continuous-loops

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Use when creating ongoing animations - loading spinners, pulsing indicators, ambient motion, background effects, or any animation that repeats indefinitely.

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Sourcedylantarre/animation-principles

Added on2026-02-11

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npx skill4agent add dylantarre/animation-principles continuous-loops

SKILL.md Content

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Continuous Loop Animations

Apply Disney's 12 principles to animations that never stop.

Principle Application

Squash & Stretch: Subtle scale oscillation (0.98-1.02) creates organic breathing. Avoid rigid mechanical loops.

Anticipation: Build anticipation into the loop cycle. Brief pause at extremes before reversing.

Staging: Loops should support, not dominate. Keep amplitude subtle for background elements.

Straight Ahead vs Pose-to-Pose: Design keyframe poses that loop seamlessly. End frame must flow into start frame.

Follow Through & Overlapping: Multi-part loops have elements at different phases. Three dots pulse with 120° phase offset.

Slow In/Slow Out: Use ease-in-out for smooth oscillations. Linear motion looks mechanical.

Arcs: Circular motion follows true arcs. Spinners rotate, pendulums swing, orbits circle.

Secondary Action: Primary rotation + secondary wobble. Spinner spins while slightly bouncing.

Timing:

Fast loops: 500-800ms (spinners, urgent indicators)
Medium loops: 1000-2000ms (pulsing, breathing)
Slow loops: 2000-4000ms (ambient, background)

Exaggeration: Minimal for loops - they're already attention-grabbing through repetition.

Solid Drawing: Loops must be seamless. Any jump between end and start destroys the illusion.

Appeal: Loops should be hypnotic, not annoying. Test at 30 seconds - still pleasant?

Timing Recommendations

Loop Type	Duration	Easing	Iterations
Spinner	600-800ms	linear (rotation)	infinite
Pulse	1500-2000ms	ease-in-out	infinite
Skeleton Shimmer	1500ms	ease-in-out	infinite
Typing Dots	1400ms	ease-in-out	infinite
Breathing	3000-4000ms	ease-in-out	infinite
Floating	3000-5000ms	ease-in-out	infinite

Implementation Patterns

css

/* Smooth spinner */
.spinner {
  animation: spin 700ms linear infinite;
}

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

/* Organic pulse */
.pulse {
  animation: pulse 2000ms ease-in-out infinite;
}

@keyframes pulse {
  0%, 100% { transform: scale(1); opacity: 1; }
  50% { transform: scale(1.05); opacity: 0.8; }
}

/* Staggered dots */
.dot {
  animation: bounce 1400ms ease-in-out infinite;
}
.dot:nth-child(2) { animation-delay: 160ms; }
.dot:nth-child(3) { animation-delay: 320ms; }

Performance Rules

Use
```
transform
```
and
```
opacity
```
only - no layout properties
Add
```
will-change: transform
```
for loops over 1 second
Pause off-screen loops with Intersection Observer
Respect
```
prefers-reduced-motion
```
- reduce or stop loops

Seamless Loop Formula

For breathing/pulsing:

0%, 100%

keyframes must be identical. Use

alternate

direction for simpler ping-pong effects.