Tailwind CSS Animations & Transitions
Built-in Animations
Spin
Continuous rotation for loading indicators:
html
<svg class="animate-spin h-5 w-5 text-blue-500" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <circle class="opacity-25" cx="12" cy="12" r="10" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="4" /> <path class="opacity-75" fill="currentColor" d="M4 12a8 8 0 018-8V0C5.373 0 0 5.373 0 12h4z" /></svg>Ping
Radar-style pulse for notifications:
html
<span class="relative flex h-3 w-3"> <span class="animate-ping absolute inline-flex h-full w-full rounded-full bg-sky-400 opacity-75"></span> <span class="relative inline-flex rounded-full h-3 w-3 bg-sky-500"></span></span>Pulse
Subtle fade for skeleton loaders:
html
<div class="animate-pulse flex space-x-4"> <div class="rounded-full bg-slate-200 h-10 w-10"></div> <div class="flex-1 space-y-2 py-1"> <div class="h-2 bg-slate-200 rounded"></div> <div class="h-2 bg-slate-200 rounded w-5/6"></div> </div></div>Bounce
Attention-grabbing vertical bounce:
html
<svg class="animate-bounce w-6 h-6 text-blue-500" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <path stroke="currentColor" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M19 14l-7 7m0 0l-7-7m7 7V3" /></svg>Transitions
Transition Properties
| Class | CSS Property |
|---|---|
transition-none | None |
transition-all | All properties |
transition | Common properties |
transition-colors | Colors only |
transition-opacity | Opacity only |
transition-shadow | Shadow only |
transition-transform | Transform only |
Transition Duration
| Class | Duration |
|---|---|
duration-75 | 75ms |
duration-100 | 100ms |
duration-150 | 150ms |
duration-200 | 200ms |
duration-300 | 300ms |
duration-500 | 500ms |
duration-700 | 700ms |
duration-1000 | 1000ms |
Transition Timing Functions
| Class | Easing |
|---|---|
ease-linear | Linear |
ease-in | Accelerate |
ease-out | Decelerate |
ease-in-out | Accelerate then decelerate |
Transition Delay
| Class | Delay |
|---|---|
delay-75 | 75ms |
delay-100 | 100ms |
delay-150 | 150ms |
delay-200 | 200ms |
delay-300 | 300ms |
delay-500 | 500ms |
Basic Transition Examples
html
<!-- Color transition --><button class="bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700 transition-colors duration-200"> Hover me</button>
<!-- Scale on hover --><div class="transform hover:scale-105 transition-transform duration-200"> Card</div>
<!-- Opacity transition --><div class="opacity-100 hover:opacity-75 transition-opacity duration-150"> Fade</div>
<!-- Multiple properties --><button class=" bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700 transform hover:scale-105 shadow-md hover:shadow-lg transition-all duration-200"> Full transition</button>Transform Utilities
Scale
html
<div class="transform scale-100 hover:scale-110 transition-transform"> Scale up</div>
<div class="transform scale-100 hover:scale-90 transition-transform"> Scale down</div>
<!-- Specific axes --><div class="transform hover:scale-x-110">Horizontal</div><div class="transform hover:scale-y-110">Vertical</div>Rotate
html
<div class="transform hover:rotate-12 transition-transform"> Rotate right</div>
<div class="transform hover:-rotate-12 transition-transform"> Rotate left</div>
<div class="transform hover:rotate-180 transition-transform duration-500"> Flip</div>Translate
html
<div class="transform hover:translate-x-2 transition-transform"> Move right</div>
<div class="transform hover:-translate-y-2 transition-transform"> Move up</div>Skew
html
<div class="transform hover:skew-x-3 transition-transform"> Skew horizontal</div>
<div class="transform hover:skew-y-3 transition-transform"> Skew vertical</div>Transform Origin
html
<div class="origin-center transform hover:rotate-45">Center (default)</div><div class="origin-top-left transform hover:rotate-45">Top left</div><div class="origin-bottom-right transform hover:rotate-45">Bottom right</div>Custom Animations (v4)
Define in @theme
css
@theme { /* Custom keyframes */ --animate-fade-in: fade-in 0.5s ease-out; --animate-slide-up: slide-up 0.3s ease-out; --animate-shake: shake 0.5s ease-in-out;}
@keyframes fade-in { from { opacity: 0; } to { opacity: 1; }}
@keyframes slide-up { from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(20px); } to { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }}
