Lottie Animations Overview Lottie is a library for rendering After Effects animations in real-time on web, iOS, Android, and React Native. Created by Airbnb, it allows designers to ship animations as easily as shipping static assets. Animations are exported from After Effects as JSON files using the Bodymovin plugin, then rendered natively with minimal performance overhead. When to use Lottie: Designer-created animations that need pixel-perfect fidelity Complex animated icons and micro-interactions Loading animations and progress indicators Onboarding sequences and tutorial animations Marketing animations and promotional content Alternative to GIF/video with smaller file sizes and scalability Key advantages: Vector-based (scalable without quality loss) Significantly smaller file sizes than GIF or video Editable at runtime (colors, speed, segments) Full designer control via After Effects Cross-platform rendering consistency Interactive controls (play, pause, seek, loop) Core Concepts Lottie Format Types 1. JSON Lottie (.json) Original Lottie format Exported from After Effects via Bodymovin plugin Human-readable JSON structure Larger file sizes (not compressed) Widely supported across all platforms 2. dotLottie (.lottie) Modern compressed format ZIP archive containing JSON + assets Supports multiple animations and themes in one file Smaller file sizes (up to 90% reduction) Recommended for production use Library Options lottie-web (original library): import lottie from 'lottie-web' ; lottie . loadAnimation ( { container : document . getElementById ( 'lottie-container' ) , renderer : 'svg' , // or 'canvas', 'html' loop : true , autoplay : true , path : 'animation.json' // or animationData: jsonData } ) ; @lottiefiles/dotlottie-web (modern, recommended): import { DotLottie } from '@lottiefiles/dotlottie-web' ; new DotLottie ( { canvas : document . getElementById ( 'canvas' ) , src : 'animation.lottie' , autoplay : true , loop : true } ) ; @lottiefiles/dotlottie-react (React integration): import { DotLottieReact } from '@lottiefiles/dotlottie-react' ; < DotLottieReact src = " animation.lottie " loop autoplay style = { { height : 300 } } /> lottie-react (alternative React wrapper): import Lottie from 'lottie-react' ; import animationData from './animation.json' ; < Lottie animationData = { animationData } loop = { true } /> Animation Data Sources 1. LottieFiles (lottie.host) 100,000+ free animations Direct URL embedding CDN hosting 2. Local JSON/dotLottie files Bundled with application Better performance (no network request) Version control friendly 3. After Effects export Custom designer animations Bodymovin plugin required Export settings critical for file size Common Patterns 1. Basic HTML Integration with dotLottie-web <! DOCTYPE html

< html

< head

< style

canvas

{ width : 400 px ; height : 400 px ; } </ style

</ head

< body

< canvas id = " canvas "

</ canvas

< script type = " module "

import { DotLottie } from 'https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@lottiefiles/dotlottie-web/+esm' ; new DotLottie ( { canvas : document . getElementById ( 'canvas' ) , src : 'https://lottie.host/4db68bbd-31f6-4cd8-84eb-189de081159a/IGmMCqhzpt.lottie' , autoplay : true , loop : true } ) ; </ script

</ body

</ html

1. React Component with Controls import React from 'react' ; import { DotLottieReact } from '@lottiefiles/dotlottie-react' ; const AnimatedButton = ( ) => { const [ dotLottie , setDotLottie ] = React . useState ( null ) ; const handlePlay = ( ) => dotLottie ?. play ( ) ; const handlePause = ( ) => dotLottie ?. pause ( ) ; const handleStop = ( ) => dotLottie ?. stop ( ) ; const handleSeek = ( frame ) => dotLottie ?. setFrame ( frame ) ; return ( < div

< DotLottieReact src = " button-animation.lottie " loop autoplay = { false } dotLottieRefCallback = { setDotLottie } style = { { height : 200 } } /> < div

