Designilo

One of Figma’s most powerful (and often misunderstood) prototyping features is Smart Animate. When used well, it creates slick, lifelike transitions that elevate your design’s clarity and polish. When used poorly, it results in jittery, confusing motion—or worse, nothing at all.

This guide will help you truly understand how Smart Animate works, what it needs to succeed, and how to troubleshoot those broken animations that leave you scratching your head.

🧠 What Is Smart Animate, Really?

Smart Animate is Figma’s way of tweening between two frames. It compares matching elements (based on name and hierarchy) in the current frame and the destination frame, and then animates the difference.

Instead of just fading out Frame A and fading in Frame B, Smart Animate:

• Moves elements from their original to new position
• Tweens opacity, rotation, scale, border radius, fill, stroke, etc.
• Runs everything over a defined duration and easing function

It’s like motion magic—but only if you name things right.

🧩 The Secret Sauce: Matching Layers

Smart Animate only works when layers are the same object in both frames. That means:

• The layer name must match
• The layer must exist in the same group/component structure
• The layer type must be the same (e.g. a rectangle can’t animate into a text box)

✅ Example:

If you have a button called Button / Primary in both frames—and it changes color or size—Figma will animate that change.

❌ Doesn’t Work If:

You rename the layer in the second frame, or detach it from a component. Figma will just fade between the two.

🔧 How to Apply Smart Animate in Figma

1. Select a layer or frame.
2. Click the Prototype tab.
3. Create a connection from Frame A to Frame B.
4. In the interaction panel, choose:
   • Animation type: Smart Animate
   • Duration: e.g. 300ms
   • Easing: e.g. Ease In and Out

💡 Pro Tip: Use After Delay triggers for microinteractions or loading effects.

🎥 What You Can Animate

Smart Animate supports transitions for:

Property	Animate-able?
Position	✅ Yes
Size (Width/Height)	✅ Yes
Fill (Color/Image)	✅ Yes
Opacity	✅ Yes
Border Radius	✅ Yes
Stroke	✅ Yes
Text (content)	❌ No
Auto Layout values	✅ Yes (mostly)
Component Swaps	✅ With Variant Animation

For more control, consider Interactive Components, which work in tandem with Smart Animate.

🛠️ Troubleshooting Smart Animate

Is your animation not working? Here’s how to debug:

1. Check Layer Names

Matching names = Smart Animate works. Different names = fallback to fade.

2. Verify Component Structure

Nested in different frames or components? Won’t animate.

3. Avoid Layout Conflicts

If Auto Layout or constraints override the motion, animations may look stiff or wrong.

4. Mind Your Easing Curves

Too slow or too fast can make animations feel janky.

5. Use Smart Animate Match in Variants

When using Variants, make sure “Smart Animate Matching” is set to By Layer Name for best results.

🧪 Use Cases: Where Smart Animate Shines

✨ Expand/Collapse Interactions

Animate menus, accordions, or filters expanding with fluid motion.

📱 Microinteractions

Like buttons pulsing on hover or tabs sliding with intent.

📊 Data Transitions

Swap between charts or dashboards with stateful animation.

🎯 Feedback Loops

Show success states, progress indicators, or error transitions smoothly.

🎯 Smart Animate vs Instant vs Dissolve

Animation Type	Description	Best Use Case
Smart Animate	Animates matching elements	Transitions within components
Instant	No animation, just jump	Simple state changes
Dissolve	Fade out old, fade in new	Basic UI screen transitions

If Smart Animate fails, Figma defaults to Dissolve.

📏 Best Practices for Clean Smart Animations

• Use consistent layer names across screens
• Stick to consistent component structures
• Minimize duplicate layers or copy-pasted frames
• Leverage Auto Layout carefully—avoid conflicting rules
• Preview early using Present mode or Dev Mode animation previews

Smart Animate can transform your prototypes from clickable wireframes into believable UI previews. Once you understand its logic—naming, hierarchy, structure—it becomes your secret weapon for expressive, consistent motion.

➡️ Next up: “How to Use Sections and Pages to Organize Figma Projects Like a Pro“