CSS Animation Crafter

Overview

Produces high-quality, performant CSS animations and transitions using modern best practices. The skill generates keyframe definitions, timing functions, accessibility-respecting motion (prefers-reduced-motion), GPU-accelerated properties, stagger patterns, scroll-driven animations, and ready-to-use recipes for common UI motions such as fades, slides, bounces, loading states, and hover effects.

When to Use This Skill

• Adding subtle motion to buttons, cards, modals, loaders, or page transitions.
• The user explicitly requests "CSS animation", "keyframe", "transition", "micro-interaction", or "motion".
• Avoiding JavaScript animation libraries (Framer Motion, GSAP, anime.js) for performance or bundle size reasons.
• Implementing loading states, success/error feedback, or attention-guiding animations.
• Creating scroll-triggered or entrance animations.

Prerequisites

• A web project using CSS (plain CSS, Tailwind, SCSS, etc.).
• Target browsers that support modern CSS (Chrome 90+, Firefox 90+, Safari 15+ recommended for advanced features like @property or scroll timelines).
• For scroll-driven animations, the page must have scrollable content.
• No JavaScript required unless the skill explicitly adds a tiny progressive enhancement script.

Steps

1. Analyze the motion requirement:

   • Identify the trigger (hover, focus, load, click, scroll, state change).
   • Determine the animation type: entrance, exit, attention, feedback, loading, or continuous.
   • Choose properties that are GPU-composited: transform (translate, scale, rotate), opacity, filter. Avoid animating width, height, left, top, margin, padding when possible.

2. Respect user motion preferences (mandatory):

   • Always wrap animations in @media (prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference) { ... }.
   • Provide a reduced or static fallback for users who prefer reduced motion.
   • Never animate on load for users with reduced motion unless it is essential.

3. Select timing and easing:

   • Use cubic-bezier() for custom easings (e.g., cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) for material design).
   • Common durations: 150ms (micro), 250-300ms (standard), 400-600ms (emphasis), 800ms+ (page-level).
   • Use animation-fill-mode: both or forwards/backwards as needed.
   • Prefer transition for simple state changes; use @keyframes + animation for complex or repeating sequences.

4. Write the keyframes:

   • Name them descriptively (e.g., fadeInUp, pulse, modalEnter).
   • Use percentage-based or from/to.
   • Keep keyframe lists short (3-5 stops maximum for most UI work).

5. Implement stagger for lists:

   • Use animation-delay with incremental values (e.g., calc(var(--i) * 80ms)).
   • Set --i via inline style or CSS counters on list items.

6. Add scroll-driven animations (modern):

   • Use animation-timeline: view() or scroll() when supported.
   • Provide a JavaScript fallback using IntersectionObserver for older browsers.

7. Provide multiple recipe variants:

   • Always deliver the animation in a self-contained code block.
   • Show how to apply it to real HTML elements.
   • Include Tailwind arbitrary value versions when relevant.

8. Include performance and accessibility notes:

   • List which properties are safe.
   • Warn about will-change usage (use sparingly).
   • Document how the animation respects reduced motion.

9. Output complete, copy-pasteable code:

   • Include the CSS (and minimal HTML demo if helpful).
   • Add comments explaining key decisions.

Examples

Example 1: Fade + Slide Up Entrance Animation (with stagger)

/* Fade In Up Animation */
@keyframes fadeInUp {
  from {
    opacity: 0;
    transform: translateY(20px);
  }
  to {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: translateY(0);
  }
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference) {
  .fade-in-up {
    animation: fadeInUp 400ms cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) both;
  }
  
  /* Staggered list items */
  .stagger-list > * {
    --stagger-delay: 80ms;
    animation-delay: calc(var(--i, 0) * var(--stagger-delay));
  }
}

