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Preloader Handoff

Three loaders — skeleton shell, dot leader, shimmer sweep — handing off to a content panel that reserves their exact box. The waiting is a labelled timer and the counters that land are the library's build-time totals.

210

What you should hear: Tab reaches the control, Enter or Space activates it — and every state change is announced in the same words the page shows.

MIT licensev1.0.02.3 KB gzipzero dependenciesby Motif Studioadded 2026-09-10review due 2026-12-09
Live playground — drag, click, hoversandboxed previewsample copy

Preloader choreography

0% of the fake load

motif.local · fake load, no network0%

Stage 1 of 3 · Skeleton shell

borrowed from Skeleton Profile Card · 1.3 KB

Press run: three loaders hand off to the content panel. Nothing is fetched.

Loader choreography is usually where a site lies about speed, so this one is explicit: no request is made, the bar is a timer, and the first three rows name the catalog asset each stage borrows its motion from.

Ambience
vibes

Ambience is a live light wash over the preview. Full palette re-theming of every demo arrives with Theme Studio (Pro).

deps: zeroJSX + TailwindMIT · original
preloader-handoff.tsx
// Preloader Handoff — the demo's own source, extracted verbatim.
// From src/components/demos/scenes-17.tsx, export PreloaderHandoff.
// Needs React 18+ and Tailwind CSS v4. The classes below include this site's
// token utilities (bg-panel, text-ink-dim, chip …); their values are served as
// CSS custom properties at /api/exports/tokens.json. The reduced-motion branch
// is part of the source, not an afterthought.
// 5 helpers the demo imports are inlined above it, verbatim.
// Catalog-dependent: the array below is a three-record sample of the site's own data.

import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";

// The demo reads the site's own catalog: 362 catalogued assets. Three real
// records are inlined below — long fields trimmed — so this file runs as
// written. Replace the array with your own data, or read the full list from
// the site, where /api/search?q= returns the matching records as JSON.
const COMPONENTS = [
  {"slug":"prism-switch","kind":"element","title":"Prism Switch","description":"A theme-aware toggle that sweeps a six-stop prism gradient across the track on every flip. Pure…","tags":["switch","toggle"],"behaviors":["click","hover"],"stack":["React","HTML/CSS"],"deps":[],"bundleKb":1.2,"themeable":true,"a11yScore":98,"qualityScore":96,"status":"live","license":"MIT","version":"1.2.0","author":"Motif Studio","published":"2026-06-02","demo":"prism-switch","props":[{"name":"size","label":"Size","type":"range","min":20,"max":64,"step":2,"unit":"px","defaultValue":42},{"name":"hueSpeed","label":"Gradient speed","type":"range","min":0,"max":4,"step":0.1,"unit":"s","defaultValue":1.4}],"copies":4820,"views":21400,"aliases":[],"trend":[]},
  {"slug":"halo-button","kind":"element","title":"Halo Button","description":"Primary button with a mouse-tracking halo, press ripple and a springy scale. Ships as React + T…","tags":["button","magnetic"],"behaviors":["hover","click"],"stack":["React","HTML/CSS"],"deps":[],"bundleKb":2.1,"themeable":true,"a11yScore":96,"qualityScore":94,"status":"live","license":"MIT","version":"1.1.0","author":"Motif Studio","published":"2026-06-18","demo":"halo-button","props":[{"name":"magnet","label":"Magnet strength","type":"range","min":0,"max":60,"step":1,"defaultValue":24,"unit":""},{"name":"glow","label":"Halo glow","type":"range","min":0,"max":100,"step":1,"defaultValue":70,"unit":"%"}],"copies":3910,"views":17300,"aliases":["cta","call to action"],"trend":[]},
  {"slug":"pulse-loader","kind":"element","title":"Pulse Loader","description":"Three-note loader with staggered radial pulse and optional progress text. Reduced-motion safe a…","tags":["loader","loading"],"behaviors":[],"stack":["HTML/CSS","React"],"deps":[],"bundleKb":0.8,"themeable":true,"a11yScore":99,"qualityScore":93,"status":"live","license":"MIT","version":"1.0.3","author":"Motif Studio","published":"2026-05-28","demo":"pulse-loader","props":[{"name":"speed","label":"Pulse speed","type":"range","min":0.2,"max":2.4,"step":0.05,"unit":"s","defaultValue":1},{"name":"dots","label":"Dots","type":"range","min":1,"max":8,"step":1,"unit":"","defaultValue":3}],"copies":5220,"views":19800,"aliases":["spinner","loading"],"trend":[]},
];

