Motion Framer

by freshtechbro1da73febff0cNo license1K starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated 10 months ago

Modern animation library for React and JavaScript. Create smooth, production-ready animations with motion components, variants, gestures (hover/tap/drag), layout animations, AnimatePresence exit animations, spring physics, and scroll-based effects. Use when building interactive UI components, micro-interactions, page transitions, or complex animation sequences.

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AI-generated overview

Guides building React UI animations with Motion (Framer Motion), including gestures, variants, layout and exit animations.

What it does
This skill provides reference guidance for using the Motion (formerly Framer Motion) animation library in React and JavaScript projects. It documents motion components, the animate/initial/transition props, variants and propagation, gesture props such as whileHover, whileTap and drag, AnimatePresence exit animations, layout and layoutId animations, scroll-based whileInView effects, spring physics, hooks, and performance practices. It also ships a Vite starter template, example components, an API reference, and two Python scripts for generating animation boilerplate and variant configurations.
When to use it
Use it when building interactive UI components, micro-interactions, page transitions, drag-and-drop interfaces, or scroll and layout animations in React. It suits developers who want declarative animation patterns instead of hand-written CSS transitions.
Requirements
Requires a React 18+ project (also usable with Vue) and the motion or framer-motion package; the starter template uses Vite. The bundled Python scripts need a Python runtime. No credentials or network access are required beyond installing packages.

Motion & Framer Motion

Overview

Motion (formerly Framer Motion) is a production-ready animation library for React and JavaScript that enables declarative, performant animations with minimal code. It provides motion components that wrap HTML elements with animation superpowers, supports gesture recognition (hover, tap, drag, focus), and includes advanced features like layout animations, exit animations, and spring physics.

When to use this skill:

  • Building interactive UI components (buttons, cards, menus)
  • Creating micro-interactions and hover effects
  • Implementing page transitions and route animations
  • Adding scroll-based animations and parallax effects
  • Animating layout changes (resizing, reordering, shared element transitions)
  • Drag-and-drop interfaces
  • Complex animation sequences and state-based animations
  • Replacing CSS transitions with more powerful, controllable animations

Technology:

  • Motion (v11+) - The modern, smaller library from Framer Motion creators
  • Framer Motion - The full-featured predecessor (still widely used)
  • React 18+ compatible, also supports Vue
  • Supports TypeScript
  • Works with Next.js, Vite, Remix, and all modern React frameworks

Core Concepts

1. Motion Components

Convert any HTML/SVG element into an animatable component by prefixing with motion.:

jsx
import { motion } from "framer-motion"
// Regular HTML becomes motion component<motion.div /><motion.button /><motion.svg /><motion.path />

Every motion component accepts animation props like animate, initial, transition, and gesture props like whileHover, whileTap, etc.

2. Animate Prop

The animate prop defines the target animation state. When values change, Motion automatically animates to them:

jsx
// Simple animation - x position changes<motion.div animate={{ x: 100 }} />
// Multiple properties<motion.div animate={{ x: 100, opacity: 1, scale: 1.2 }} />
// Animates when state changesconst [isOpen, setIsOpen] = useState(false)<motion.div animate={{ width: isOpen ? 300 : 100 }} />

3. Initial State

Set the initial state before animation using the initial prop:

jsx
<motion.div  initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 50 }}  animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}/>

Set initial={false} to disable initial animations on mount.

4. Transitions

Control how animations move between states using the transition prop:

jsx
// Duration-based<motion.div  animate={{ x: 100 }}  transition={{ duration: 0.5, ease: "easeInOut" }}/>
// Spring physics<motion.div  animate={{ scale: 1.2 }}  transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 20 }}/>
// Different transitions for different properties<motion.div  animate={{ x: 100, opacity: 1 }}  transition={{    x: { type: "spring", stiffness: 300 },    opacity: { duration: 0.2 }  }}/>

Transition types:

  • "tween" (default) - Duration-based with easing
  • "spring" - Physics-based spring animation
  • "inertia" - Decelerating animation (used in drag)

5. Variants

Organize animation states using named variants for cleaner code and propagation to children:

jsx
const variants = {  hidden: { opacity: 0, y: 20 },  visible: { opacity: 1, y: 0 },  exit: { opacity: 0, scale: 0.9 }}
<motion.div  variants={variants}  initial="hidden"  animate="visible"  exit="exit"/>

