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Sep 2025 6 min read

Mastering Framer Motion: The Magic of Micro-interactions

Unlock the power of declarative animations. Learn how to create layout animations, gesture-based interactions, and shared element transitions.

Mastering Framer Motion: The Magic of Micro-interactions

Animation on the web used to be hard. CSS transitions are limited, and Web API animations are verbose. Enter **Framer Motion**.

Declarative Animations

Framer Motion allows you to describe *what* you want to happen, not *how*.

```jsx <motion.div initial={{ opacity: 0 }} animate={{ opacity: 1 }} /> ```

Layout Animations

One of the most powerful features is the `layout` prop. It automatically animates changes in layout, such as reordering a list or resizing a card, with zero calculation required from you.

Abstract Motion Art
Abstract Motion Art

Gestures

Adding hover, tap, and drag interactions is trivial:

  • `whileHover={{ scale: 1.1 }}`
  • `whileTap={{ scale: 0.9 }}`
  • `drag`

Shared Layout Transitions

With `layoutId`, you can animate components between different parts of the tree, creating seamless morphing effects like the ones seen in the App Store or Spotify.

Framer Motion makes these high-fidelity interactions accessible to every React developer.