns

1. Scroll-Triggered Animation (Single Element)

import { motion, useReducedMotion } from "framer-motion";
import { fadeInUpVariants } from "./variants";

export const Section = () => {
  const shouldReduceMotion = useReducedMotion();

  return (
    <motion.div
      variants={shouldReduceMotion ? undefined : fadeInUpVariants}
      initial={shouldReduceMotion ? undefined : "hidden"}
      whileInView="visible"
      viewport={{ once: true, amount: 0.2 }}
    >
      {/* Content */}
    </motion.div>
  );
};

2. Staggered List Animation

import { motion, useReducedMotion } from "framer-motion";
import { staggerContainerVariants, staggerItemVariants } from "./variants";

export const FeatureGrid = () => {
  const shouldReduceMotion = useReducedMotion();

  return (
    <motion.div
      className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-6"
      variants={shouldReduceMotion ? undefined : staggerContainerVariants}
      initial={shouldReduceMotion ? undefined : "hidden"}
      whileInView="visible"
      viewport={{ once: true, amount: 0.2 }}
    >
      {features.map((feature) => (
        <motion.div
          key={feature.id}
          variants={shouldReduceMotion ? undefined : staggerItemVariants}
        >
          {/* Feature card */}
        </motion.div>
      ))}
    </motion.div>
  );
};

3. Entrance Animation (No Scroll Trigger)

import { motion, useReducedMotion } from "framer-motion";

export const HeroSection = () => {
  const shouldReduceMotion = useReducedMotion();

  // Custom entrance transition with delay
  const entranceTransition = (delay: number) =>
    shouldReduceMotion
      ? undefined
      : { duration: 1, delay, ease: [0.16, 1, 0.3, 1] as const };

  return (
    <motion.h1
      initial={shouldReduceMotion ? undefined : { opacity: 0, y: 32 }}
      animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
      transition={entranceTransition(0.15)}
    >
      Headline
    </motion.h1>
  );
};

4. Index-Based Stagger (Manual Delays)

import { motion, useReducedMotion } from "framer-motion";

interface TimelineItemProps {
  index: number;
}

const TimelineItem = ({ index }: TimelineItemProps) => {
  const shouldReduceMotion = useReducedMotion();

  return (
    <motion.div
      initial={shouldReduceMotion ? undefined : { opacity: 0, y: 32 }}
      whileInView={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
      viewport={{ once: true, amount: 0.3 }}
      transition={
        shouldReduceMotion
          ? undefined
          : { duration: 0.5, delay: index * 0.15, ease: [0.4, 0, 0.2, 1] }
      }
    >
      {/* Content */}
    </motion.div>
  );
};

5. Number Animation with Viewport Trigger

import { motion, useReducedMotion } from "framer-motion";
import { AnimatedNumber } from "@web/components/animated-number";
import { useState } from "react";
import { staggerItemVariants } from "./variants";

const StatItem = ({ value }: { value: number }) => {
  const shouldReduceMotion = useReducedMotion();
  const [isInView, setIsInView] = useState(false);

  return (
    <motion.div
      variants={shouldReduceMotion ? undefined : staggerItemVariants}
      onViewportEnter={() => setIsInView(true)}
      viewport={{ once: true }}
    >
      {isInView ? <AnimatedNumber value={value} /> : <span>0</span>}
    </motion.div>
  );
};

Accessibility

Always use useReducedMotion() to respect user preferences:

import { useReducedMotion } from "framer-motion";

const Component = () => {
  const shouldReduceMotion = useReducedMotion();

  // When reduced motion is preferred:
  // - Pass undefined to variants prop
  // - Pass undefined to initial prop
  // - Pass undefined to transition prop
  // - Skip CSS keyframe animations
};

When to Use CSS vs Motion

| Use Case | Recommendation | |----------|----------------| | Scroll-triggered reveals | Motion (whileInView) | | Entrance animations | Motion (initial/animate) | | Staggered lists | Motion (staggerChildren) | | Hover states | CSS (Tailwind transition-*) | | Infinite loops (background effects) | CSS keyframes | | Simple state transitions | CSS (transition-all) |

Easing Functions

Standard easing curves used in the codebase:

| Name | Value | Use Case | |------|-------|----------| | Smooth decelerate | [0.16, 1, 0.3, 1] | Hero entrances, dramatic reveals | | Standard ease | [0.4, 0, 0.2, 1] | General purpose animations |

Viewport Options

viewport={{
  once: true,      // Only animate once (recommended)
  amount: 0.2,     // Trigger when 20% visible
  // amount: 0.3,  // Trigger when 30% visible (for smaller items)
}}

File Organization

Variants file naming: Use variants.ts (industry standard)

src/app/about/
├── _components/
│   ├── variants.ts           # Shared animation variants
│   ├── hero-section.tsx      # Uses variants
│   ├── stats-section.tsx     # Uses variants + AnimatedNumber
│   └── timeline-section.tsx  # Uses variants

Migration from CSS/Intersection Observer

When migrating existing animations:

  1. Remove useState(isVisible) + useEffect with IntersectionObserver
  2. Remove ref passed to section element
  3. Add motion.div with whileInView
  4. Add useReducedMotion() check
  5. Import variants from shared file

Before (Intersection Observer):

const [isVisible, setIsVisible] = useState(false);
const sectionRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);

useEffect(() => {
  const observer = new IntersectionObserver(
    ([entry]) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) setIsVisible(true); },
    { threshold: 0.2 }
  );
  if (sectionRef.current) observer.observe(sectionRef.current);
  return () => observer.disconnect();
}, []);

return (
  <div ref={sectionRef} className={isVisible ? "animate-fade-in" : "opacity-0"}>

After (Motion):

const shouldReduceMotion = useReducedMotion();

return (
  <motion.div
    variants={shouldReduceMotion ? undefined : fadeInUpVariants}
    initial={shouldReduceMotion ? undefined : "hidden"}
    whileInView="visible"
    viewport={{ once: true, amount: 0.2 }}
  >

Validation Checklist

When implementing animations:

  • [ ] Uses useReducedMotion() for accessibility
  • [ ] Passes undefined to variants/initial/transition when reduced motion preferred
  • [ ] Uses shared variants from variants.ts where applicable
  • [ ] Uses viewport={{ once: true }} for scroll-triggered animations
  • [ ] Keeps hover states as CSS transitions (not Motion)
  • [ ] Uses CSS keyframes for infinite/background animations

Related Files

  • apps/web/CLAUDE.md - Web app conventions
  • apps/web/src/app/about/_components/variants.ts - Animation variants
  • apps/web/src/components/animated-number.tsx - Number animation component

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Claude Code
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Cursor
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Codex
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