// The demo reads the site's own catalog: 118 guides. Three real
// records are inlined below — long fields trimmed — so this file runs as
// written. Replace the array with your own data, or read the full list from
// the site, where /api/search?q= returns the matching records as JSON.
const LEARN_ARTICLES = [
  {"slug":"hero-that-breathes-in-20-min","kicker":"Build along","series":{"name":"The fundamentals","part":1,"of":4},"title":"Build a hero that breathes — in 20 minutes","deck":"Most hero sections die on the fold because nothing in them moves with intent. This walkthrough …","minutes":20,"level":"Beginner","tags":["hero","animation"],"updated":"2026-09-09","blocks":[{"h":"Why heroes feel dead","body":["A hero is one glance. If every pixel is still, the eye treats it like a magazine cover — read once, scroll on. You don't need autoplay video or a 3D library; you need three cheap layers of life that reinforce one message.","The recipe we use at Motif: a living backdrop (motion you can ignore), one typographic moment (motion you can't miss), and one honest action (motion under your finger)."],"links":[{"label":"Aurora Veil — living backdrop","href":"/components/aurora-veil"},{"label":"Wipe Reveal — typographic moment","href":"/components/wipe-reveal"}],"code":{},"callout":{}},{"h":"Step 1 — stack the veil","body":["Start with the backdrop so everything after it has something to sit on. Aurora Veil is three radial gradients drifting on a slow clock plus a grain pass — GPU-composited, zero JavaScript.","Resist cranking the speed. A drift that takes 16–20s per cycle reads as 'alive but expensive'. Faster reads as 'screensaver'."],"links":[],"code":{"title":"veil layer","lang":"tsx","text":"<section className=\"relative min-h-[90vh] overflow-hidden bg-[#07080d]\">\n  {/* layer 1: living backdrop */}\n  <AuroraVeil hueA={262} hueB={192} speed={18} grain\n              className=\"absolute inset-0\" />\n  {/* layer 2+3 arrive below */}\n</section>"},"callout":{}}],"takeaways":[],"revised":"","revisedNote":"","author":"","prereqs":[],"footnotes":[]},
  {"slug":"easing-is-a-language","kicker":"Field guide","series":{"name":"The fundamentals","part":2,"of":4},"title":"Easing is a language — a field guide to curves","deck":"The single highest-leverage skill in web animation is choosing the right curve. This guide maps…","minutes":12,"level":"Intermediate","tags":["easing","motion"],"updated":"2026-09-08","blocks":[{"h":"Start with the feeling, not the curve","body":["Every easing curve is a personality. Linear says 'machine'. ease-out says 'expensive'. back-out says 'confident'. elastic says 'celebration'. If you pick curves by copying presets, your page has the personality of a default theme."],"bullets":[],"code":{},"callout":{},"links":[]},{"h":"The six curves that cover 90% of UI","body":[],"bullets":["linear — progress bars, marquees, anything mechanical. Never for entrance motion.","ease-out-expo (0.16 1 0.3 1) — the workhorse entrance. Fast start, long settle = 'premium'. Use for cards, sections, images entering."],"code":{"title":"the workhorse","lang":"css","text":"/* the 'expensive' entrance: fast to 80%, then glide */\n.card-enter {\n  animation: rise .7s cubic-bezier(.16, 1, .3, 1) both;\n}\n@keyframes rise {\n  from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(16px); }\n  to   { opacity: 1; transform: none; }\n}\n\n/* overshoot for ONE hero element */\n.spotlight {\n  transition: transform .5s cubic-bezier(.34, 1.56, .64, 1);\n}"},"callout":{},"links":[]}],"takeaways":[],"revised":"","revisedNote":"","author":"","prereqs":[],"footnotes":[]},
  {"slug":"prompt-that-reproduces","kicker":"AI workflows","series":{"name":"The fundamentals","part":3,"of":4},"title":"Write AI prompts that reproduce — not ones that 'inspire'","deck":"Most AI website prompts get you 60% fidelity because they describe vibes ('make it sleek') inst…","minutes":15,"level":"Intermediate","tags":["ai","prompts"],"updated":"2026-09-09","blocks":[{"h":"Constraints beat adjectives","body":["In every run log on this site you'll see the same pattern: prompts with concrete constraints score 10–15 points higher than adjective prompts. 'Sleek' is unmeasurable; '16px radius, near-black #07080B canvas, one violet→cyan accent used only for CTAs' is a spec."],"bullets":["Give the palette as hex/HSL, and say where each colour is *allowed* — restraint instructions land harder than colour names.","Give a component inventory (nav, bento features, pricing toggle) so the model doesn't invent sections."],"code":{},"callout":{},"links":[]},{"h":"The skeleton that scores 90+","body":[],"bullets":[],"code":{"title":"prompt skeleton","lang":"text","text":"Build a [page type] in [stack].\n\nPalette\n• canvas / ink / accent (hex) — and where each is allowed\n• accent reserved for [moments]\n\nAbove the fold\n• [section]: [2-3 concrete requirements, incl. typography scale]\n• [headline copy — write it for me, in this voice: ___]\n\nSections (in order)\n1. [name] — [what it must contain + interaction]\n2. [name] — ...\n3. [name] — ...\n\nMotion budget\n• entrances: [easing/duration hint]\n• interactive: [hover/click rules]\n• prohibited: [list]\n\nTone & traps\n• write copy like [persona]\n• avoid [stock clichés]\n• accessibility: [WCAG notes]"},"callout":{},"links":[]}],"takeaways":[],"revised":"","revisedNote":"","author":"","prereqs":[],"footnotes":[]},
];

