Smart animate in Figma - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Smart animate helps you create smooth transitions between frames by automatically animating changes in object properties. It makes your prototypes look more natural and engaging without manual frame-by-frame animation.

When you want to show a button changing color and size on click.

When you need to animate a menu sliding in and out smoothly.

When you want to transition between two screens with moving elements.

When you want to demonstrate a toggle switch changing state with animation.

When you want to animate a progress bar filling up gradually.

Steps

Step 1: Create two frames with similar objects but different properties

- Canvas

You see two frames side by side with objects that differ in size, position, or color

💡 Make sure objects have the same layer names in both frames for smooth animation

Step 2: Select the first frame

- Canvas

The first frame is highlighted and ready for interaction setup

Step 3: Click the Prototype tab in the right sidebar

- Right sidebar

Prototype settings appear for the selected frame

Step 4: Drag the circular node from the first frame to the second frame

- Canvas, first frame's right edge

A connection arrow appears linking the two frames

Step 5: In the Interaction details panel, set the Animation dropdown to 'Smart animate'

- Prototype tab, Interaction details

Smart animate is selected as the transition animation

Step 6: Set the Trigger to 'On Click' and Duration to desired time (e.g., 300ms)

- Prototype tab, Interaction details

The interaction is configured to animate on click with smooth timing

Step 7: Click the Present button in the top-right corner

- Top-right toolbar

Prototype preview opens showing the first frame

Step 8: Click on the interactive object in the preview

- Prototype preview window

The frame transitions smoothly to the second frame with animated changes

Before vs After

Before

Prototype shows an instant jump from frame 1 with a small blue button to frame 2 with a large red button

After

Prototype smoothly animates the button growing in size and changing color from blue to red between frames

Settings Reference

Animation

📍 Prototype tab > Interaction details panel

Defines how the transition between frames is animated

Default: Instant

Trigger

📍 Prototype tab > Interaction details panel

Specifies what user action starts the animation

Default: On Click

Duration

📍 Prototype tab > Interaction details panel

Controls how long the animation lasts

Default: 300ms

Common Mistakes

Objects have different layer names in the two frames

Smart animate matches layers by name to animate properties smoothly

Ensure objects have identical layer names in both frames to enable animation

Using Smart animate between frames with completely different objects

No matching layers means no animation, resulting in instant transition

Use Smart animate only when frames share objects with changed properties

Setting animation duration too long or too short

Too long makes animation feel slow; too short feels abrupt

Choose a duration around 300-500ms for natural smoothness

Summary

Smart animate creates smooth transitions by animating changes in object properties between frames.

It works best when objects have the same layer names and only differ in size, position, or color.

Remember to set the animation type to Smart animate and choose a suitable duration for best effect.