Remotion Animation Rules

Overview

This skill enables Claude to create technically correct animations in Remotion by following Remotion-native rendering and animation principles.

Unlike traditional frontend animation workflows, Remotion relies entirely on deterministic frame-based rendering instead of browser-driven animation systems.

This workflow focuses on:

• proper use of useCurrentFrame()
• spring-driven motion systems
• deterministic rendering
• layout stability
• frame-based timing
• avoiding unsupported animation patterns

The goal is to ensure animations remain smooth, stable, render-safe, and consistent across all frames.

Setup

Before starting:

1. Install Node.js: https://nodejs.org

2. Verify installation:

node -v
npm -v

3. Create a Remotion project:

npm init video

4. Start development server:

npm run dev

5. Open the project in VS Code.

Recommended tools:

• VS Code
• Remotion Preview
• React knowledge
• Prettier extension

Inputs Required

• Animation concept
• Video duration
• Scene structure
• Assets:
  • text
  • subtitles
  • images
  • audio

Optional:

• Branding guidelines
• Existing motion references
• Storyboards

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• creating Remotion animations
• building subtitle systems
• implementing transitions
• designing motion graphics
• creating reusable animation logic
• debugging unstable animations
• optimizing rendering consistency

When NOT to Use

Do NOT use this skill for:

• CSS-based animation systems
• browser-driven transition workflows
• static design tasks
• traditional video editors without React workflows

Example Use Case

Create animated subtitles for a startup launch video.

Claude should:

1. Use useCurrentFrame() for all animation timing
2. Apply spring physics for subtitle motion
3. Avoid CSS transitions entirely
4. Synchronize subtitle appearance frame-by-frame
5. Maintain stable layout dimensions
6. Ensure rendering remains deterministic across exports

Final output should:

• render consistently
• avoid timing glitches
• maintain smooth motion
• prevent layout instability
• remain export-safe

Core Remotion Principles

1. Everything Should Be Frame-Based

In Remotion, animation timing should always derive from the current frame.

Preferred APIs:

• useCurrentFrame()
• interpolate()
• spring()

Example:

const frame = useCurrentFrame();

This ensures:

• deterministic rendering
• precise synchronization
• export consistency

Avoid:

• setTimeout
• browser timing systems
• uncontrolled animations

2. Use Spring Physics for Motion

Motion should use spring-driven systems whenever possible.

Preferred approach:

spring({
  frame,
  fps,
  config: {
    damping: 200,
  },
});

Spring systems provide:

• smoother easing
• predictable movement
• natural motion behavior

Best use cases:

• scaling
• fade-ins
• subtitle reveals
• slide animations
• transitions

Avoid:

• CSS easing transitions
• uncontrolled interpolation
• browser-driven animation timing

3. Avoid CSS Transitions Entirely

CSS transitions are not reliable in Remotion workflows.

Incorrect approach:

transition: all 0.3s ease;

Problems caused by CSS transitions:

• inconsistent rendering
• export mismatches
• timing instability
• browser-dependent behavior

Preferred approach:

• calculate motion directly from frame values
• use interpolation or springs

4. Control Layout Stability

A common Remotion issue is layout shifting during animation.

Example issue:

• text jumps while typing animation plays

Recommended fix:

• render invisible full text in background
• overlay animated text separately
• preserve stable layout dimensions

Claude should proactively prevent:

• text reflow
• resizing during animation
• unstable positioning
• dynamic layout shifts

Stable layouts improve:

• render consistency
• subtitle readability
• animation smoothness

5. Keep Animations Deterministic

Animations should behave identically on every render.

Motion systems should:

• use predictable timing
• avoid randomness
• remain frame-controlled
• synchronize accurately with audio

Deterministic rendering improves:

• export reliability
• debugging
• synchronization
• production stability

Workflow

1. Define Animation Structure

Start by identifying:

• video duration
• scene breakdown
• subtitle timing
• transition requirements

Organize the animation into reusable scene components.

Example structure:

scenes/
  Intro.tsx
  Features.tsx
  CTA.tsx

2. Implement Frame Logic

Use useCurrentFrame() inside scenes.

Example:

const frame = useCurrentFrame();

All animation state should derive from frame progression.

3. Add Motion Systems

Use:

• spring()
• interpolate()

Preferred animation behaviors:

• smooth movement
• controlled scaling
• timed transitions
• synchronized subtitles

Avoid:

• CSS animation systems
• browser-controlled timing
• uncontrolled easing

4. Validate Layout Stability

Check for:

• text jumping
• resizing
• subtitle shifts
• unstable positioning

Fix instability before rendering.

5. Render Final Video

Before export validate:

• timing consistency
• motion smoothness
• subtitle synchronization
• layout stability

Render output:

npm run build

or:

npx remotion render

Preferred export:

• MP4
• platform-optimized settings

Output Expectations

The final output should include:

• smooth frame-based animation
• deterministic rendering
• stable layouts
• synchronized subtitles
• production-ready video export

The workflow itself should remain:

• reusable
• modular
• maintainable
• render-safe

Execution Strategy (for AI agents)

The agent should:

1. Use Remotion-native animation systems only
2. Control all motion frame-by-frame
3. Avoid unsupported browser animation patterns
4. Maintain deterministic rendering behavior
5. Detect and prevent layout instability proactively
6. Validate animation consistency before export

The workflow should optimize for:

• rendering consistency
• timing precision
• layout stability
• smooth motion
• export reliability

Best Practices

• Use useCurrentFrame() for all timing
• Prefer spring animations over manual easing
• Keep scenes modular
• Validate animations frame-by-frame
• Avoid layout-dependent motion
• Keep subtitle systems stable
• Reuse motion patterns across scenes

Notes

• useCurrentFrame() is central to Remotion workflows
• CSS transitions should never be relied on
• Spring systems produce more natural motion
• Stable layouts significantly improve render quality
• Deterministic rendering is critical for professional video workflows