// The demo reads the site's own catalog: 184 briefs and 661 recorded model runs. Three real
// records are inlined below — long fields trimmed — so this file runs as
// written. Replace the array with your own data, or read the full list from
// the site, where /api/search?q= returns the matching records as JSON.
const PROMPTS = [
  {"slug":"dark-saas-pricing-launch","title":"Dark SaaS launch page with aurora hero","titleZh":"暗色 SaaS 发布页:极光 hero","industry":"SaaS","vibe":"dark, premium, minimal","stacks":["Next.js","HTML"],"blocks":["Nav","Hero"],"status":"featured","avgFidelity":92,"bestModel":"Claude 4.6 Sonnet","runs":[{"model":"Claude 4.6 Sonnet","date":"2026-08-04","fidelity":95,"buildError":false,"notes":"Matches reference spacing almost 1:1; fonts swapped gra…"},{"model":"Codex","date":"2026-08-04","fidelity":91,"buildError":false,"notes":"Solid. Needed one nudge to enable the toggle pricing."}],"promptBody":"Build a one-page dark SaaS landing in Next.js + Tailwind.\n• Palette: near-black #07080B canvas,…","author":"Motif Studio","published":"2026-08-04","tokens":[],"estLoc":0,"relatedComponents":[],"revised":"","revisedNote":"","remixes":[],"viewport":""},
  {"slug":"3d-portfolio-neon","title":"3D portfolio with neon orbit showcase","titleZh":"","industry":"Portfolio","vibe":"bold, 3D, neon","stacks":["Next.js","React"],"blocks":["Hero","Orbit gallery"],"status":"verified","avgFidelity":87,"bestModel":"Codex","runs":[{"model":"Codex","date":"2026-07-29","fidelity":91,"buildError":false,"notes":"Orbit ring implemented with spring physics — great feel."},{"model":"Claude 4.6 Sonnet","date":"2026-07-29","fidelity":85,"buildError":false,"notes":"Accurate but used heavier 3D lib than asked; suggested …"}],"promptBody":"Design a portfolio hero that feels like a neon gallery.\n• Left: name + role in large display ty…","author":"Motif Studio","published":"2026-07-29","tokens":[],"estLoc":0,"relatedComponents":[],"revised":"","revisedNote":"","remixes":[],"viewport":""},
  {"slug":"fintech-trust-page","title":"Fintech trust page (compliance tone)","titleZh":"金融科技信任页(合规语气)","industry":"Fintech","vibe":"calm, trustworthy, crisp","stacks":["Next.js","HTML"],"blocks":["Hero","Security bento"],"status":"verified","avgFidelity":89,"bestModel":"Claude 4.6 Sonnet","runs":[{"model":"Claude 4.6 Sonnet","date":"2026-08-01","fidelity":92,"buildError":false,"notes":"Excellent typographic hierarchy for legal-adjacent copy."},{"model":"GLM-4.6 (CN)","date":"2026-08-01","fidelity":88,"buildError":false,"notes":"Very close; metric band needed re-spacing."}],"promptBody":"A fintech page that earns trust, not hype.\n• Off-white paper background, ink navy text, single …","author":"Motif Studio","published":"2026-08-01","tokens":[],"estLoc":0,"relatedComponents":[],"revised":"","revisedNote":"","remixes":[],"viewport":""},
];

