CSS Animations Skill

Expert knowledge for pure CSS animations - lightweight, performant animations using CSS keyframes, transitions, and modern CSS features without JavaScript dependencies.

When to Use

Activate this skill when:

User wants lightweight animations without libraries
Need simple hover/focus state transitions
Building loading spinners or skeleton screens
Performance is critical and animation is simple
Animating pseudo-elements (::before, ::after)
Using Tailwind CSS animation utilities

File Patterns

**/*.css with @keyframes definitions
**/*.scss or **/*.sass with animations
**/*.tsx with Tailwind animation classes
**/styles/*.css with animation utilities
tailwind.config.js with custom animations

Core Concepts

CSS Transitions

.element {
  transition: transform 0.3s ease-out, opacity 0.3s ease-out;
}

.element:hover {
  transform: translateY(-4px);
  opacity: 0.9;
}

/* Shorthand */
.element {
  transition: all 0.3s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);
}

CSS Keyframe Animations

@keyframes fadeIn {
  from {
    opacity: 0;
    transform: translateY(20px);
  }
  to {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: translateY(0);
  }
}

.element {
  animation: fadeIn 0.5s ease-out forwards;
}

Animation Properties

.element {
  animation-name: slideIn;
  animation-duration: 0.5s;
  animation-timing-function: ease-out;
  animation-delay: 0.2s;
  animation-iteration-count: 1; /* or infinite */
  animation-direction: normal; /* or reverse, alternate, alternate-reverse */
  animation-fill-mode: forwards; /* none, forwards, backwards, both */
  animation-play-state: running; /* or paused */

  /* Shorthand */
  animation: slideIn 0.5s ease-out 0.2s 1 normal forwards;
}

Timing Functions

/* Built-in */
transition-timing-function: linear;
transition-timing-function: ease;
transition-timing-function: ease-in;
transition-timing-function: ease-out;
transition-timing-function: ease-in-out;

/* Cubic bezier */
transition-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); /* Material ease */
transition-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.25, 0.1, 0.25, 1); /* Default ease */
transition-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.68, -0.55, 0.265, 1.55); /* Back ease */

/* Steps (for sprite animations) */
transition-timing-function: steps(4, end);

Common Keyframes Library

Fade Animations

@keyframes fadeIn {
  from { opacity: 0; }
  to { opacity: 1; }
}

@keyframes fadeOut {
  from { opacity: 1; }
  to { opacity: 0; }
}

@keyframes fadeInUp {
  from {
    opacity: 0;
    transform: translate3d(0, 20px, 0);
  }
  to {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: translate3d(0, 0, 0);
  }
}

@keyframes fadeInDown {
  from {
    opacity: 0;
    transform: translate3d(0, -20px, 0);
  }
  to {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: translate3d(0, 0, 0);
  }
}

Scale Animations

@keyframes scaleIn {
  from {
    opacity: 0;
    transform: scale(0.9);
  }
  to {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: scale(1);
  }
}

@keyframes pulse {
  0%, 100% {
    transform: scale(1);
  }
  50% {
    transform: scale(1.05);
  }
}

@keyframes bounce {
  0%, 100% {
    transform: translateY(0);
  }
  50% {
    transform: translateY(-10px);
  }
}

Loading Animations

@keyframes spin {
  from { transform: rotate(0deg); }
  to { transform: rotate(360deg); }
}

@keyframes shimmer {
  0% {
    background-position: -200% 0;
  }
  100% {
    background-position: 200% 0;
  }
}

@keyframes dotPulse {
  0%, 80%, 100% {
    transform: scale(0);
    opacity: 0.5;
  }
  40% {
    transform: scale(1);
    opacity: 1;
  }
}

Tailwind CSS Animations

Built-in Animations

<div class="animate-spin">Loading...</div>
<div class="animate-ping">Notification</div>
<div class="animate-pulse">Skeleton</div>
<div class="animate-bounce">Scroll down</div>