Variant propagation - Children automatically inherit parent variant states:

jsx
const containerVariants = {  hidden: { opacity: 0 },  visible: {    opacity: 1,    transition: {      staggerChildren: 0.1  // Stagger child animations    }  }}
const itemVariants = {  hidden: { x: -20, opacity: 0 },  visible: { x: 0, opacity: 1 }}
<motion.ul variants={containerVariants} initial="hidden" animate="visible">  <motion.li variants={itemVariants} />  <motion.li variants={itemVariants} />  <motion.li variants={itemVariants} /></motion.ul>

Common Patterns

1. Hover Animations

Animate on hover using whileHover prop:

jsx
// Simple hover effect<motion.button  whileHover={{ scale: 1.1 }}  transition={{ duration: 0.2 }}>  Hover me</motion.button>
// Multiple properties<motion.div  whileHover={{    scale: 1.05,    backgroundColor: "#f0f0f0",    boxShadow: "0px 10px 30px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)"  }}>  Hover card</motion.div>
// With custom transition<motion.button  whileHover={{    scale: 1.2,    transition: { duration: 0.1 }  // Transition for gesture start  }}  transition={{ duration: 0.5 }}  // Transition for gesture end>  Button</motion.button>

Hover with nested elements:

jsx
<motion.div whileHover="hover" variants={cardVariants}>  <motion.h3 variants={titleVariants}>Title</motion.h3>  <motion.img variants={imageVariants} /></motion.div>

2. Tap/Press Animations

Animate on tap/press using whileTap prop:

jsx
// Scale down on tap<motion.button  whileTap={{ scale: 0.9 }}>  Click me</motion.button>
// Combined hover + tap<motion.button  whileHover={{ scale: 1.1 }}  whileTap={{ scale: 0.95, rotate: 3 }}>  Interactive button</motion.button>
// With variantsconst buttonVariants = {  rest: { scale: 1 },  hover: { scale: 1.1 },  pressed: { scale: 0.95 }}
<motion.button  variants={buttonVariants}  initial="rest"  whileHover="hover"  whileTap="pressed">  Button</motion.button>

3. Drag Interactions

Make elements draggable with the drag prop:

jsx
// Basic dragging (both axes)<motion.div drag />
// Constrain to axis<motion.div drag="x" />  // Only horizontal<motion.div drag="y" />  // Only vertical
// Drag constraints<motion.div  drag  dragConstraints={{ left: -100, right: 100, top: -100, bottom: 100 }}/>
// Drag with parent constraints<motion.div ref={constraintsRef}>  <motion.div drag dragConstraints={constraintsRef} /></motion.div>
// Visual feedback while dragging<motion.div  drag  whileDrag={{    scale: 1.1,    boxShadow: "0px 10px 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.2)",    cursor: "grabbing"  }}  dragElastic={0.1}  // Elasticity when dragging outside constraints  dragTransition={{ bounceStiffness: 600, bounceDamping: 20 }}/>

Drag events:

jsx
<motion.div  drag  onDragStart={(event, info) => console.log(info.point)}  onDrag={(event, info) => console.log(info.offset)}  onDragEnd={(event, info) => console.log(info.velocity)}/>

4. Exit Animations (AnimatePresence)

Animate components when they're removed from the DOM using AnimatePresence:

jsx
import { AnimatePresence } from "framer-motion"
// Basic exit animation<AnimatePresence>  {isVisible && (    <motion.div      key="modal"      initial={{ opacity: 0 }}      animate={{ opacity: 1 }}      exit={{ opacity: 0 }}    />  )}</AnimatePresence>

Key requirements:

  • Component must be direct child of <AnimatePresence>
  • Must have a unique key prop
  • Use exit prop to define exit animation

List items with exit animations:

jsx
<AnimatePresence>  {items.map(item => (    <motion.li      key={item.id}      initial={{ opacity: 0, x: -50 }}      animate={{ opacity: 1, x: 0 }}      exit={{ opacity: 0, x: 50 }}      layout  // Smooth layout shifts    >      {item.name}    </motion.li>  ))}</AnimatePresence>

