Motion Graphics

Motion Graphics for AI Videos

Example output

Clips built by an agent following this skill (click for full MP4):

Use this alongside the official Remotion best-practices skill. The official skill gives API correctness; this skill gives taste, repeatable patterns, and production constraints for short-form and long-form AI education content.

Prime Directive

Build graphics that make the video's point easier to understand in under 2 seconds.

No Redundant On-Screen Text (Hard Rule)

Talking-head videos usually have spoken VO + burned captions over the top. The graphic must NOT repeat the script line as on-screen copy. Do not put the narrated phrase, headline restatements, or descriptive label sentences on screen. Carry meaning through the visual/diagram itself.

• Allowed: data the graphic IS about — counters, real numbers ($, token counts, %), axis/unit labels, UI/app text that belongs in a mockup, code.
• Not allowed: restating the VO ("Same answers", "60–95% fewer tokens", "You never touch your code", etc.), explanatory captions, or pill/badge phrases that echo the narration.
• When a beat feels empty without a phrase, the fix is a better/clearer graphic, not added text.

Priorities:

1. Clarity — the viewer instantly understands the idea.
2. Retention — motion creates pattern interrupts and guides attention.
3. Polish — smooth, modern, premium, but never distracting.
4. Reusability — components should be easy to remix for future videos.

Default Canvas Presets

• Vertical short-form: 1080x1920, 30fps, 3-8 seconds.
• Horizontal YouTube/B-roll: 1920x1080, 30fps, 4-10 seconds.
• Transparent overlay: render ProRes/WebM only when explicitly useful; otherwise use a dark/clean background for easy review.
• Review copy: H.264 MP4 with reasonable CRF so it's small enough to share in chat.

Visual Language

• Clean dark backgrounds, high contrast, crisp text.
• Modern SaaS/AI aesthetic: glass panels, subtle glows, thin outlines, soft shadows.
• Use blue/cyan/purple accents by default; add green for success/automation, red/orange for pain/problem states.
• Avoid cluttered cyberpunk, fake hologram spam, tiny labels, and overdone neon.
• Prefer fewer larger elements over many small ones.
• Do not default to generic fake SaaS/browser-card demos; build visuals grounded in the real product or idea.

Recommended defaults:

const COLORS = {
  bg: '#060812',
  panel: '#0F172A',
  panel2: '#111827',
  text: '#F8FAFC',
  muted: '#94A3B8',
  blue: '#3B82F6',
  cyan: '#22D3EE',
  purple: '#8B5CF6',
  green: '#22C55E',
  red: '#EF4444',
};

Motion Rules

• Drive all animation from useCurrentFrame() and useVideoConfig().
• No CSS transitions/keyframes/Tailwind animation classes for render-critical motion.
• Prefer spring() for entrances and emphasis; use interpolate() for precise fades, wipes, and progress.
• Use staggered entrances: 3-8 frames for dense UI items, 8-15 frames for major objects.
• Never animate everything at once. Sequence attention: headline → object → proof/detail → payoff.
• Use motion to explain causality: data flows left-to-right or top-to-bottom; transformations happen through arrows, lines, or morphing panels.
• Every clip should have either a subtle hold or clear end state so editors can cut cleanly.

Good spring presets:

const SPRINGS = {
  snappy: { damping: 20, stiffness: 200 },
  smooth: { damping: 200, stiffness: 100 },
  bouncy: { damping: 10, stiffness: 140 },
  heavy: { damping: 16, stiffness: 80, mass: 1.6 },
};

Kinetic Text Patterns

Use text animation when the point is a phrase, claim, contrast, or hook.

Preferred patterns:

• Word-by-word reveal with slight y-slide + fade.
• Highlight sweep behind the key word.
• Word carousel for before/after replacements.
• Typewriter only for AI/chat/code moments; use string slicing, not per-character hidden spans.
• Two-layer crossfade for highlighted final text to avoid layout jumps.

Rules:

• Mobile headline minimum: ~64px on 1080x1920.
• Supporting text minimum: ~38px vertical / ~30px horizontal.
• Use max 1-2 font weights per graphic.
• Keep line lengths short; break phrases intentionally.
• Do not put critical text near Reels/TikTok UI zones.

AI Workflow / System Diagram Patterns

1. Input → AI Agent → Output

• Great for simple automation explanations.
• Animate input card in, pulse agent node, line draw to output card.

1. Old Way vs AI Way

• Split screen or stacked comparison.
• Old way: gray/red, more steps, slower animation.
• AI way: blue/green, fewer steps, faster/smoother path.

1. Agent Team / Multi-Agent Flow

• Central orchestrator node with specialist nodes around it.
• Use staggered line draws and small status chips.

1. Tool Stack / Pipeline

• Horizontal cards: Trigger → Reasoning → Tool Call → Database/CRM → Report.
• Use small animated packets moving along lines.

1. ROI / Before-After Metric

• Big number animation, simple bar/line/progress visual.
• Always include label and context so it is not just eye candy.

UI Mockups

For product demos and stylized software screens:

• Recreate the idea of the UI, not exact copyrighted pixels unless assets are provided.
• Use large fake UI panels that read on mobile.
• Animate cursor/clicks only when they clarify the action.
• Use callouts: outline box + short label + arrow/leader line.
• Blur or abstract sensitive/private data.

Charts / Data Visuals

Use charts for metrics, money, time saved, adoption, lead flow, or performance.

Rules:

• Always label axes or use direct labels.
• Animate bars/lines with staggered spring entrances.
• Use @remotion/paths for line/path drawing and marker-following.
• Avoid third-party chart library animations; Remotion controls the animation.
• Keep charts simple: 3-7 data points usually beats a full dashboard.

Transitions

Use @remotion/transitions for multi-scene clips when scenes need a professional flow.

Best defaults:

• Fade: clean idea shift.
• Slide: step-by-step process or carousel.
• Wipe: reveal/compare.
• Flip: use sparingly; can feel gimmicky.

Remember: transitions overlap adjacent scenes, so calculate duration accordingly.

Package Arsenal

Core packages worth having installed:

• @remotion/transitions — scene transitions.
• @remotion/paths — SVG line/path/chart animations.
• @remotion/google-fonts — clean font loading when needed.
• @remotion/layout-utils — measure/fit text and avoid overflow.
• @remotion/media — audio/video helpers.
• @remotion/shapes — primitives for clean geometric visuals.

Use optional packages only when the concept needs them:

• @remotion/lottie for provided Lottie files.
• @remotion/captions for real caption/subtitle workflows.
• @remotion/three only for true 3D scenes; do not default to 3D.

Prompt Intake Checklist

Before building, infer or decide:

• Script beat / exact line being supported.
• Best visual metaphor: text, diagram, UI mock, chart, comparison, caption, transition, abstract loop.
• Canvas: vertical/horizontal/transparent overlay.
• Duration and where the editor will place it.
• Main text and any data points.
• Whether it should loop, hold, or end cleanly.

If missing, make a first-pass assumption and state it briefly.

Quality Gate Before Delivering

Before shipping a render:

• Build/typecheck or run the smallest meaningful validation.
• Render a compressed review MP4/still.
• Watch/inspect enough to ensure it actually rendered correctly.
• Include concise editor notes: what it is, where it fits, and what can be changed.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: liamrjohnston30
• Source: liamrjohnston30/remotion-motion-graphics-skill
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.