function useReducedMotion() {
  const [reduced, setReduced] = useState<boolean>(() =>
    typeof window !== "undefined" ? window.matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)").matches : false
  );
  useEffect(() => {
    const mq = window.matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)");
    const on = (e: MediaQueryListEvent) => setReduced(e.matches);
    mq.addEventListener("change", on);
    return () => mq.removeEventListener("change", on);
  }, []);
  return reduced;
}

const STAGE_MS = 420;

const PRELOAD_STAGES = [
  { id: "shell", label: "Skeleton shell", source: "skeleton-card" },
  { id: "chase", label: "Dot leader", source: "dot-leader-loading" },
  { id: "sweep", label: "Shimmer sweep", source: "shimmer-text" },
];

const sourceLine = (slug: string) => {
  const c = COMPONENTS.find((x) => x.slug === slug);
  return c ? `${c.title} · ${c.bundleKb.toFixed(1)} KB` : slug;
};

const LIBRARY_TOTALS = [
  { label: "components", value: COMPONENTS.length },
  { label: "prompts", value: PROMPTS.length },
  { label: "guides", value: LEARN_ARTICLES.length },
];

export function PreloaderHandoff() {
  const reduced = useReducedMotion();
  const [stage, setStage] = useState(0);
  const [running, setRunning] = useState(false);
  const [note, setNote] = useState("Press run: three loaders hand off to the content panel. Nothing is fetched.");
  const hostRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
  const elapsedRef = useRef(0);

  useEffect(() => {
    if (!running) return;
    const id = window.setInterval(() => {
      elapsedRef.current += STAGE_MS;
      const next = Math.min(PRELOAD_STAGES.length, Math.floor(elapsedRef.current / STAGE_MS));
      setStage(next);
      if (next >= PRELOAD_STAGES.length) {
        setRunning(false);
        setNote("Content in. The three loaders passed the frame along without a jump between them.");
      }
    }, STAGE_MS);
    return () => window.clearInterval(id);
  }, [running]);

  // The loaders loop through the animation API so the loops can be cancelled
  // the moment a stage ends (and so nothing runs at all under reduced motion).
  useEffect(() => {
    const host = hostRef.current;
    if (!host || reduced || !running) return;
    const anims: Animation[] = [];
    host.querySelectorAll<HTMLElement>("[data-pulse]").forEach((el, i) => {
      anims.push(
        el.animate([{ opacity: 0.2 }, { opacity: 1 }], {
          duration: 640,
          delay: i * 120,
          iterations: Infinity,
          direction: "alternate",
        }),
      );
    });
    const sweep = host.querySelector<HTMLElement>("[data-sweep]");
    if (sweep) {
      anims.push(
        sweep.animate([{ transform: "translateX(-80%)" }, { transform: "translateX(150%)" }], {
          duration: 1100,
          iterations: Infinity,
        }),
      );
    }
    return () => anims.forEach((a) => a.cancel());
  }, [running, stage, reduced]);

  const run = () => {
    if (reduced) {
      setStage(PRELOAD_STAGES.length);
      setRunning(false);
      setNote("Reduced motion: the three stages land in one frame, no movement between them.");
      return;
    }
    elapsedRef.current = 0;
    setStage(0);
    setRunning(true);
    setNote(`Running — ${PRELOAD_STAGES.length} stages, ${STAGE_MS} ms each.`);
  };

  const active = PRELOAD_STAGES[Math.min(stage, PRELOAD_STAGES.length - 1)];
  const loaded = stage >= PRELOAD_STAGES.length;
  const progress = Math.round((Math.min(stage, PRELOAD_STAGES.length) / PRELOAD_STAGES.length) * 100);

  return (
    <div className="flex h-full w-full flex-col items-center justify-center bg-[radial-gradient(70%_90%_at_50%_0%,rgba(56,189,248,0.10),transparent_60%),#08090f] px-6 py-6">
      <div className="w-full max-w-md">
        <div className="mb-2 flex items-baseline justify-between gap-3">
          <p className="text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.24em] text-sky-300/80">Preloader choreography</p>
          <p className="text-[10px] tabular-nums text-ink-faint">{progress}% of the fake load</p>
        </div>