Staggered exit animations:

jsx
const containerVariants = {  hidden: { opacity: 0 },  visible: {    opacity: 1,    transition: {      when: "beforeChildren",      staggerChildren: 0.1    }  },  exit: {    opacity: 0,    transition: {      when: "afterChildren",      staggerChildren: 0.05,      staggerDirection: -1  // Reverse order    }  }}
<AnimatePresence>  {show && (    <motion.div variants={containerVariants} initial="hidden" animate="visible" exit="exit">      <motion.div variants={itemVariants} />      <motion.div variants={itemVariants} />      <motion.div variants={itemVariants} />    </motion.div>  )}</AnimatePresence>

5. Layout Animations

Automatically animate layout changes (position, size) with the layout prop:

jsx
// Animate all layout changes<motion.div layout />
// Animate only position changes<motion.div layout="position" />
// Animate only size changes<motion.div layout="size" />

Grid layout animation:

jsx
const [columns, setColumns] = useState(3)
<motion.div className="grid">  {items.map(item => (    <motion.div      key={item.id}      layout      transition={{ layout: { duration: 0.3, ease: "easeInOut" } }}    />  ))}</motion.div>

Shared layout animations (layoutId):

Connect two different elements for smooth transitions using layoutId:

jsx
// Tab indicator example<nav>  {tabs.map(tab => (    <button key={tab.id} onClick={() => setActive(tab.id)}>      {tab.label}      {activeTab === tab.id && (        <motion.div          layoutId="underline"          style={{ position: 'absolute', bottom: 0, left: 0, right: 0, height: 2 }}        />      )}    </button>  ))}</nav>
// Modal opening from thumbnail<motion.img  src={thumbnail}  layoutId="product-image"  onClick={() => setExpanded(true)}/>
<AnimatePresence>  {expanded && (    <motion.div layoutId="product-image">      <img src={fullsize} />    </motion.div>  )}</AnimatePresence>

6. Scroll-Based Animations

Animate elements when they enter the viewport using whileInView:

jsx
<motion.div  initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 50 }}  whileInView={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}  viewport={{ once: true, amount: 0.8 }}  // once: trigger once, amount: 80% visible  transition={{ duration: 0.5 }}>  Animates when scrolled into view</motion.div>

Viewport options:

  • once: true - Animation triggers only once
  • amount: 0.5 - Percentage of element visible (0-1) or "some" | "all"
  • margin: "-100px" - Offset viewport boundaries

Staggered scroll animations:

jsx
<motion.ul  initial="hidden"  whileInView="visible"  viewport={{ once: true, amount: 0.3 }}  variants={{    visible: {      opacity: 1,      transition: { staggerChildren: 0.1 }    },    hidden: { opacity: 0 }  }}>  <motion.li variants={itemVariants} />  <motion.li variants={itemVariants} />  <motion.li variants={itemVariants} /></motion.ul>

7. Spring Animations

Use spring physics for natural, bouncy animations:

jsx
// Basic spring<motion.div  animate={{ scale: 1.2 }}  transition={{ type: "spring" }}/>
// Customize spring physics<motion.div  animate={{ x: 100 }}  transition={{    type: "spring",    stiffness: 300,  // Higher = faster, snappier (default: 100)    damping: 20,     // Higher = less bouncy (default: 10)    mass: 1,         // Higher = more inertia (default: 1)  }}/>
// Visual duration (easier spring control)<motion.div  animate={{ rotate: 90 }}  transition={{    type: "spring",    visualDuration: 0.5,  // Perceived duration    bounce: 0.25          // Bounciness (0-1, default: 0.25)  }}/>

Spring presets:

  • Gentle: stiffness: 100, damping: 20
  • Wobbly: stiffness: 200, damping: 10
  • Stiff: stiffness: 400, damping: 30
  • Slow: stiffness: 50, damping: 20

Gesture Recognition

Motion provides declarative gesture handlers:

Gesture Props

jsx
<motion.div  whileHover={{ scale: 1.1 }}        // Pointer hovers over element  whileTap={{ scale: 0.9 }}          // Primary pointer presses element  whileFocus={{ outline: "2px" }}    // Element gains focus  whileDrag={{ scale: 1.1 }}         // Element is being dragged  whileInView={{ opacity: 1 }}       // Element is in viewport/>

