Creating dynamic CSS Animations using keyframes and transitions
Jul 14, 2025 am 02:59 AMKeyframes are used for complex animations, and Transitions are used for state transitions. 1. Keyframes can define multi-stage animations, such as loading rotation effects, defined through @keyframes and applied with animation. 2. Transitions implements smooth changes in attributes, such as hover gradient color, and is controlled through transition attributes. 3. The two can be used in combination, such as button clicks to enlarge or bounce the effect to improve the naturalness of the interaction.
Want to make the web page move, but not just a simple hover effect? CSS' keyframes and transitions are your good helpers. If used well, it can improve the user experience and make the page look more energetic.

Let’s start from several practical usage scenarios and talk about how to use these two functions to create dynamic effects.

1. What are keyframes and transitions?
Keyframes are tools used to define animation processes. You can set the state of the animation at different points in time, such as from transparent to opaque, moving from one position to another.
Transitions (transitions) are the effect of making elements smooth when their state changes. For example, the color slowly becomes darker when the mouse hovers, rather than jumping suddenly.

Simply put:
- Keyframes are more suitable for complex animations, such as loading animations that play loops.
- Transitions are more suitable for interactive feedback, such as button clicks and hover effects.
2. How to use keyframes to make continuous animations?
To create a custom animation, first define it with @keyframes
, and then apply it to the element through the animation
attribute.
For example: Make an infinitely rotated loading icon
@keyframes spin { 0% { transform: rotate(0deg); } 100% { transform: rotate(360deg); } } .loader { animation: spin 1s linear infinite; }
The animation written in this way will continue to rotate and the speed is uniform.
Some practical parameters descriptions:
-
spin
: the animation name -
1s
: animation duration -
linear
: Animated speed curve, linear unchanged -
infinite
: infinite loop
You can adjust these values as needed, such as changing to ease-in-out
to make the animation softer.
3. Use transitions to achieve simple state changes
If you just want to smooth out a certain property's changes, transition is enough.
For example, let the buttons change color when hover:
.button { background-color: #3498db; transition: background-color 0.3s ease; } .button:hover { background-color: #2980b9; }
Three parameters are used here:
- Properties to transition (background-color)
- Duration (0.3 seconds)
- Time function (ease)
Tips:
- If you want to transition multiple attributes at the same time, you can write it as
transition: all 0.3s ease;
, but it is recommended to write out specific attributes clearly to avoid unnecessary performance consumption. - Not all CSS properties support transitions, common ones such as opacity, transform, color, background-color, etc. are OK.
4. Use more flexible using keyframes and transitions
Sometimes we can combine the two. For example, make a "bounce" button, zoom in a little bit when clicked, and have a little elastic effect.
.button { transition: transform 0.2s ease; } .button:active { transform: scale(1.1); }
Or add a bounce animation to make it trigger at a specific time:
@keyframes bounce { 0%, 100% { transform: translateY(0); } 50% { transform: translateY(-10px); } } .bounce-effect { animation: bounce 0.5s ease; }
This type of combination is often used in interactive scenarios such as prompt information and button feedback, which can make the user feel more natural.
Basically that's it. The key is to understand when to use keyframes and when to use transitions. It may feel a little confused at first, but it will be easy to practice a few more times.
The above is the detailed content of Creating dynamic CSS Animations using keyframes and transitions. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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