        <div ref={hostRef} className="overflow-hidden rounded-2xl border border-white/10 bg-white/[.02]">
          <div className="flex items-center gap-2 border-b border-white/10 px-3 py-2">
            <span className="flex gap-1" aria-hidden>
              <span className="h-2 w-2 rounded-full bg-white/20" />
              <span className="h-2 w-2 rounded-full bg-white/20" />
              <span className="h-2 w-2 rounded-full bg-white/20" />
            </span>
            <span className="font-mono text-[10px] text-ink-faint">motif.local · fake load, no network</span>
            <span className="ml-auto font-mono text-[10px] tabular-nums text-sky-200/80">{progress}%</span>
          </div>

          <div className="h-56 p-3">
            {!loaded ? (
              <div className="flex h-full flex-col">
                <p className="text-[10px] font-bold uppercase tracking-widest text-ink-faint">
                  Stage {stage + 1} of {PRELOAD_STAGES.length} · {active.label}
                </p>
                <p className="mt-0.5 font-mono text-[10px] text-ink-faint">borrowed from {sourceLine(active.source)}</p>

                <div className="mt-3 flex-1">
                  {active.id === "shell" ? (
                    <div className="space-y-2">
                      <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
                        <span data-pulse className="h-8 w-8 rounded-full bg-sky-300/25" />
                        <span data-pulse className="h-2.5 w-28 rounded-full bg-sky-200/20" />
                      </div>
                      <span data-pulse className="block h-2 w-full rounded-full bg-white/10" />
                      <span data-pulse className="block h-2 w-5/6 rounded-full bg-white/10" />
                      <span data-pulse className="block h-2 w-2/3 rounded-full bg-white/10" />
                    </div>
                  ) : active.id === "chase" ? (
                    <div className="flex items-center gap-2 font-mono text-[12px] text-sky-100">
                      <span>installing the shell</span>
                      <span className="flex gap-1" aria-hidden>
                        <span data-pulse className="h-1.5 w-1.5 rounded-full bg-sky-300" />
                        <span data-pulse className="h-1.5 w-1.5 rounded-full bg-sky-300" />
                        <span data-pulse className="h-1.5 w-1.5 rounded-full bg-sky-300" />
                      </span>
                    </div>
                  ) : (
                    <div className="relative mt-4 h-3 overflow-hidden rounded-full bg-white/10">
                      <span data-sweep className="absolute inset-y-0 w-1/3 rounded-full bg-gradient-to-r from-transparent via-sky-200/70 to-transparent" />
                    </div>
                  )}
                </div>

                <div className="mt-2 h-1 overflow-hidden rounded-full bg-white/[.06]">
                  <span className="block h-full rounded-full bg-sky-300/70 transition-[width] duration-300" style={{ width: `${progress}%` }} />
                </div>
              </div>
            ) : (
              <div className="flex h-full flex-col justify-center">
                <p className="text-[12px] font-bold text-ink">Everything is in place</p>
                <p className="mt-1 text-[11px] leading-relaxed text-ink-dim">
                  Three stages, {PRELOAD_STAGES.length * STAGE_MS} ms of waiting, and the panel behind this line never shifted: each loader
                  reserved the same box the content now fills.
                </p>
                <dl className="mt-3 grid grid-cols-3 gap-2">
                  {LIBRARY_TOTALS.map((t) => (
                    <div key={t.label} className="rounded-xl border border-white/10 bg-white/[.03] px-2 py-1.5">
                      <dt className="text-[9px] uppercase tracking-widest text-ink-faint">{t.label}</dt>
                      <dd className="font-mono text-[13px] tabular-nums text-sky-100">{t.value}</dd>
                    </div>
                  ))}
                </dl>
                <p className="mt-2 text-[10px] leading-relaxed text-ink-faint">
                  Those three numbers are read from the library at build time — the waiting is the only theatre here, and it is labelled as
                  such above.
                </p>
              </div>
            )}
          </div>
        </div>