Gesture Events

jsx
<motion.div  onHoverStart={(event, info) => {}}  onHoverEnd={(event, info) => {}}  onTap={(event, info) => {}}  onTapStart={(event, info) => {}}  onTapCancel={(event, info) => {}}  onDragStart={(event, info) => {}}  onDrag={(event, info) => {}}  onDragEnd={(event, info) => {}}  onViewportEnter={(entry) => {}}  onViewportLeave={(entry) => {}}/>

Event info objects contain:

  • point: { x, y } - Page coordinates
  • offset: { x, y } - Offset from drag start
  • velocity: { x, y } - Drag velocity

Hooks

useAnimate

Manually control animations with the useAnimate hook:

jsx
import { useAnimate } from "framer-motion"
function Component() {  const [scope, animate] = useAnimate()
  useEffect(() => {    // Animate multiple elements    animate([      [scope.current, { opacity: 1 }],      ["li", { x: 0, opacity: 1 }, { delay: stagger(0.1) }],      [".button", { scale: 1.2 }]    ])  }, [])
  return (    <div ref={scope}>      <ul>        <li>Item 1</li>        <li>Item 2</li>      </ul>      <button className="button">Click</button>    </div>  )}

Animation controls:

jsx
const controls = animate(element, { x: 100 })controls.play()controls.pause()controls.stop()controls.speed = 0.5controls.time = 0  // Seek to start

useSpring

Create spring-animated motion values:

jsx
import { useSpring } from "framer-motion"
function Component() {  const x = useSpring(0, { stiffness: 300, damping: 20 })
  return (    <motion.div style={{ x }}>      <button onClick={() => x.set(100)}>Move</button>    </motion.div>  )}

useInView

Detect when an element is in viewport:

jsx
import { useInView } from "framer-motion"
function Component() {  const ref = useRef(null)  const isInView = useInView(ref, { once: true, amount: 0.5 })
  return (    <div ref={ref}>      {isInView ? "In view!" : "Not in view"}    </div>  )}

Integration Patterns

With GSAP

Combine Motion for React state-based animations and GSAP for complex timelines:

jsx
import { motion } from "framer-motion"import gsap from "gsap"
function Component() {  const boxRef = useRef()
  const handleClick = () => {    // Use GSAP for complex timeline    const tl = gsap.timeline()    tl.to(boxRef.current, { rotation: 360, duration: 1 })      .to(boxRef.current, { scale: 1.5, duration: 0.5 })  }
  return (    // Use Motion for hover/tap/layout animations    <motion.div      ref={boxRef}      whileHover={{ scale: 1.1 }}      onClick={handleClick}    />  )}

With React Three Fiber

Animate 3D objects using Motion values:

jsx
import { motion } from "framer-motion"import { useFrame } from "@react-three/fiber"
function Box() {  const x = useMotionValue(0)
  useFrame(() => {    // Sync Motion value with Three.js position    meshRef.current.position.x = x.get()  })
  return (    <>      <mesh ref={meshRef}>        <boxGeometry />        <meshStandardMaterial />      </mesh>      <motion.div        style={{ x }}        drag="x"        dragConstraints={{ left: -5, right: 5 }}      />    </>  )}

With Form Libraries

Animate form validation states:

jsx
import { motion, AnimatePresence } from "framer-motion"
function FormField({ error }) {  return (    <div>      <motion.input        animate={{          borderColor: error ? "#ff0000" : "#cccccc",          x: error ? [0, -10, 10, -10, 10, 0] : 0  // Shake animation        }}        transition={{ duration: 0.4 }}      />      <AnimatePresence>        {error && (          <motion.p            initial={{ opacity: 0, y: -10 }}            animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}            exit={{ opacity: 0, y: -10 }}            style={{ color: "#ff0000" }}          >            {error}          </motion.p>        )}      </AnimatePresence>    </div>  )}

Performance Optimization

1. Use Transform Properties

Transform properties (x, y, scale, rotate) are hardware-accelerated:

jsx
// ✅ Good - Hardware accelerated<motion.div animate={{ x: 100, scale: 1.2 }} />
// ❌ Avoid - Triggers layout/paint<motion.div animate={{ left: 100, width: 200 }} />

2. Individual Transform Properties

Motion supports individual transform properties for cleaner code:

jsx
// Individual properties (Motion feature)<motion.div style={{ x: 100, rotate: 45, scale: 1.2 }} />
// Traditional (also supported)<motion.div style={{ transform: "translateX(100px) rotate(45deg) scale(1.2)" }} />