< button onClick = { handlePlay }

Play </ button

< button onClick = { handlePause }

Pause </ button

< button onClick = { handleStop }

Stop </ button

< button onClick = { ( ) => handleSeek ( 30 ) }

Seek to frame 30 </ button

</ div

</ div

) ; } ; 3. Event Listeners and Lifecycle Hooks import React , { useEffect } from 'react' ; import { DotLottieReact } from '@lottiefiles/dotlottie-react' ; const EventDrivenAnimation = ( ) => { const [ dotLottie , setDotLottie ] = React . useState ( null ) ; useEffect ( ( ) => { if ( ! dotLottie ) return ; const onLoad = ( ) => console . log ( 'Animation loaded' ) ; const onPlay = ( ) => console . log ( 'Animation started' ) ; const onPause = ( ) => console . log ( 'Animation paused' ) ; const onComplete = ( ) => console . log ( 'Animation completed' ) ; const onFrame = ( { currentFrame } ) => console . log ( 'Frame:' , currentFrame ) ; dotLottie . addEventListener ( 'load' , onLoad ) ; dotLottie . addEventListener ( 'play' , onPlay ) ; dotLottie . addEventListener ( 'pause' , onPause ) ; dotLottie . addEventListener ( 'complete' , onComplete ) ; dotLottie . addEventListener ( 'frame' , onFrame ) ; return ( ) => { dotLottie . removeEventListener ( 'load' , onLoad ) ; dotLottie . removeEventListener ( 'play' , onPlay ) ; dotLottie . removeEventListener ( 'pause' , onPause ) ; dotLottie . removeEventListener ( 'complete' , onComplete ) ; dotLottie . removeEventListener ( 'frame' , onFrame ) ; } ; } , [ dotLottie ] ) ; return ( < DotLottieReact src = " animation.lottie " loop autoplay dotLottieRefCallback = { setDotLottie } /> ) ; } ; 4. Scroll-Driven Animation with lottie-react import Lottie from 'lottie-react' ; import robotAnimation from './robot.json' ; const ScrollAnimation = ( ) => { const interactivity = { mode : 'scroll' , actions : [ { visibility : [ 0 , 0.2 ] , type : 'stop' , frames : [ 0 ] } , { visibility : [ 0.2 , 0.45 ] , type : 'seek' , frames : [ 0 , 45 ] } , { visibility : [ 0.45 , 1.0 ] , type : 'loop' , frames : [ 45 , 60 ] } ] } ; return ( < Lottie animationData = { robotAnimation } style = { { height : 300 } } interactivity = { interactivity } /> ) ; } ; 5. Hover-Triggered Segment Playback import { useLottie , useLottieInteractivity } from 'lottie-react' ; import likeButton from './like-button.json' ; const HoverAnimation = ( ) => { const lottieObj = useLottie ( { animationData : likeButton } ) ; const Animation = useLottieInteractivity ( { lottieObj , mode : 'cursor' , actions : [ { position : { x : [ 0 , 1 ] , y : [ 0 , 1 ] } , type : 'loop' , frames : [ 45 , 60 ] } , { position : { x : - 1 , y : - 1 } , type : 'stop' , frames : [ 45 ] } ] } ) ; return < div style = { { height : 300 , border : '2px solid black' } }

{ Animation } </ div

; } ; 6. Multi-Animation and Theme Support import { DotLottieReact } from '@lottiefiles/dotlottie-react' ; import React , { useState , useEffect } from 'react' ; const ThemedAnimation = ( ) => { const [ dotLottie , setDotLottie ] = useState ( null ) ; const [ animations , setAnimations ] = useState ( [ ] ) ; const [ themes , setThemes ] = useState ( [ ] ) ; const [ currentAnimationId , setCurrentAnimationId ] = useState ( '' ) ; const [ currentThemeId , setCurrentThemeId ] = useState ( '' ) ; useEffect ( ( ) => { if ( ! dotLottie ) return ; const onLoad = ( ) => { setAnimations ( dotLottie . manifest . animations || [ ] ) ; setThemes ( dotLottie . manifest . themes || [ ] ) ; setCurrentAnimationId ( dotLottie . activeAnimationId ) ; setCurrentThemeId ( dotLottie . activeThemeId ) ; } ; dotLottie . addEventListener ( 'load' , onLoad ) ; return ( ) => dotLottie . removeEventListener ( 'load' , onLoad ) ; } , [ dotLottie ] ) ; return ( < div

