Tips & tricks
- Pro tips
- Interactions
Tips & tricks
- Pro tips
- Interactions
Tips & tricks
- Pro tips
- Interactions
4 Pro Tips for Framer Interactions
In this Framer tutorial, I'll teach you 4 pro tips you need to master if you want to create amazing animations. This is all about "Interactions" in Framer, and if you get the hang of it, you can create almost any micro-interaction, animation, you name it.
Posted by
Nandi
Table of contents
Interactions are an essential Framer feature and are super powerful. To really master them, you need to know a few key tricks. Let’s go over four pro tips that will help you master this feature and create smoother, more dynamic animations while also saving time.
1. Not all properties animate smoothly
When working with variants in Framer, it’s easy to assume that every property will animate seamlessly. But that’s not always the case. Some properties, like opacity, will transition smoothly, while others, like visibility, will not.
Example:
Imagine you have a button with two states: default and hover.
The button's text fades out by setting opacity to 0 – this works smoothly.
A small circle inside the button disappears by setting visibility to 'No' – this won’t animate smoothly. Instead, it just pops in and out instantly.
Interactions are an essential Framer feature and are super powerful. To really master them, you need to know a few key tricks. Let’s go over four pro tips that will help you master this feature and create smoother, more dynamic animations while also saving time.
1. Not all properties animate smoothly
When working with variants in Framer, it’s easy to assume that every property will animate seamlessly. But that’s not always the case. Some properties, like opacity, will transition smoothly, while others, like visibility, will not.
Example:
Imagine you have a button with two states: default and hover.
The button's text fades out by setting opacity to 0 – this works smoothly.
A small circle inside the button disappears by setting visibility to 'No' – this won’t animate smoothly. Instead, it just pops in and out instantly.
Interactions are an essential Framer feature and are super powerful. To really master them, you need to know a few key tricks. Let’s go over four pro tips that will help you master this feature and create smoother, more dynamic animations while also saving time.
1. Not all properties animate smoothly
When working with variants in Framer, it’s easy to assume that every property will animate seamlessly. But that’s not always the case. Some properties, like opacity, will transition smoothly, while others, like visibility, will not.
Example:
Imagine you have a button with two states: default and hover.
The button's text fades out by setting opacity to 0 – this works smoothly.
A small circle inside the button disappears by setting visibility to 'No' – this won’t animate smoothly. Instead, it just pops in and out instantly.
Blue dot disappearing while text fades out.
Blue dot disappearing while text fades out.
Blue dot disappearing while text fades out.
Pro tip: Instead of toggling visibility, use opacity to show and hide elements across different variants.
2. The "Cycle" feature for effortless looping
If you have multiple variants and want to cycle through them automatically (like an audio wave animation), Cycle Transitions can save you a ton of time.
How to use it:
Connect Variant 1 to Variant 2 using an appear trigger.
Go to the top-right corner of the interaction panel and find the transition setting.
Set it to cycle.
Framer will now apply the interaction to all variants and loop through them seamlessly.
Pro tip: Instead of toggling visibility, use opacity to show and hide elements across different variants.
2. The "Cycle" feature for effortless looping
If you have multiple variants and want to cycle through them automatically (like an audio wave animation), Cycle Transitions can save you a ton of time.
How to use it:
Connect Variant 1 to Variant 2 using an appear trigger.
Go to the top-right corner of the interaction panel and find the transition setting.
Set it to cycle.
Framer will now apply the interaction to all variants and loop through them seamlessly.
Pro tip: Instead of toggling visibility, use opacity to show and hide elements across different variants.
2. The "Cycle" feature for effortless looping
If you have multiple variants and want to cycle through them automatically (like an audio wave animation), Cycle Transitions can save you a ton of time.
How to use it:
Connect Variant 1 to Variant 2 using an appear trigger.
Go to the top-right corner of the interaction panel and find the transition setting.
Set it to cycle.
Framer will now apply the interaction to all variants and loop through them seamlessly.
Audio wave animation with cycle method.
Audio wave animation with cycle method.
Audio wave animation with cycle method.
No need to manually connect every variant – even if you have 100 of them. Perfect for loading animations, visualizers, and looping effects.
3. Connect interactions from the primary variant
Manually linking every variant in an interactive component (like an accordion FAQ) can be frustrating and time-consuming. Instead, connect all interactions from the primary variant so they apply across all states automatically.
Example:
You’re building an FAQ section where clicking a question expands an answer.
