What are Lottie animations and how to use them in UI/UX

Lottie files take up little space, never have pixelation issues, and work on any platform. Learn how to use them in your interfaces.

This article will explore what Lottie animations are, why they’re essential for modern UI/UX design, and how to incorporate them into your projects.

TL;DR
Lottie files are lightweight, vector-based animations that deliver high-quality visuals without pixelation. It is perfect for native desktop and mobile apps and for small animations on the websites. To recolor them better use Lottie editor and to implement them into interface you sometimes need to work a bit with the code.

Lottie delivers high-quality visuals without the performance drawbacks of traditional GIFs or videos (learn video formats here). Seamlessly compatible across the web, iOS, and Android, Lottie animations look great and offer interactive capabilities, making them perfect for enhancing user experiences.

Contents

• What is Lottie?
• When to use Lottie animations?
• Limitations of Lottie animations
• How to recolor a Lottie animation
• How to add a Lottie animation to your UI
  • WordPress
  • Framer
  • WIX
  • Readymag
  • Webflow
  • Squarespace
  • Any website with HTML
  • Any other website or app

What is Lottie?

Lottie is a lightweight animation file format that uses JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) for web, mobile, and desktop applications. JSON is a text-based format for representing data, but you need a specific tool to turn JSON into media files. Lottie is that tool—it reads JSON animations and displays them directly in web browsers or apps.

Though all this might sound like an unnecessary hassle, Lottie is a gem for UI/UX design. Here’s why:

• Lightweight and scalable. Unlike GIFs, Lottie files are vector-based and hence resolution-independent. They scale without losing quality and are much lighter in file size.
• Interactive animations. They support interactivity, allowing animations to respond to user inputs and create more engaging experiences.
• Cross-platform compatibility. Lottie files work seamlessly on iOS, Android, and the web, making them versatile for cross-platform projects.

When to use Lottie animations?

Lottie animations are a powerful tool for enhancing user interfaces by adding high-quality, lightweight animations that boost engagement and interactivity. Here are some ideal use cases:

• Loading indicators
• Button animations
• Microinteractions
• Onboarding and tutorials
• Screen transitions
• Success and error states
• Icon animations
• Interactive elements
• Marketing and splash screens

Limitations of Lottie animations

1. Limited support for expressions. An expression is a JavaScript command that sets the value for a specific property. The Lottie library supports only some expressions. We recommend testing the animation in different browsers to ensure compatibility if you plan to use them.
2. Minimize the use of Alpha Matte and Alpha Inverted Matte. While these alpha channel types are convenient, they’re best avoided. They often yield unpredictable results and are difficult to troubleshoot. Using masks instead can help prevent artifacts and ensure smoother performance.
3. Use fewer keyframes. A keyframe is an animation’s start and end point on the timeline. The more keyframes your project has, the larger the final file size. Therefore, try to use fewer keyframes to keep the file size manageable.

How to recolor a Lottie animation

If you choose an animation from the Lottie library:

1. Click on the Edit animation icon → Open in Lottie Editor.
2. In the editor, you’ll see the color palette on the right (on the Edit panel), where you can view and edit each color making up an animation.
3. Click on the circle representing a color you want to change and choose a new hue from the color picker.
4. Once you’re done, click Save.

You can also change the background color for a more accurate preview of the animation (note that it won’t change the background color of the animation itself — it’s for preview only).

Aside from the Lottie library animations, you can choose any other JSON animation and edit it using Lottie Editor. You can find numerous animated assets available as JSON files in the Icons8 Ouch! illustration library and icons library.

If you choose to recolor an animation saved on your PC:

1. Open the LottieFiles Dashboard
2. Click “Upload animations” and choose the file you want to edit
3. Once it loads, click the Edit animation icon in the upper right corner and choose Open in Lottie Editor
4. Repeat steps 2-4 from the algorithm described above

How to add a Lottie animation to your UI

WordPress

1. Install the LottieFiles for WordPress plugin
2. In the WordPress Gutenberg editor, add a Lottie block
3. Add a Lottie animation via media search, upload it from your media library, or insert it from the URL
4. Preview the animation in the Gutenberg editor and adjust the animation settings in the right-hand panel if needed

Framer

1. Open a new or existing project on the Framer canvas
2. Click the Insert button to open the Insert Panel and find the Lottie component under the Media section
3. Drag the Lottie component onto your canvas
4. Add a Lottie animation by uploading a file from your media library or insert it from the URL

WIX

WIX supports Lottie files natively, so the algorithm is quick and easy.

1. Copy the link to a Lottie animation from LottieFiles and paste it directly into your Wix Studio or Editor X project
2. If you need to use your own animations, upload them to your LottieFiles and then simply use copy and paste to add them to your WIX project

Readymag

1. Add the Lottie Widget
2. Upload the Lottie file from a local folder or paste it into a link to the animation.
3. Tweak the animation settings to play it on Load, Scroll, Hover, and other triggers.

Webflow

1. Install the LottieFiles for Webflow app and authorize it for your projects
2. Browse the Lottie animation library right on Webflow and insert them into your projects
3. If you need to use your own animations, upload them to your LottieFiles and insert them directly into the Webflow project

Squarespace

Squarespace doesn’t support Lottie animations natively, nor does it have a plugin or widget for Lottie files. It takes a bit more time, patience, and coding.

1. Upload the animation to your LottieFiles so you can get a URL for it (or use an animation from the Lottie library – it already has a URL)
2. Inject the <lottie-player> web component into the code of your site
   • in your account, go to your website’s editor and click on Settings → Advanced
   • choose Code Injection
   • in the HEADER field, paste this script:
     
     <script src=”https://unpkg.com/@lottiefiles/lottie-player@latest/dist/lottie-player.js”></script>
     
3. Create the HTML code for the Lottie animation
   • open the Lottie Web Player and insert the URL of your Lottie file
   • adjust the animation settings and then copy the generated HTML code
4. Go to the page of your Squarespace project where you need the Lottie animation
5. In Edit mode, choose Add Block → Code
6. Open Block settings and paste the HTML code generated with Lottie Web Player
7. Make sure the Display Source box is unchecked
8. Click Apply to save changes

Any website with HTML

The algorithm described for Squarespace users works with other HTML-based websites. You need to inject the <lottie-player> component, get a URL for your animation, generate an HTML code for it, and insert the following code:

<lottie-player src=”<URL HERE>” background=”transparent”  speed=”1″  style=”width: 300px; height: 300px;” loop controls autoplay></lottie-player>

Remember to replace the URL with the actual URL for your animation and adjust the rest of the parameters according to how you want the animation to look. 

Any other website or app

Here is Lottie’s guide on how to use Lottie animations on various platforms, whether you’re developing a web application, a mobile app, or a desktop app. You can use Lottie files virtually anywhere, and if that’s not possible, you can circle back to the good old MP4s and GIFs.

And there you have it…

Lottie animations are a game-changer for UI/UX design. They offer lightweight, high-quality visuals that enhance user engagement and work seamlessly across web, iOS, and Android platforms. Despite some limitations, knowing when and how to use Lottie can significantly elevate your projects. Use the provided guides and tips to incorporate Lottie animations effectively, making your interfaces more dynamic and user-friendly.