@keyframes shake { 0%, 100% { transform: translateX(0); } 25% { transform: translateX(-5px); } 75% { transform: translateX(5px); }}Usage
html
<div class="animate-fade-in">Fades in</div><div class="animate-slide-up">Slides up</div><div class="animate-shake">Shakes on error</div>Custom Easing
css
@theme { --ease-in-expo: cubic-bezier(0.95, 0.05, 0.795, 0.035); --ease-out-expo: cubic-bezier(0.19, 1, 0.22, 1); --ease-bounce: cubic-bezier(0.68, -0.55, 0.265, 1.55);}html
<div class="transition-transform ease-bounce duration-300 hover:scale-110"> Bouncy scale</div>Accessibility: Reduced Motion
motion-safe / motion-reduce
html
<!-- Only animate if user prefers motion --><div class="motion-safe:animate-bounce motion-reduce:animate-none"> Respects preferences</div>
<!-- Alternative: reduced animation --><button class=" motion-safe:transition-all motion-safe:duration-200 motion-reduce:transition-none hover:bg-blue-600"> Accessible button</button>Reduced Motion Pattern
css
/* Apply globally */@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { *, ::before, ::after { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; transition-duration: 0.01ms !important; }}Common Animation Patterns
Hover Card Lift
html
<div class=" transform transition-all duration-200 hover:-translate-y-1 hover:shadow-lg bg-white rounded-lg p-6 shadow"> Card content</div>Button Press Effect
html
<button class=" transform transition-transform duration-100 active:scale-95 bg-blue-500 text-white px-4 py-2 rounded"> Click me</button>Loading Dots
html
<div class="flex space-x-1"> <div class="w-2 h-2 bg-blue-500 rounded-full animate-bounce [animation-delay:-0.3s]"></div> <div class="w-2 h-2 bg-blue-500 rounded-full animate-bounce [animation-delay:-0.15s]"></div> <div class="w-2 h-2 bg-blue-500 rounded-full animate-bounce"></div></div>Fade In on Scroll (with JS)
html
<div class="opacity-0 translate-y-4 transition-all duration-500" data-animate> Content that fades in</div>javascript
// Intersection Observer to trigger animationconst observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries) => { entries.forEach(entry => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { entry.target.classList.remove('opacity-0', 'translate-y-4') } })})
document.querySelectorAll('[data-animate]').forEach(el => observer.observe(el))Skeleton Loader
html
<div class="animate-pulse"> <div class="h-4 bg-gray-200 rounded w-3/4 mb-4"></div> <div class="h-4 bg-gray-200 rounded w-1/2 mb-4"></div> <div class="h-4 bg-gray-200 rounded w-5/6"></div></div>Hamburger to X Animation
html
<button class="group" aria-label="Toggle menu"> <span class="block w-6 h-0.5 bg-black transition-all duration-200 group-open:rotate-45 group-open:translate-y-1.5"></span> <span class="block w-6 h-0.5 bg-black mt-1 transition-opacity duration-200 group-open:opacity-0"></span> <span class="block w-6 h-0.5 bg-black mt-1 transition-all duration-200 group-open:-rotate-45 group-open:-translate-y-1.5"></span></button>Transition on Enter/Leave (with JS)
For complex enter/leave transitions, use a library like Headless UI:
jsx
import { Transition } from '@headlessui/react'
function Modal({ isOpen, children }) { return ( <Transition show={isOpen} enter="transition-opacity duration-300" enterFrom="opacity-0" enterTo="opacity-100" leave="transition-opacity duration-200" leaveFrom="opacity-100" leaveTo="opacity-0" > {children} </Transition> )}Performance Tips
1. Prefer GPU-Accelerated Properties
html
<!-- GOOD - GPU accelerated --><div class="transform hover:translate-x-2 transition-transform">
<!-- AVOID - May cause repaints --><div class="hover:left-2 transition-all">2. Use Specific Transitions
html
<!-- GOOD - Only transitions what changes --><div class="transition-colors duration-200 hover:bg-blue-500">
<!-- AVOID - Transitions everything --><div class="transition-all duration-200 hover:bg-blue-500">3. Keep Animations Short
html
<!-- GOOD - Snappy feedback --><button class="transition-colors duration-150">
<!-- AVOID - Too slow for UI feedback --><button class="transition-colors duration-1000">4. Use will-change Sparingly
html
<!-- Only for complex, frequently animated elements --><div class="will-change-transform animate-spin"> Loading spinner</div>
