Handling Animations
Purpose
Define custom animations using @keyframes within the @theme directive and use Tailwind's animation utilities with full variant support.
Basic Animation Pattern
Define animations within @theme:
@import 'tailwindcss';
@theme {
--animate-fade-in: fade-in 0.3s ease-out;
@keyframes fade-in {
0% {
opacity: 0;
}
100% {
opacity: 1;
}
}
}
Usage:
<div class="animate-fade-in">Fades in on load</div>
Animation Variable Naming
Pattern: --animate-{name}: {animation-shorthand};
The variable name determines the utility class:
@theme {
--animate-spin: spin 1s linear infinite;
--animate-bounce: bounce 1s infinite;
--animate-pulse: pulse 2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.6, 1) infinite;
}
Generates utilities:
- •
animate-spin - •
animate-bounce - •
animate-pulse
Common Animation Types
Fade Animations
Fade In:
@theme {
--animate-fade-in: fade-in 0.3s ease-out;
@keyframes fade-in {
0% { opacity: 0; }
100% { opacity: 1; }
}
}
Fade In with Scale:
@theme {
--animate-fade-in-scale: fade-in-scale 0.3s ease-out;
@keyframes fade-in-scale {
0% {
opacity: 0;
transform: scale(0.95);
}
100% {
opacity: 1;
transform: scale(1);
}
}
}
Slide Animations
Slide Up:
@theme {
--animate-slide-up: slide-up 0.4s ease-out;
@keyframes slide-up {
0% {
opacity: 0;
transform: translateY(20px);
}
100% {
opacity: 1;
transform: translateY(0);
}
}
}
For complete directional slide examples (left, right, top, bottom), see Animation Library.
Motion Animations
Spin:
@theme {
--animate-spin: spin 1s linear infinite;
@keyframes spin {
to { transform: rotate(360deg); }
}
}
Bounce:
@theme {
--animate-bounce: bounce 1s infinite;
@keyframes bounce {
0%, 100% {
transform: translateY(-25%);
animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.8, 0, 1, 1);
}
50% {
transform: translateY(0);
animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 0.2, 1);
}
}
}
For additional motion animations (pulse, ping, shake, wiggle), see Animation Library.
Entry Animations with starting:
The starting: variant applies styles before animations begin:
<div class="opacity-100 transition-opacity duration-300 starting:opacity-0"> Fades in smoothly </div> <div class=" translate-y-0 opacity-100 transition-all duration-300 starting:translate-y-4 starting:opacity-0 "> Slides up while fading in </div>
How it works:
- •Element starts with
starting:styles - •Browser renders first frame
- •Transition/animation begins to final state
Animation with Variants
Animations work with all Tailwind variants:
<div class="hover:animate-spin">Spins on hover</div> <div class="focus:animate-pulse">Pulses on focus</div> <div class="group-hover:animate-bounce">Bounces when parent hovered</div> <div class="lg:animate-fade-in">Animates on large screens</div> <div class="dark:animate-pulse">Pulses in dark mode</div>
Advanced Animation Techniques
Staggered Animations
<div class="space-y-4"> <div class="animate-slide-up [animation-delay:0s]">Item 1</div> <div class="animate-slide-up [animation-delay:0.1s]">Item 2</div> <div class="animate-slide-up [animation-delay:0.2s]">Item 3</div> <div class="animate-slide-up [animation-delay:0.3s]">Item 4</div> </div>
Animation Control
Delayed Animation:
<div class=" animate-fade-in [animation-delay:0.1s] [animation-fill-mode:both] "> Delayed fade in </div>
Pause on Hover:
<div class="animate-spin hover:[animation-play-state:paused]"> Pauses on hover </div>
Best Practices
- •Define within @theme - Keep all animations in one place
- •Use semantic names -
fade-innotanim-1 - •Include timing in variable - Full animation shorthand
- •Test performance - Avoid animating expensive properties (width, height)
- •Use transform and opacity - Hardware accelerated
- •Add will-change sparingly - Only for known animations
- •Respect prefers-reduced-motion - Disable animations for accessibility
Accessibility
Respect user motion preferences:
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
* {
animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
}
}
References
For comprehensive animation examples and patterns, see:
- •Animation Library - Complete collection of animation examples
- •Fade animations (in, out, scale)
- •Slide animations (all directions)
- •Motion animations (spin, pulse, ping, bounce)
- •Complex patterns (shake, wiggle, loading dots)
- •Complete animation library code
- •Advanced techniques and performance considerations
See Also
- •RESEARCH.md sections: "Entry Animations with starting:" and "Animation Keyframes"