The Path To Awesome CSS Easing With The linear() Function — Smashing Magazine

To paraphrase a saying that has always stuck with me: “The best animation is that which goes unnoticed.” One of the most important concepts of motion design on the web is making motion “feel right.” At the same time, CSS has been fairly limited when it comes to creating animations and transitions that feel natural and are unobtrusive to the user experience.

Fortunately, that’s changing. Today, let’s look at new easing capabilities arriving in CSS. Specifically, I want to demonstrate the easing superpowers of linear() — a new easing function that is currently defined in the CSS Easing Level 2 specification in the Editor’s Draft. Together, we’ll explore its ability to craft custom easing curves that lead to natural-feeling UI movement.

The fact that linear() is in the Editor’s Draft status means we’re diving into something still taking shape and could change by the time it reaches the Candidate Recommendation. As you might imagine, that means linear() has limited support at this moment in time. It is supported in Chrome and Firefox, however, so be sure to bear that in mind as we get into some demos.

Before we jump...