        <div className="mt-2 flex flex-wrap items-center gap-2">
          <button type="button" onClick={run} className="btn btn-ghost !px-3 !py-1.5 text-[10px]">
            {loaded ? "Run it again" : "Run the hand-off"}
          </button>
          <button
            type="button"
            onClick={() => {
              setStage(PRELOAD_STAGES.length);
              setRunning(false);
              setNote("Skipped the remaining stages. That skip is the same path the reduced-motion setting takes.");
            }}
            disabled={loaded}
            className="btn btn-ghost !px-3 !py-1.5 text-[10px] disabled:opacity-40"
          >
            Skip the rest
          </button>
        </div>

        <p aria-live="polite" className="mt-2 min-h-[1rem] text-[10px] leading-relaxed text-sky-200/80">
          {note}
        </p>
        <p className="mt-1 text-[10px] leading-relaxed text-ink-faint">
          Loader choreography is usually where a site lies about speed, so this one is explicit: no request is made, the bar is a timer, and
          the first three rows name the catalog asset each stage borrows its motion from.
        </p>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

Snippet provenance

lines 1–252 · v1.0.0
v1.0.0Motif Studio2026-09-10the only version the catalog records for this asset

No changelog entry mentions “Preloader Handoff”, so the catalog records a single version for it.

Every line above is attributed to the single version this catalog records — we keep no per-line history, so no per-line attribution is invented. See the provenance page for the rule and the gaps.

Review notes · anchored to code lines

Threads attach to a line number in this asset's snippet, so a remark about the focus trap stays next to it.

demo · stored in this browser

Loading notes…

The snippet on this page is 252 lines long, so anchors run 1–252. Notes are per-asset and per-browser; a shared review thread is a server feature, and this panel is the local stand-in that proves the anchoring works.

Dependency-aware copy: zero packages to install — paste and run. All markup is original Motif UI content (MIT).

Course rail — understand it before you ship it

Theme Studio preview

Theming example — two token themes

Assets are token-driven (100% design-token driven). Here the same scene runs under two theme presets from the token sheet.

Midnight / violet

Preloader choreography

0% of the fake load

motif.local · fake load, no network0%

Stage 1 of 3 · Skeleton shell

borrowed from Skeleton Profile Card · 1.3 KB

Press run: three loaders hand off to the content panel. Nothing is fetched.

Loader choreography is usually where a site lies about speed, so this one is explicit: no request is made, the bar is a timer, and the first three rows name the catalog asset each stage borrows its motion from.

--accent 262 · dark surfaces

Bone / amber

Preloader choreography

0% of the fake load

motif.local · fake load, no network0%

Stage 1 of 3 · Skeleton shell

borrowed from Skeleton Profile Card · 1.3 KB

Press run: three loaders hand off to the content panel. Nothing is fetched.

Loader choreography is usually where a site lies about speed, so this one is explicit: no request is made, the bar is a timer, and the first three rows name the catalog asset each stage borrows its motion from.

--accent 40 · paper surfaces

90-second read

Usage recipe — where this fits

Use it as the signature of a single screen — a hero backdrop, an entrance, a transition. One signature per screen; everything else stays quiet.

Compose it with calm content around it: the motion earns attention only when the layout does not compete for it.

belongs in animatedclick behaviourkeyboard behaviour

Cost honesty

Performance note

2.3 KB gzipcompositor-bound — motion runs on transform/opacity layers; the cost scales with layer count and blur radius.

Cheaper alternative — the static preview variant removes the animation loop and keeps the layout — a quieter, cheaper sibling.

What it needs

Browser support strip

CSS transformsopacity compositingcustom propertiesprefers-reduced-motionwill-changeall evergreen browsers

No polyfills ship with the asset — if a listed feature is missing in a target browser, the graceful fallback is the static layout.

prefers-reduced-motion

Reduced-motion fallback

With prefers-reduced-motion: reduce, the animation loop and travel are removed; state changes keep working through opacity and colour (≤ 300ms). The demo you see above honours the switch — try it in your OS settings and the loop will quiet down.

Design rule: the reduced branch is a second design, not a stripped page — every state change stays visible.

