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Transforms

Animation occurs when the visual properties of an element transform over time. Let's look at five common ways to transform an element.

Already familiar with how to apply CSS transforms in React? Skip this page.

The 5 basic transformations​

From left to right: Opacity, Scale, Skew, Translate, Rotate

Opacity​

The opacity determines how visible the element is. 0 means fully invisible, 1 means fully visible. Values inbetween will make the element semi-transparent, and elements underneath will be visible.

You can set the opacity of an element using the opacity property.

MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    opacity: 0.5,
  }}
/>
MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    opacity: 0.5,
  }}
/>
"opacity": 1

Values below 0 and above 1 are accepted, but have no further effect.

Scale​

The scale determines how big an element is. 1 is the natural size, 2 will make the element twice as tall and wide.
Values below 1 will make the element smaller. 0 makes the element invisible. Values below 0 are accepted and will make the element bigger again, but mirrored.

You can set the scale of an element using the transform property.

MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    transform: `scale(0.5)`,
  }}
/>
MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    transform: `scale(0.5)`,
  }}
/>
"transform": "scale(1)"
A

The difference to changing the size of the element using height and width is that using scale() will not change the layout of the other elements.

Skew​

Skewing an element will lead to a distorted appearance as if the the element has been stretched on two corners of the element. Skew takes an angle that can be specified using rad (radians) and deg (degrees).

You can set the skew of an element using the transform property.

See the explorer below to see how skewing affects an element.

MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    transform: `skew(20deg)`,
  }}
/>
MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    transform: `skew(20deg)`,
  }}
/>
"transform": "skew(0deg)"

Translate​

Translating an element means moving it. A translation can be done on the X, Y or even Z axis. The transformation can be specified in px.

You can set the translation of an element using the transform property.

MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    transform: `translateX(100px)`,
  }}
/>
MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    transform: `translateX(100px)`,
  }}
/>
"transform": "translateX(0px) translateY(0px)"

As opposed to changing the position of an element using margin-top and margin-left, using translate() will not change the position of the other elements.

Rotate​

By rotating an element, you can make it appear as if it has been turned around its center. The rotation can be specified in rad (radians) or deg (degrees) and you can rotate an element around the Z axis (the default) but also around the X and Y axis.

You can set the translation of an element using the transform property.

MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    transform: `rotate(45deg)`, // the same as rotateZ(45deg)
  }}
/>
MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    transform: `rotate(45deg)`, // the same as rotateZ(45deg)
  }}
/>
"transform": "rotateZ(0deg)"
A

If you want to rotate an element around the X or Y axis, you should apply the perspective property to the parent element.

If you don't want to rotate around the center, you can use the transform-origin property to change the origin of the rotation.

Note that when rotating SVG elements, the transform origin is the top left corner by default. You can get the same behavior as for the other elements by adding style={{transformBox: 'fill-box', transformOrigin: 'center center'}}.

Multiple transformations​

Oftentimes, you want to combine multiple transformations. If they use different CSS properties like transform and opacity, simply specify both properties in the style object.

If both transformations use the transform property, specify multiple transformations separated by a space.

MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    transform: `translateX(100px) scale(2)`,
  }}
/>
MyComponent.tsx
tsx
<div
  style={{
    height: 100,
    width: 100,
    backgroundColor: "red",
    transform: `translateX(100px) scale(2)`,
  }}
/>

Note that the order matters. The transformations are applied in the order they are specified.

More ways to transform objects​

These are just some of the basic transformations. Here are some more transformations that are possible:

  • The height and width of a <div>
  • The rounded edges of an element using border-radius
  • The shadow of an element using box-shadow
  • The color of something using color and interpolateColors()
  • The evolution of a SVG path using evolvePath()
  • The weight and slant of a dynamic font
  • The stops of a linear-gradient
  • The values of a CSS filter()

Ready for the next step? Let's animate some properties!