What is carousels-sliders?

This Claude skill provides a comprehensive framework for creating high-quality carousel and slider animations by applying Disney's 12 animation principles to web UI. It offers specific CSS implementations, timing guidelines, and UX best practices to ensure smooth, intuitive, and professional horizontal scrolling experiences. By integrating advanced easing functions and CSS scroll snap techniques, it helps developers bridge the gap between static design and fluid, high-performance motion.

When should I use carousels-sliders?

carousels-sliders is useful in the following scenarios: • Implementing high-performance e-commerce product galleries with smooth momentum-based swiping and native CSS scroll snap behavior. • Creating premium hero carousels using 'Squash & Stretch' and 'Anticipation' effects to enhance brand perception and user engagement. • Optimizing mobile-first image sliders with precise cubic-bezier easing functions and touch-responsive feedback for a native-app feel. • Developing interactive storytelling components where nested content uses 'Follow Through' and 'Overlapping Action' to provide visual depth and polish.

name	carousels-sliders
description	Use when animating carousels, sliders, image galleries, or horizontally scrolling content for smooth navigation

Carousel & Slider Animation Principles

Apply Disney's 12 principles to carousels and sliders for smooth, intuitive navigation.

Principles Applied to Carousels

1. Squash & Stretch

Slides can slightly compress in scroll direction during fast swipes. Expands perception of speed and momentum.

2. Anticipation

Before slide change, current slide can shift 5-10px in direction of navigation. Button can depress before triggering.

3. Staging

Current/active slide should be prominently displayed: larger, centered, more opaque. Adjacent slides can be dimmed or scaled down.

4. Straight Ahead & Pose to Pose

Use pose-to-pose: define exact positions for each slide. Snap points should be clear and predictable.

5. Follow Through & Overlapping Action

After snap, slide can overshoot slightly and settle back. Content within slide (text, buttons) lags behind container movement.

6. Ease In & Ease Out

Swipe release: ease-out (momentum slowdown). Button navigation: ease-in-out. cubic-bezier(0.25, 0.1, 0.25, 1) for smooth slides.

7. Arcs

3D carousels should rotate slides along curved paths. Coverflow effects follow arc naturally. Even flat carousels can have subtle Y movement.

8. Secondary Action

While slide moves (primary), pagination updates (secondary), adjacent slides scale/fade (tertiary), progress bar moves (quaternary).

9. Timing

Slide transition: 300-500ms
Swipe momentum: 200-400ms
Pagination dot: 150ms
Autoplay interval: 4000-6000ms
Pause on hover: immediate
Adjacent slide scale: 250ms

10. Exaggeration

Hero carousels can use more dramatic transitions. Product carousels should be smoother, less distracting. Scale to context.

11. Solid Drawing

Maintain consistent slide dimensions. Gaps should stay uniform. Aspect ratios must be preserved during any transforms.

12. Appeal

Smooth carousels feel premium. Janky sliders feel cheap. Touch response should feel native. Investment here pays dividends.

CSS Implementation

.carousel-track {
  display: flex;
  transition: transform 400ms cubic-bezier(0.25, 0.1, 0.25, 1);
}

.carousel-slide {
  flex-shrink: 0;
  transition: transform 300ms ease-out,
              opacity 300ms ease-out;
}

.carousel-slide:not(.active) {
  transform: scale(0.9);
  opacity: 0.6;
}

.pagination-dot {
  transition: transform 150ms ease-out,
              background-color 150ms ease-out;
}

.pagination-dot.active {
  transform: scale(1.3);
}

/* CSS scroll snap */
.carousel-container {
  scroll-snap-type: x mandatory;
  scroll-behavior: smooth;
}

.carousel-slide {
  scroll-snap-align: center;
}

Key Properties

transform: translateX, scale
opacity: inactive slides
scroll-snap-type: native snapping
scroll-behavior: smooth scrolling
transition: slide movements

carousels-sliders

When & Why to Use This Skill

Use Cases