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Animation Effects

Complete guide to animation effects in the Zvid Package, including entrance and exit animations for all visual elements.

Overview​

Animation effects allow you to add smooth entrance and exit animations to any visual element (text, images, videos, and SVGs). The animation system uses FFmpeg's xfade filter to create professional-looking transitions that enhance the visual appeal of your videos.

How Animations Work​

The animation system creates smooth transitions by:

  1. Entrance Animations: Transitioning from a transparent background to your element
  2. Exit Animations: Transitioning from your element to a transparent background
  3. Timing Control: Using enterBegin, enterEnd, exitBegin, and exitEnd properties
  4. FFmpeg Integration: Leveraging FFmpeg's powerful xfade filter for smooth effects

Animation Properties​

Timing Properties​

PropertyTypeDefaultDescription
enterBeginnumber0When element starts appearing (seconds)
enterEndnumber0When entrance animation completes (seconds)
exitBeginnumberproject.durationWhen exit animation starts (seconds)
exitEndnumberproject.durationWhen element completely disappears (seconds)

Animation Properties​

PropertyTypeDefaultDescription
enterAnimationstring | nullnullEntrance animation effect name
exitAnimationstring | nullnullExit animation effect name

Available Animation Effects​

All supported animation effects are listed on the official FFmpeg xfade page.

Unsupported Animations

These animations are not yet supported: squeezeh, squeezev, hlwind, hrwind, vuwind, vdwind, coverleft, coverright, coverup, coverdown, revealleft, revealright, revealup, revealdown, zoomin, and distance

Fade Animations​

fade - Standard fade in/out

{
  enterAnimation: "fade",
  exitAnimation: "fade",
  enterBegin: 0,
  enterEnd: 1,      // 1-second fade in
  exitBegin: 9,     // Start fading out at 9s
  exitEnd: 10       // Complete fade out at 10s
}

fadeblack - Fade through black

{
  enterAnimation: "fadeblack",
  exitAnimation: "fadeblack"
}

fadewhite - Fade through white

{
  enterAnimation: "fadewhite",
  exitAnimation: "fadewhite"
}

fadegrays - Fade through grayscale

{
  enterAnimation: "fadegrays",
  exitAnimation: "fadegrays"
}

Slide Animations​

slideleft - Slide from/to left

{
  enterAnimation: "slideleft",  // Slides in from left
  exitAnimation: "slideleft"    // Slides out to left
}

slideright - Slide from/to right

{
  enterAnimation: "slideright",
  exitAnimation: "slideright"
}

slideup - Slide from/to top

{
  enterAnimation: "slideup",
  exitAnimation: "slideup"
}

slidedown - Slide from/to bottom

{
  enterAnimation: "slidedown",
  exitAnimation: "slidedown"
}

Smooth Slide Animations​

smoothleft, smoothright, smoothup, smoothdown - Smoother slide transitions

{
  enterAnimation: "smoothleft",
  exitAnimation: "smoothright"  // Can mix different directions
}

Wipe Animations​

wipeleft, wiperight, wipeup, wipedown - Wipe effects

{
  enterAnimation: "wiperight",  // Wipes in from right
  exitAnimation: "wipeleft"     // Wipes out to left
}

wipetl, wipetr, wipebl, wipebr - Diagonal wipes

{
  enterAnimation: "wipetl",     // Wipe from top-left
  exitAnimation: "wipebr"       // Wipe to bottom-right
}

Shape Animations​

circlecrop - Circular reveal/hide

{
  c;
}

rectcrop - Rectangular reveal/hide

{
  enterAnimation: "rectcrop",
  exitAnimation: "rectcrop"
}

circleopen / circleclose - Circle opening/closing

{
  enterAnimation: "circleopen",
  exitAnimation: "circleclose"
}

horzopen / horzclose - Horizontal opening/closing

{
  enterAnimation: "horzopen",
  exitAnimation: "horzclose"
}

vertopen / vertclose - Vertical opening/closing

{
  enterAnimation: "vertopen",
  exitAnimation: "vertclose"
}

Diagonal Animations​

diagbl, diagbr, diagtl, diagtr - Diagonal transitions

{
  enterAnimation: "diagtl",     // Diagonal from top-left
  exitAnimation: "diagbr"       // Diagonal to bottom-right
}

