Creating a text sliding effect with Tailwind CSS and vanilla CSS

Hey there, I want to had some text animation to my tiny collection of components/effects. This time we are going to create a text slide effect. The idea is to have a text that slides in from the bottom to the top. The sliding text will be a sequence of words that change one after the other. I will show you how to create this effect using Tailwind CSS and vanilla CSS. Here is a demo of what we will be creating:

Dive Into IdeasTechArt

Vanilla CSS

The code below shows how to create the sliding text effect using vanilla CSS:

<h1>
  Dive Into
  <span className="slider">
    <span className="slider__word">Ideas</span>
    <span className="slider__word">Tech</span>
    <span className="slider__word">Art</span>
  </span>
</h1>

h1 {
  font-size: 3rem;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  color: #a3a3a3;
  font-weight: 500;
}
.slider {
  position: relative;
  height: 1em;
  width: 150px;
  overflow: hidden;
  margin-left: 12px;
}
.slider__word {
  font-weight: 500;
  position: absolute;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  line-height: 1em;
  transform: translateY(100%);
  animation: slide 2.5s linear infinite;
  color: #f5f5f5;
}
.slider__word:nth-child(2) {
  animation-delay: 0.83s;
}
.slider__word:nth-child(3) {
  animation-delay: 1.67s;
}
@keyframes slide {
  0% {
    transform: translateY(100%);
    opacity: 0.1;
  }
  15% {
    transform: translateY(0);
    opacity: 1;
  }
  30% {
    transform: translateY(0);
    opacity: 1;
  }
  45% {
    transform: translateY(-100%);
    opacity: 1;
  }
  100% {
    transform: translateY(-100%);
    opacity: 0.1;
  }
}

Here is the code breakdown:

The h1 selector styles the "Dive into" text. The display property is set to flex to allow the elements within it to sit in a row.
The .slider class is the container for the sliding words. It is set to relative position which acts as the reference point for the absolutely positioned child elements (sliding words). The overflow is set to hidden to hide the parts of the sliding words that are outside this container. We add a margin-left to the container to create some space between the "Dive into" text and the sliding words (and simulate a space between the words).
The .slider__word class applies to the individual words that are sliding. Each word is absolutely positioned within the slider container. The transform: translateY(100%); means each word starts from below the visible area of the slider container. We use the animation property to set the name, duration, timing function and iteration count.
The :nth-child(2) and :nth-child(3) selectors apply to the second and third word respectively. They each have an animation-delay to ensure the words do not all start animating at the same time. The specific timing of 0.83s and 1.67s for the animation-delay is to divide the total animation duration of 2.5s into three equal intervals, providing a smooth transition between each word in the sequence. This way, when one word finishes its animation, the next one is ready to start, creating a continuous, seamless animation.
The @keyframes slide rule defines the animation. It specifies the styles at different stages (0%, 15%, 30%, 45%, 100%) of one cycle of the animation. The transform: translateY(); is used to move the words vertically and opacity is used to fade them in and out.

Tailwind CSS

If you prefer Tailwind CSS, here is the code:

<h1 className="flex items-center text-6xl font-medium text-neutral-400">
  Dive Into
  <span className="relative ml-3 h-[1em] w-36 overflow-hidden">
    <span
      className="absolute h-full w-full -translate-y-full animate-slide leading-none text-white"
    >
      Ideas
    </span>
    <span
      className="absolute h-full w-full -translate-y-full animate-slide leading-none text-white [animation-delay:0.83s]"
    >
      Tech
    </span>
    <span
      className="absolute h-full w-full -translate-y-full animate-slide leading-none text-white [animation-delay:1.83s]"
    >
      Art
    </span>
  </span>
</h1>

tailwind.config.js

module.exports = {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      animation: {
        slide: "slide 2.5s linear infinite",
      },
      keyframes: {
        slide: {
          "0%": { transform: "translateY(100%)", opacity: 0.1 },
          "15%": { transform: "translateY(0)", opacity: 1 },
          "30%": { transform: "translateY(0)", opacity: 1 },
          "45%": { transform: "translateY(-100%)", opacity: 1 },
          "100%": { transform: "translateY(-100%)", opacity: 0.1 },
        },
      },
    },
  },
  variants: {
    extend: {},
  },
  plugins: [],
};

See you next time!

Published: 6/23/2023

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Julien Thibeaut

Creating a text sliding effect with Tailwind CSS and vanilla CSS

Dive Into IdeasTechArt

Vanilla CSS

Tailwind CSS