< DotLottieReact src = " multi-animation.lottie " dotLottieRefCallback = { setDotLottie } animationId = { currentAnimationId } themeId = { currentThemeId } /> { themes . length

0 && ( < select value = { currentThemeId } onChange = { ( e ) => setCurrentThemeId ( e . target . value ) }

{ themes . map ( ( theme ) => ( < option key = { theme . id } value = { theme . id }

{ theme . id } </ option

) ) } </ select

) } { animations . length

0 && ( < select value = { currentAnimationId } onChange = { ( e ) => setCurrentAnimationId ( e . target . value ) }

{ animations . map ( ( anim ) => ( < option key = { anim . id } value = { anim . id }

{ anim . id } </ option

) ) } </ select

) } </ div

) ; } ; 7. Web Worker for Performance (DotLottieWorker) import { DotLottieWorker } from '@lottiefiles/dotlottie-web' ; // Offload animation rendering to a web worker new DotLottieWorker ( { canvas : document . getElementById ( 'canvas' ) , src : 'heavy-animation.lottie' , autoplay : true , loop : true , workerId : 'worker-1' // Group multiple animations by worker } ) ; // Multiple animations in separate workers new DotLottieWorker ( { canvas : document . getElementById ( 'canvas-2' ) , src : 'animation-2.lottie' , autoplay : true , loop : true , workerId : 'worker-2' } ) ; Integration Patterns With GSAP ScrollTrigger import Lottie from 'lottie-react' ; import gsap from 'gsap' ; import ScrollTrigger from 'gsap/ScrollTrigger' ; import animationData from './animation.json' ; gsap . registerPlugin ( ScrollTrigger ) ; const GSAPLottieIntegration = ( ) => { const lottieRef = React . useRef ( ) ; React . useEffect ( ( ) => { const anim = lottieRef . current ; if ( ! anim ) return ; // Sync Lottie with scroll gsap . to ( anim , { scrollTrigger : { trigger : '#animation-section' , start : 'top center' , end : 'bottom center' , scrub : 1 , onUpdate : ( self ) => { const frame = Math . floor ( self . progress * ( anim . totalFrames - 1 ) ) ; anim . goToAndStop ( frame , true ) ; } } } ) ; } , [ ] ) ; return ( < div id = " animation-section " style = { { height : '200vh' } }

< Lottie lottieRef = { lottieRef } animationData = { animationData } autoplay = { false } loop = { false } /> </ div

) ; } ; With Framer Motion import { motion } from 'framer-motion' ; import { DotLottieReact } from '@lottiefiles/dotlottie-react' ; const MotionLottie = ( ) => { return ( < motion.div initial = { { opacity : 0 , scale : 0.8 } } animate = { { opacity : 1 , scale : 1 } } transition = { { duration : 0.6 } }

< DotLottieReact src = " animation.lottie " loop autoplay style = { { height : 400 } } /> </ motion.div

) ; } ; Vue 3 Integration

Svelte Integration

dotLottie = ref} /> Play Performance Optimization File Size Optimization 1. Export Settings in After Effects: Enable "Skip images that aren't used" Use "Glyphs" instead of fonts when possible Simplify paths (reduce points in illustrator) Avoid effects that create large data (particles, noise) Use shape layers instead of vector layers 2. Compression: Use dotLottie format (.lottie) for automatic compression Run JSON through Lottie optimizer tools Remove unnecessary metadata 3. Lazy Loading: const LazyLottie = ( ) => { const [ shouldLoad , setShouldLoad ] = React . useState ( false ) ; React . useEffect ( ( ) => { const observer = new IntersectionObserver ( ( entries ) => { if ( entries [ 0 ] . isIntersecting ) { setShouldLoad ( true ) ; } } ) ; observer . observe ( document . getElementById ( 'lottie-trigger' ) ) ; return ( ) => observer . disconnect ( ) ; } , [ ] ) ; return ( < div id = " lottie-trigger "

{ shouldLoad && < DotLottieReact src = " animation.lottie " loop autoplay /> } </ div