Custom Tailwind Animations

// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      animation: {
        'fade-in': 'fadeIn 0.5s ease-out forwards',
        'fade-in-up': 'fadeInUp 0.5s ease-out forwards',
        'slide-in-right': 'slideInRight 0.3s ease-out forwards',
        'scale-in': 'scaleIn 0.2s ease-out forwards',
        'shimmer': 'shimmer 2s infinite',
      },
      keyframes: {
        fadeIn: {
          '0%': { opacity: '0' },
          '100%': { opacity: '1' },
        },
        fadeInUp: {
          '0%': { opacity: '0', transform: 'translateY(20px)' },
          '100%': { opacity: '1', transform: 'translateY(0)' },
        },
        slideInRight: {
          '0%': { opacity: '0', transform: 'translateX(20px)' },
          '100%': { opacity: '1', transform: 'translateX(0)' },
        },
        scaleIn: {
          '0%': { opacity: '0', transform: 'scale(0.95)' },
          '100%': { opacity: '1', transform: 'scale(1)' },
        },
        shimmer: {
          '0%': { backgroundPosition: '-200% 0' },
          '100%': { backgroundPosition: '200% 0' },
        },
      },
    },
  },
};

Stagger with CSS Custom Properties

.stagger-item {
  animation: fadeInUp 0.5s ease-out forwards;
  animation-delay: calc(var(--index) * 0.1s);
  opacity: 0;
}

{items.map((item, index) => (
  <div
    key={item.id}
    className="stagger-item"
    style={{ '--index': index } as React.CSSProperties}
  >
    {item.content}
  </div>
))}

Component Patterns

Loading Spinner

// components/Spinner.tsx
export function Spinner({ size = 'md' }: { size?: 'sm' | 'md' | 'lg' }) {
  const sizes = {
    sm: 'w-4 h-4 border-2',
    md: 'w-8 h-8 border-3',
    lg: 'w-12 h-12 border-4',
  };

  return (
    <div
      className={`${sizes[size]} rounded-full border-blue-500 border-t-transparent animate-spin`}
    />
  );
}

Skeleton Loading

// components/Skeleton.tsx
export function Skeleton({
  className,
  ...props
}: React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement>) {
  return (
    <div
      className={`bg-gray-200 rounded animate-pulse ${className}`}
      {...props}
    />
  );
}

// Usage
<div className="space-y-2">
  <Skeleton className="h-4 w-3/4" />
  <Skeleton className="h-4 w-1/2" />
  <Skeleton className="h-4 w-5/6" />
</div>

Shimmer Effect

.shimmer {
  background: linear-gradient(
    90deg,
    #f0f0f0 0%,
    #e0e0e0 50%,
    #f0f0f0 100%
  );
  background-size: 200% 100%;
  animation: shimmer 1.5s infinite;
}

Performance Tips

GPU-Accelerated Properties (Animate These)

/* Good - GPU accelerated */
transform: translateX(100px);
transform: scale(1.1);
transform: rotate(45deg);
opacity: 0.5;

/* Avoid - trigger layout/paint */
width: 100px;
height: 100px;
top: 10px;
left: 10px;
margin: 10px;
padding: 10px;

Will-Change Hint

.animated-element {
  will-change: transform, opacity;
}

/* Remove after animation */
.animated-element.done {
  will-change: auto;
}

Prefer Transform Over Position

/* Bad - triggers layout */
.slide {
  left: 0;
  transition: left 0.3s;
}
.slide.active {
  left: 100px;
}

/* Good - GPU accelerated */
.slide {
  transform: translateX(0);
  transition: transform 0.3s;
}
.slide.active {
  transform: translateX(100px);
}

Reduced Motion Support

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  *,
  *::before,
  *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

/* Or provide alternatives */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .animated-element {
    animation: none;
    opacity: 1;
  }
}

Examples

<example> Context: User wants a hover effect on cards user: "Add a subtle lift effect when hovering over cards" assistant: Using CSS transitions for smooth hover: ```css .card { transition: transform 0.2s ease-out, box-shadow 0.2s ease-out; }

.card:hover { transform: translateY(-4px); box-shadow: 0 12px 24px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); }

Or with Tailwind:
```tsx
<div className="transition-all duration-200 ease-out hover:-translate-y-1 hover:shadow-xl">
  Card content
</div>

</example> <example> Context: User needs a loading skeleton user: "Create a skeleton loading state for this content" assistant: Using CSS shimmer animation: ```tsx function ContentSkeleton() { return ( <div className="space-y-3 animate-pulse"> <div className="h-6 bg-gray-200 rounded w-3/4" /> <div className="h-4 bg-gray-200 rounded w-full" /> <div className="h-4 bg-gray-200 rounded w-5/6" /> <div className="h-4 bg-gray-200 rounded w-2/3" /> </div> ); } ``` </example>

Related Skills

framer-motion - When animations need JavaScript control
spring-physics - For more natural motion
scroll-animations - For scroll-triggered CSS animations

Author

Created by Brookside BI as part of React Animation Studio

css-animations