How To Animate In Figma

Animation is a fantastic way to enrich your designs and create more engaging user experiences. With Figma, a popular tool for UI/UX design, you can easily bring your creations to life. So, if you’re wondering how to animate in Figma, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s dive into the step-by-step guide.

Create Your Design

First thing’s first – you need a design to animate. Create two artboards that illustrate the beginning and ending states of your animation.

Use Figma’s Prototype Tab

Once you have your artboards ready, navigate to the Prototype tab in Figma’s right-hand panel. This tab allows you to define interactions, transitions, animations, and more.

Define an Interaction

Now it’s time to create an interaction. Simply select an object on your first artboard that you want to trigger the animation, and drag the circular node to your second artboard.

Choose Animation Type

On the right-hand panel, you’ll see a drop-down menu labeled ‘Animation’. Click on it to see a list of pre-defined animation types that Figma offers and select one that suits your needs.

Adjust Animation Settings

Below the Animation drop-down, you’ll find settings for ‘Easing’ and ‘Duration’. Here’s where you can fine-tune how your animation behaves.

Easing:

This determines how your animation speeds up or slows down during its run time. Figma offers several easing options, such as ease-in, ease-out, or ease-in-out.

Duration:

This is where you specify how long your animation should last. It’s specified in seconds, and you can go up to two decimal places to really refine your animation timing.

Preview Your Animation

Click on the ‘Present’ icon in the top-right corner of Figma to preview your animation. You can go back and make adjustments as needed until you’re happy with the result.

And there you have it! You’ve mastered the basics of how to animate in Figma. It’s a simple process, but it can dramatically improve the visual appeal of your designs. Happy animating!