Slice Animations​

hlslice / hrslice - Horizontal slices

{
  enterAnimation: "hlslice",    // Horizontal slice left
  exitAnimation: "hrslice"      // Horizontal slice right
}

vuslice / vdslice - Vertical slices

{
  enterAnimation: "vuslice",    // Vertical slice up
  exitAnimation: "vdslice"      // Vertical slice down
}

Creative Effects​

dissolve - Dissolve effect

{
  enterAnimation: "dissolve",
  exitAnimation: "dissolve"
}

pixelize - Pixelation effect

{
  enterAnimation: "pixelize",
  exitAnimation: "pixelize"
}

radial - Radial wipe

{
  enterAnimation: "radial",
  exitAnimation: "radial"
}

hblur - Horizontal blur

{
  enterAnimation: "hblur",
  exitAnimation: "hblur"
}

Examples​

Simple Fade Animation​

{
  type: "TEXT",
  text: "Hello World",
  x: 640, y: 360,
  enterBegin: 0,
  enterEnd: 1,        // 1-second fade in
  exitBegin: 9,
  exitEnd: 10,        // 1-second fade out
  enterAnimation: "fade",
  exitAnimation: "fade"
}

Quick Animation​

{
  type: "SVG",
  svg: "<svg width=\"200\" height=\"150\" viewBox=\"0 0 200 150\" xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"><rect x=\"0\" y=\"0\" width=\"200\" height=\"150\" fill=\"#ff6b35\" /></svg>",
  x: 500, y: 200,
  enterBegin: 5,
  enterEnd: 5.5,      // 0.5-second quick entrance
  exitBegin: 7,
  exitEnd: 7.3,       // 0.3-second quick exit
  enterAnimation: "dissolve",
  exitAnimation: "dissolve"
}

Best Practices​

Animation Design​

  1. Consistency: Use similar animation styles throughout your video
  2. Timing: Match animation speed to content pace
  3. Direction: Use logical directions (entrance from one side, exit to opposite)
  4. Duration: Keep animations between 0.3-2 seconds for best effect

Visual Guidelines​

  1. Entrance Direction: Consider where viewer attention should come from
  2. Exit Direction: Plan where attention should go next
  3. Element Hierarchy: More important elements can have more dramatic animations
  4. Content Relationship: Related elements can use similar animations

Common Animation Combinations​

Professional Presentation​

// Title: Dramatic entrance, subtle exit
{
  enterAnimation: "slidedown",
  exitAnimation: "fade"
}

// Content: Smooth entrance and exit
{
  enterAnimation: "fade",
  exitAnimation: "fade"
}

Social Media Style​

// Quick, energetic animations
{
  enterAnimation: "slideright",
  exitAnimation: "slideleft",
}

Creative/Artistic​

// Unique, eye-catching effects
{
  enterAnimation: "dissolve",
  exitAnimation: "pixelize",
  enterBegin: 0,
  enterEnd: 2,        // Longer, more artistic timing
  exitBegin: 5,
  exitEnd: 7
}

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. Animation Not Visible: Check timing properties and ensure enterEnd > enterBegin
  2. Choppy Animation: Increase animation duration or simplify effects
  3. Timing Conflicts: Ensure animations don't overlap unintentionally
  4. Performance Issues: Reduce simultaneous animations

Animation Tips​

  1. Preview: Test animations with different durations to find the right feel
  2. Coordination: Plan animation timing with audio and other elements
  3. Accessibility: Ensure content is readable even during animations

Next Steps​