Pressable step-through

Keyboard walk demo

Step through what a keyboard user experiences with this asset.

1

Tab to the scene — motion is paused or non-essential for keyboard users

Auto-suggested

Composition map — what pairs well

One original micro-case

Inspiration context

The hero that held attention for one beat longer

A marketing page's hero used a stock fade-in that finished in 200ms — invisible to the eye, useless to the story. Re-timed with a slow settle (0.6s, ease-out-quart) and one typographic wipe, the hero read as 'alive' without a single new asset. The change was purely a curve and a delay.

Written in-house — no screenshots, no borrowed imagery. The pattern, not the pixels.

Every version, why

Changelog — this asset

v1.0.02026-09-10

Current release — this page documents the asset as shipped.

v1.0.02026-08-18

Token pass: colours and radii moved to the design-token sheet; a11y score raised to the current bar.

v0.1.02026-07-02

Initial release to the library — original markup, MIT licensed.

30-day sparkline

Copy history

210copies this month

Sample series from this asset's usage fingerprint · last 12 days shown.

Future queue

Community remixes

Queue opens after launch. Remixes arrive as alternate versions of this asset — same job, different voice — submitted by users and audited by the studio before they appear beside the original.

0 remixes yetaudited by studiocredit + link back to the remixer

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Pairs well with a prompt

This asset belongs inside a bigger build — here is the prompt that would generate a page containing it:

Motion-spec page — the animation before the layout

Spec sheet · Timing table · Easing curves

beta

Exact tree

Bundled dependencies — disclosed

preloader-handoff.tsx20.6 KB raw · ~2 KB gzip
(no runtime dependencies)the CSS ships with the snippet

Full snippet ≈ 20.6 KB raw, ~2 KB gzip — before any framework you already load.

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Scale, not clutter

Sizing system — three densities

Density is a token decision, not a per-page override — pick one density per product surface and hold it. Active: Default.

Runnable copy

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Written version first

Tutorial transcript

This asset does not have a video yet — so the written version stands in: the code line walk below narrates the snippet line by line, and the design rationale on this page explains the default decisions. When a video ships, this exact panel hosts its full transcript.

video: not yettranscript: line walk belowformat: markdown, searchable

Annotated snippet

Code line walk

The lines that matter, with the reason they matter. Click one:

Trade-off, visible

Size vs. quality slider

~2 KB~6 KB~12 KB

Standard · CSS + hover states

~6 KB

adds transitions, focus-visible and reduced-motion rules

The slider is honest: the slim tier has no JS, the pro tier pays for behaviour. Start slim, upgrade only the surfaces that need it.

HTML → React, priced

Stack-switch cost note

Taking the HTML/CSS version into a React component costs real work — and the cost is predictable:

Event wiring

Hover, focus and click become handlers — the CSS stays, the state appears.

Props for the knobs

Every inline value that should vary becomes a prop with a default — the defaults must match the CSS exactly.

The estimate

A clean port of this asset is 20–45 minutes for a React developer — the 0-character stylesheet is the easy half.

Find it the way you say it

Tag synonyms

Search on this site resolves synonyms globally — "dropdown", "select" and "picker" land on the same asset, so you never need to know the catalog's internal vocabulary.

When to pick which

Sibling comparison

Data table — data table
ComparePreloader HandoffAurora VeilHalo Trail
KindAnimatedAnimatedAnimated
Bundle2.3 KB gzip2.6 KB gzip5.8 KB gzip
a11y95/100100/10093/100
Dependenciesnonenonenone
Copies / mo2108,9406,330
Interactionsclick, keyboardscrolldrag, hover

The honest verdict — Preloader Handoff is the lighter default here; reach for Aurora Veil when its extra weight buys an interaction this one lacks.

Read next — two guides and a prompt

picked by tag overlap, not by hand

How these three were chosen: essays scored on shared tags (1 and 1 matches), then prompt scored on block/vibe overlap (0 matches). The rule lives in src/lib/spine.ts, so the same asset always links to the same three pages and a second reader can reproduce the choice.

–remixes · this browser

The counter is a note to yourself — it adds one each time you tap, in motif:remix-count:v1, and goes nowhere. A real, public remix count would need a server and accounts; this site has neither, and it would rather say that than print a number it cannot own.

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