Instead of setting up interactions on every single variant, connect all of them from the primary variant.
Every interaction you connect on the primary will be applied to all other variants too.
No need to manually connect every variant – even if you have 100 of them. Perfect for loading animations, visualizers, and looping effects.
3. Connect interactions from the primary variant
Manually linking every variant in an interactive component (like an accordion FAQ) can be frustrating and time-consuming. Instead, connect all interactions from the primary variant so they apply across all states automatically.
Example:
You’re building an FAQ section where clicking a question expands an answer.
Instead of setting up interactions on every single variant, connect all of them from the primary variant.
Every interaction you connect on the primary will be applied to all other variants too.
No need to manually connect every variant – even if you have 100 of them. Perfect for loading animations, visualizers, and looping effects.
3. Connect interactions from the primary variant
Manually linking every variant in an interactive component (like an accordion FAQ) can be frustrating and time-consuming. Instead, connect all interactions from the primary variant so they apply across all states automatically.
Example:
You’re building an FAQ section where clicking a question expands an answer.
Instead of setting up interactions on every single variant, connect all of them from the primary variant.
Every interaction you connect on the primary will be applied to all other variants too.
Connecting directly from the primary variant.
Connecting directly from the primary variant.
Connecting directly from the primary variant.
Why It’s great:
Saves time
Keeps interactions consistent
Makes editing much easier
4. The rollover technique for complex animations
Want to create multi-step animations like a toggle switch that follows a curved path instead of moving in a straight line? Use the “rollover technique.”
Why It’s great:
Saves time
Keeps interactions consistent
Makes editing much easier
4. The rollover technique for complex animations
Want to create multi-step animations like a toggle switch that follows a curved path instead of moving in a straight line? Use the “rollover technique.”
Why It’s great:
Saves time
Keeps interactions consistent
Makes editing much easier
4. The rollover technique for complex animations
Want to create multi-step animations like a toggle switch that follows a curved path instead of moving in a straight line? Use the “rollover technique.”
Complex animation example with the "rollover technique."
Complex animation example with the "rollover technique."
Complex animation example with the "rollover technique."
How it works:
Create multiple mid-state variants between your start and end variants.
Set up a Click Interaction from the first state to the first mid-state.
Use Appear Triggers to move through each mid-state automatically.
Adjust the delay to give each step time to animate.
This technique allows for smoother, more complex motion, like:
A toggle switch that jumps in an arc instead of sliding.
A button animation that moves through multiple states before settling.
Advanced hover effects like a "galaxy hover" animation with multiple gradients changing in sequence.
Wrapping up
These four tips will take your Framer interactions to the next level. Whether it’s ensuring smooth animations, looping variants effortlessly, simplifying connections, or crafting advanced motion, these tricks will save time and improve quality.
If you want to learn about interactions in depth, check out this tutorial.
Happy building, and good luck out there, mate!
How it works:
Create multiple mid-state variants between your start and end variants.
Set up a Click Interaction from the first state to the first mid-state.
Use Appear Triggers to move through each mid-state automatically.
Adjust the delay to give each step time to animate.
This technique allows for smoother, more complex motion, like:
A toggle switch that jumps in an arc instead of sliding.
A button animation that moves through multiple states before settling.
Advanced hover effects like a "galaxy hover" animation with multiple gradients changing in sequence.
Wrapping up
These four tips will take your Framer interactions to the next level. Whether it’s ensuring smooth animations, looping variants effortlessly, simplifying connections, or crafting advanced motion, these tricks will save time and improve quality.
If you want to learn about interactions in depth, check out this tutorial.
Happy building, and good luck out there, mate!
How it works:
Create multiple mid-state variants between your start and end variants.
Set up a Click Interaction from the first state to the first mid-state.
Use Appear Triggers to move through each mid-state automatically.
Adjust the delay to give each step time to animate.
This technique allows for smoother, more complex motion, like:
A toggle switch that jumps in an arc instead of sliding.
A button animation that moves through multiple states before settling.
Advanced hover effects like a "galaxy hover" animation with multiple gradients changing in sequence.
Wrapping up
These four tips will take your Framer interactions to the next level. Whether it’s ensuring smooth animations, looping variants effortlessly, simplifying connections, or crafting advanced motion, these tricks will save time and improve quality.
If you want to learn about interactions in depth, check out this tutorial.
Happy building, and good luck out there, mate!