3. Reduce Motion for Accessibility

Respect user preferences for reduced motion:

jsx
import { useReducedMotion } from "framer-motion"
function Component() {  const shouldReduceMotion = useReducedMotion()
  return (    <motion.div      animate={{ x: 100 }}      transition={shouldReduceMotion ? { duration: 0 } : { duration: 0.5 }}    />  )}

4. Layout Animations Performance

Layout animations can be expensive. Optimize with:

jsx
// Specify what to animate<motion.div layout="position" />  // Only position, not size
// Optimize transition<motion.div  layout  transition={{    layout: { duration: 0.3, ease: "easeOut" }  }}/>

5. Use layoutId Sparingly

layoutId creates shared layout animations but tracks elements globally. Use only when needed.

Common Pitfalls

1. Forgetting AnimatePresence for Exit Animations

Problem: Exit animations don't work

jsx
// ❌ Wrong - No AnimatePresence{show && <motion.div exit={{ opacity: 0 }} />}
jsx
// ✅ Correct - Wrapped in AnimatePresence<AnimatePresence>  {show && <motion.div exit={{ opacity: 0 }} />}</AnimatePresence>

2. Missing key Prop in Lists

Problem: AnimatePresence can't track elements

jsx
// ❌ Wrong - No key<AnimatePresence>  {items.map(item => <motion.div exit={{ opacity: 0 }} />)}</AnimatePresence>
jsx
// ✅ Correct - Unique keys<AnimatePresence>  {items.map(item => (    <motion.div key={item.id} exit={{ opacity: 0 }} />  ))}</AnimatePresence>

3. Animating Non-Transform Properties

Problem: Janky animations, poor performance

jsx
// ❌ Avoid - Not hardware accelerated<motion.div animate={{ top: 100, left: 50, width: 200 }} />
jsx
// ✅ Better - Use transforms<motion.div animate={{ x: 50, y: 100, scaleX: 2 }} />

4. Overusing Layout Animations

Problem: Performance issues with many layout-animated elements

jsx
// ❌ Too many layout animations{items.map(item => <motion.div layout>{item}</motion.div>)}
jsx
// ✅ Use layout only where needed, optimize others{items.map(item => (  <motion.div    key={item.id}    animate={{ opacity: 1 }}  // Cheaper animation    exit={{ opacity: 0 }}  />))}

5. Not Using Variants for Complex Animations

Problem: Duplicated animation code, no child orchestration

jsx
// ❌ Repetitive<motion.div initial={{ opacity: 0 }} animate={{ opacity: 1 }} exit={{ opacity: 0 }} /><motion.div initial={{ opacity: 0 }} animate={{ opacity: 1 }} exit={{ opacity: 0 }} />
jsx
// ✅ Use variantsconst variants = {  hidden: { opacity: 0 },  visible: { opacity: 1 }}
<motion.div variants={variants} initial="hidden" animate="visible" /><motion.div variants={variants} initial="hidden" animate="visible" />

6. Incorrect Transition Timing

Problem: Transitions don't apply to specific gestures

jsx
// ❌ Wrong - General transition won't apply to whileHover<motion.div  whileHover={{ scale: 1.2 }}  transition={{ duration: 1 }}  // This applies to animate prop, not whileHover/>
jsx
// ✅ Correct - Transition in whileHover or separate gesture transition<motion.div  whileHover={{    scale: 1.2,    transition: { duration: 0.2 }  // Applies to hover start  }}  transition={{ duration: 0.5 }}  // Applies to hover end/>

Resources

Official Documentation

Bundled Resources

This skill includes:

references/

  • api_reference.md - Complete Motion API reference
  • variants_patterns.md - Variant patterns and orchestration
  • gesture_guide.md - Comprehensive gesture handling guide

scripts/

  • animation_generator.py - Generate Motion component boilerplate
  • variant_builder.py - Interactive variant configuration tool

assets/

  • starter_motion/ - Complete Motion + Vite starter template
  • examples/ - Real-world Motion component patterns

Community Resources

Source and attribution

Source:freshtechbro/claudedesignskillsin.claude/skills/motion-framerat commit1da73fe

License: No license

Content belongs to its original authors. SourceWeft indexes it from a public repository.

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