/* Usage */
<div class="stagger-list">
  <div class="fade-in-up" style="--i: 0">Item 1</div>
  <div class="fade-in-up" style="--i: 1">Item 2</div>
  <div class="fade-in-up" style="--i: 2">Item 3</div>
</div>

Example 2: Subtle Button Micro-interaction (Scale + Shadow)

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference) {
  .btn-primary {
    transition: transform 150ms cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1),
                box-shadow 150ms cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);
  }
  
  .btn-primary:hover {
    transform: translateY(-1px) scale(1.02);
    box-shadow: 0 10px 15px -3px rgb(0 0 0 / 0.1), 0 4px 6px -4px rgb(0 0 0 / 0.1);
  }
  
  .btn-primary:active {
    transform: translateY(0) scale(0.985);
    transition-duration: 75ms;
  }
}

Example 3: Loading Spinner (Infinite, GPU only)

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

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference) {
  .spinner {
    width: 24px;
    height: 24px;
    border: 3px solid #e5e7eb;
    border-top-color: #3b82f6;
    border-radius: 9999px;
    animation: spin 800ms linear infinite;
  }
}

Example 4: Scroll-Driven Fade (with fallback)

/* Modern scroll-driven */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference) and (prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference) {
  @supports (animation-timeline: view()) {
    .scroll-fade {
      animation: fadeIn linear both;
      animation-timeline: view();
      animation-range: entry 0% entry 50%;
    }
  }
}

/* JS fallback for older browsers */
.scroll-fade {
  opacity: 0;
  transform: translateY(20px);
  transition: opacity 400ms ease, transform 400ms ease;
}

.scroll-fade.is-visible {
  opacity: 1;
  transform: none;
}

(Include a small IntersectionObserver script in the output when using the fallback.)

Example 5: Attention Pulse (for notifications)

@keyframes pulse {
  0%, 100% { transform: scale(1); }
  50% { transform: scale(1.08); }
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference) {
  .attention-pulse {
    animation: pulse 2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) infinite;
  }
}

Edge Cases & Error Handling

• User has prefers-reduced-motion: reduce: Always provide a no-animation path. For loading spinners that are essential, use a static indicator + ARIA live region instead of infinite animation.
• Animation causes layout thrashing: Only animate transform and opacity. If the user requests width/height animation, provide a transform: scale alternative and explain the performance difference.
• Too many staggered items: Cap stagger at ~10-12 items or use a CSS variable that the agent can adjust. Suggest IntersectionObserver + class toggle for very long lists.
• Browser support: For advanced features (scroll timelines, @property), always provide a progressive enhancement comment and a basic fallback.
• Accessibility: Never use animation to convey critical information without a static alternative. For attention animations, also use color or icon changes.
• Performance on low-end devices: Recommend testing with DevTools throttling. Suggest will-change: transform only on the animating element and remove it after the animation ends.
• Conflict with Tailwind: Show how to use arbitrary values (animate-[spin_800ms_linear_infinite]) and how to extend Tailwind config with custom keyframes.

Verification

1. Paste the generated CSS + HTML into a test file and open in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
2. Reduced motion test: Set prefers-reduced-motion: reduce in DevTools (Rendering panel) — confirm animations are disabled or greatly simplified.
3. Performance check: Use Chrome DevTools Performance tab while triggering the animation. Confirm no layout thrashing (purple bars minimal) and GPU compositing (green bars for the layer).
4. Accessibility: Use keyboard to trigger hover/focus states. Verify focus is never lost due to animation. Run axe or Lighthouse — motion-related issues should be absent.
5. Stagger verification: Inspect computed animation-delay values on list items; they should increment correctly.
6. Success: Animations are smooth (60fps), respect user preferences, use only safe properties, and enhance (not distract from) the UI.

References

• MDN CSS Animations
• MDN CSS Transitions
• prefers-reduced-motion on MDN
• Scroll-driven Animations Spec
• CSS Triggers — which properties cause layout/paint
• Cubic-bezier.com for custom easing visualization