CSS Gradient Animation Previewer

Build animated CSS gradients with a live preview. Shift colors, pulse, or rotate with timing and easing you control.

CSS Gradient Animation Previewer

Create and preview beautiful animated gradients with customizable effects and timing

Aurora Borealis
Color Shift

Flowing northern lights effect

Gradient Animation Preview
4s duration
3 colors
ease-in-out
#00c9ff
#92fe9d
#00c9ff

Animation Settings

How gradient animations work

Most "moving" gradients are just an oversized background whose position (or size) changes over time. You animate background-position, sometimes transform or opacity.

Common patterns

  • Color shift: slide background-position on a large gradient
  • Rotation: spin with transform (good for loaders)
  • Pulse: opacity or scale for soft attention
  • Zoom: change background-size
@keyframes gradientShift {
0% { background-position: 0% 50%; }
50% { background-position: 100% 50%; }
100% { background-position: 0% 50%; }
}
Prefer animating transform and opacity when you can. Lots of color stops or very fast loops hurt weaker devices. Honor prefers-reduced-motion.

Implementation notes

Set background-size larger than the element (often 200%+), then loop the keyframes. Duration depends on intent: backgrounds usually 4–8s; hover feedback 0.2–0.5s; loaders 1–3s.

.gradient-bg {
background: linear-gradient(45deg, #ff6b6b, #4ecdc4);
background-size: 200% 200%;
animation: gradientShift 3s ease-in-out infinite;
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.gradient-bg { animation: none; }
}

On mobile, keep motion lighter and pause off-screen animations when possible. Pick colors that blend; high-contrast stops look harsh mid-cycle.

Browser support

CSS animations and gradients are fine in current Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. For older browsers, ship a solid fallback color first, then the gradient and animation.

Chrome 26+
Firefox 16+
Safari 9+
Edge 12+

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do gradient animations hurt performance?

Usually not if you stick to GPU-friendly properties. Heavy gradients or aggressive loops can still tax low-end phones. Test and offer a reduced-motion path.

Are they accessible?

Yes if you respect prefers-reduced-motion, keep text readable, and do not put meaning in the motion alone.

CSS or JavaScript?

CSS is enough for most gradient loops. Reach for JS when the animation must track scroll, pointer, or other complex input.

How do I pick duration?

Slow for backgrounds (4–8s), quick for hover (under half a second), mid-range for loaders. If it feels busy, lengthen it or dial opacity down.

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