) ; } ; Runtime Performance 1. Renderer Selection: // SVG: Best quality, slower for complex animations // Canvas: Better performance, rasterized // HTML: Limited support, use only for simple animations // For complex animations, prefer canvas new DotLottie ( { canvas : document . getElementById ( 'canvas' ) , src : 'animation.lottie' , autoplay : true , loop : true , renderConfig : { devicePixelRatio : window . devicePixelRatio || 1 } } ) ; 2. Web Workers: // Offload to worker for heavy animations import { DotLottieWorker } from '@lottiefiles/dotlottie-web' ; new DotLottieWorker ( { canvas : document . getElementById ( 'canvas' ) , src : 'heavy-animation.lottie' , autoplay : true , loop : true } ) ; 3. Mobile Optimization: // Reduce quality on mobile const isMobile = / iPhone | iPad | iPod | Android / i . test ( navigator . userAgent ) ; new DotLottie ( { canvas : document . getElementById ( 'canvas' ) , src : isMobile ? 'animation-low.lottie' : 'animation-high.lottie' , autoplay : true , loop : true , renderConfig : { devicePixelRatio : isMobile ? 1 : window . devicePixelRatio } } ) ; Common Pitfalls 1. Memory Leaks from Improper Cleanup Problem: Not destroying Lottie instances when components unmount. Solution: const SafeAnimation = ( ) => { const [ dotLottie , setDotLottie ] = React . useState ( null ) ; React . useEffect ( ( ) => { return ( ) => { // Always destroy instance on unmount dotLottie ?. destroy ( ) ; } ; } , [ dotLottie ] ) ; return < DotLottieReact src = " animation.lottie " dotLottieRefCallback = { setDotLottie } /> ; } ; 2. Event Listener Cleanup Problem: Event listeners not removed, causing multiple handlers. Solution: useEffect ( ( ) => { if ( ! dotLottie ) return ; const handleComplete = ( ) => console . log ( 'Complete' ) ; dotLottie . addEventListener ( 'complete' , handleComplete ) ; // MUST return cleanup function return ( ) => { dotLottie . removeEventListener ( 'complete' , handleComplete ) ; } ; } , [ dotLottie ] ) ; 3. Large File Sizes Problem: Exported JSON files are 500KB+ for simple animations. Solutions: Simplify After Effects composition (reduce layers, keyframes) Use dotLottie format for compression Check Bodymovin export settings (disable "Include expressions" if not needed) Remove unused assets before export Use Lottie optimizer tools: https://lottiefiles.com/tools/lottie-editor 4. Animation Performance Issues Problem: Animation stutters or drops frames. Solutions: Switch from SVG to Canvas renderer Use DotLottieWorker for web worker rendering Reduce complexity in After Effects (fewer layers, simpler shapes) Lower devicePixelRatio on mobile Avoid animating too many properties simultaneously 5. Incorrect Path/URL References Problem: Animation doesn't load due to CORS or incorrect paths. Solution: // Use animationData for local imports (best for bundled apps) import animationData from './animation.json' ; < Lottie animationData = { animationData } /> // OR use path for external URLs (requires CORS headers) < DotLottieReact src = " https://example.com/animation.lottie " /> // For Next.js, place in public/ folder < DotLottieReact src = " /animations/animation.lottie " /> 6. After Effects Export Compatibility Problem: Some After Effects features don't export to Lottie. Unsupported features: Layer effects (drop shadows, glows) - use shape layers instead Blending modes (limited support) 3D layers Expressions (partial support) Track mattes (partial support) Solution: Test export early and often Use LottieFiles preview before exporting Check Bodymovin compatibility: https://airbnb.io/lottie/#/supported-features Convert effects to shapes when possible Resources This skill includes: scripts/ generate_lottie_component.py - Generate React/Vue/Svelte Lottie component boilerplate optimize_lottie.py - Optimize Lottie JSON file size references/ api_reference.md - Complete API documentation for lottie-web, lottie-react, and dotlottie-web after_effects_export.md - Guide for exporting animations from After Effects performance_guide.md - Detailed performance optimization strategies assets/ starter_lottie/ - Complete React + Vite starter template with Lottie examples examples/ - Real-world Lottie animation patterns and use cases