Remotion
Overview
Remotion enables programmatic video creation using React components. Compositions define renderable videos with explicit width, height, fps, and duration. All animations must be driven by useCurrentFrame() -- CSS animations and Tailwind animation classes are forbidden as they cause rendering artifacts. Use this skill for Remotion compositions, animations, audio, captions, transitions, media handling, or rendering. Not intended for general React UI development.
Quick Reference
| Pattern | API / Approach | Key Points |
|---|---|---|
| Basic animation | useCurrentFrame() + interpolate() | Always clamp with extrapolateRight: 'clamp' |
| Spring animation | spring({ frame, fps }) | { damping: 200 } for smooth, no-bounce motion |
| Composition | <Composition id, component, durationInFrames, fps, width, height> | Always set explicit dimensions |
| Dynamic metadata | calculateMetadata on <Composition> | Set duration, dimensions, props before render |
| Sequencing | <Sequence from, durationInFrames> | useCurrentFrame() returns local frame (starts at 0) |
| Series | <Series> with <Series.Sequence> | Sequential playback; negative offset for overlaps |
| Transitions | <TransitionSeries> with fade(), slide(), wipe() | Total duration = sum of scenes minus transition durations |
| Audio/Video | <Audio> / <Video> from @remotion/media | Use staticFile() for local assets |
| Captions | createTikTokStyleCaptions() | Token-level word highlighting via page.tokens |
| Images | <Img> from remotion | Never use native <img> or Next.js <Image> |
| GIFs | <AnimatedImage> from remotion | Synced with timeline; playbackRate for speed control |
| Fonts | @remotion/google-fonts or @remotion/fonts | Call loadFont() at top level; blocks rendering until ready |
| 3D content | <ThreeCanvas> from @remotion/three | Must set width/height; useFrame() from R3F is forbidden |
| Text measurement | measureText(), fitText() from @remotion/layout-utils | Load fonts first; match properties for measurement and render |
| Parameters | Zod schema on <Composition schema> | Top-level must be z.object(); exact Zod version required (check Remotion docs) |
| Transparent video | --pixel-format=yuva420p --codec=vp9 | WebM for browser; ProRes 4444 for editing software |
| Maps | Mapbox with useCurrentFrame() | Set interactive: false, fadeDuration: 0; render with --gl=angle --concurrency=1 |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Correct Pattern |
|---|---|
Using CSS animations or setTimeout | Use interpolate() and useCurrentFrame() for timeline-synced animations |
Using native <img>, <video>, <audio> tags | Use <Img>, <Video>, <Audio> from Remotion for proper preloading |
| Hardcoding video duration | Use calculateMetadata to dynamically set duration from content |
| Not specifying width/height on compositions | Always define explicit dimensions to avoid rendering issues |
Using useFrame() from React Three Fiber | Use useCurrentFrame() from Remotion inside <ThreeCanvas> |
Forgetting premountFor on sequences | Always premount sequences to preload components before playback |
Not clamping interpolate() output | Set extrapolateRight: 'clamp' to prevent values exceeding target range |
Placing <Sequence> in <ThreeCanvas> without layout="none" | Set layout="none" on any <Sequence> inside <ThreeCanvas> |
Delegation
- Discover available Remotion components and their props: Use
Exploreagent to search the codebase for composition definitions and asset usage - Build a multi-scene video with transitions and audio: Use
Taskagent to compose sequences, transitions, and audio tracks step by step - Plan a video generation pipeline with dynamic data: Use
Planagent to design the architecture for parametrized compositions and rendering workflow
References
- Animations and Timing -- Interpolation, springs, easing, and frame-driven animation patterns
- Compositions and Sequencing -- Defining compositions, stills, folders, sequences, series, and trimming
- Media and Assets -- Audio, video, images, GIFs, fonts, and static file handling
- Captions and Text -- Transcription, SRT import, TikTok-style captions, and text animations
- Transitions -- Scene transitions with fade, slide, wipe, flip, and duration calculation
- Advanced Features -- 3D content, charts, maps, parameters, transparent video, and DOM measurement