CSS Animation Generator

Build CSS keyframe animations visually with a timeline editor, easing curves, and live preview.

About This Tool

The CSS Animation Generator is a free, browser-based visual editor that lets you create complex @keyframes animations without writing CSS by hand. Instead of switching between your code editor and browser to tweak values, you use an interactive timeline and sliders to design your animation, see the result in a live preview, and then copy the generated CSS into your project.

CSS keyframe animations are one of the most powerful tools in a front-end developer's toolkit. They allow you to animate virtually any CSS property across a timeline defined by percentage points. This tool focuses on the most commonly animated properties: transform (translate, rotate, scale), opacity, and background-color. These cover the vast majority of real-world animation use cases, from entrance effects and loading spinners to attention-grabbing pulses and hover transitions.

The generator supports every standard animation configuration property including duration, timing function (with custom cubic-bezier curves), delay, iteration count, direction, and fill mode. Nine built-in presets give you a head start for common patterns like fade in, slide in, bounce, pulse, spin, shake, and swing. Each preset can be fully customized after applying it, so you are never locked into a fixed result.

All processing happens entirely in your browser. No data is sent to any server, and there are no third-party tracking scripts. The generated CSS uses standard @keyframes syntax that works in every modern browser without vendor prefixes. Simply copy the output and paste it into your stylesheet.

How to Use

  1. Choose a preset animation to start from, or begin from scratch with the default two keyframes at 0% and 100%.
  2. Click a keyframe dot on the visual timeline to select it. The keyframe editor panel will appear below.
  3. Use the sliders to adjust transform properties (translateX, translateY, rotate, scale), opacity, and background-color for the selected keyframe.
  4. Click Add to insert a new keyframe. The tool automatically places it in the largest gap on the timeline.
  5. Adjust the animation properties panel to set duration, timing function, delay, iteration count, direction, and fill mode.
  6. Watch the live preview update in real time. Use the Play, Pause, and Restart buttons to control playback.
  7. Review the Generated CSS code, then click Copy CSS (or press Ctrl+Shift+C) to copy it to your clipboard.

FAQ

What are CSS @keyframes animations?

CSS @keyframes let you define intermediate steps in an animation sequence. You specify what styles an element should have at certain points during the animation (e.g., 0%, 50%, 100%), and the browser interpolates smoothly between them. Combined with the animation shorthand property, you can control duration, timing, delay, iteration count, direction, and fill mode.

What is a timing function / easing curve?

A timing function defines the speed curve of an animation. It determines how the animation progresses between keyframes. Built-in options include ease (slow start, fast middle, slow end), linear (constant speed), ease-in (slow start), ease-out (slow end), and ease-in-out (slow start and end). For more control, you can define a custom cubic-bezier() curve with four numeric values.

What does animation-fill-mode do?

The animation-fill-mode property controls how an element is styled before the animation starts and after it ends. none (default) means styles revert to their original values. forwards keeps the final keyframe's styles after the animation finishes. backwards applies the first keyframe's styles during the delay period. both combines forwards and backwards behavior.

Can I animate any CSS property with this tool?

This tool focuses on the most commonly animated and performance-friendly properties: transform (translateX, translateY, rotate, scale), opacity, and background-color. These properties are hardware-accelerated in most browsers and cover the vast majority of real-world animation needs. For other properties, you can edit the generated CSS code directly.

Is the generated CSS cross-browser compatible?

Yes. CSS @keyframes and the animation property are supported in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. No vendor prefixes are needed. The generated code is clean, standard CSS that you can paste directly into any stylesheet.

Is my data sent to a server?

No. The CSS Animation Generator runs entirely in your browser. All keyframe values and animation settings stay on your machine. There are no server requests, no data collection, and no third-party scripts. The CSS is generated locally using JavaScript and never leaves your device.

What is the difference between animation-direction normal and alternate?

With normal, the animation plays from 0% to 100% on every iteration. With alternate, it plays forward on odd iterations and backward on even iterations, creating a smooth back-and-forth effect. This is useful for looping animations like a pulsing button or a bouncing element where you want a seamless transition between cycles.

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