# motion-art-direction

Sets the motion rules before a single frame is animated: one easing family, one timing unit, one transition set for the whole piece.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 3300 installs · ★ 161
- Author: iart-ai
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/iart-ai/motion-design-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/motion-art-direction/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-06-22
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/motion-art-direction

## What it does

The skill turns a brief and a brand into a short motion spec. It walks through seven steps: read the brief, place the piece on the calm↔kinetic and soft↔sharp matrix, lock the motion language, rank elements into hero, support and texture layers, run a restraint pass, write per-shot direction notes, then audit every shot against the spec. The output is a filled table covering easing family, base timing unit, transition family, stagger rhythm and motion intensity.

Four named presets ship with it — Playful, Premium, Corporate, Energetic — each with durations, signature curves and an overshoot budget. Pick one per project and other skills such as `gsap-web` or `micro-interaction` can reference it by name. The guidance caps you at two easing curves: one for entrances, one for exits, with a third needing a reason to exist.

This is the judgment layer, not the craft layer. It writes no GSAP, Lottie or shader code. When animation reads as busy or as if each shot came from a different hand, the missing piece is usually a spec — that is what this produces.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add iart-ai/motion-design-skills --skill motion-art-direction -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/motion-art-direction/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/motion-art-direction/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add iart-ai/motion-design-skills --skill motion-art-direction -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/motion-art-direction/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add iart-ai/motion-design-skills --skill motion-art-direction -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/motion-art-direction/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install iart-ai/motion-design-skills motion-art-direction
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/motion-art-direction/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add iart-ai/motion-design-skills --skill motion-art-direction -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/iart-ai/motion-design-skills --path skills/motion-art-direction
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/motion-art-direction/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add iart-ai/motion-design-skills --skill motion-art-direction -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/iart-ai/motion-design-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/motion-art-direction/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- lock a motion language before animation starts
- tell a team what to move and what to leave still
- kill mismatched easing and timing across shots
- turn a brief and brand into written rules an agent can follow
- rank elements by how much attention they deserve

## Example prompts
- define a motion language for the launch film, calm and precise
- audit these shots against the motion spec
- list what should stay static in this frame

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 72c550863500c047.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 72c550863500c047
```text
---
name: motion-art-direction
description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "direct a motion graphics video", "do creative/art direction for a video", "define a motion language", "set the tone and pacing", "make the animation feel consistent", "decide what to animate (and what not to)", "turn a brief/brand into motion choices", or needs the senior creative judgment that sits above specific techniques (gsap/lottie/shader). Covers motion language, tone & energy, pacing/rhythm, motion hierarchy, restraint, and cross-shot consistency.
version: 0.1.0
---

# Motion Direction

Make the creative decisions for a motion piece before anyone animates a frame. Direction is the judgment layer: it turns a brief and a brand into a small, repeatable set of motion rules — one easing vocabulary, one timing scale, one transition family — so every shot feels like it came from the same hand. Good direction is mostly subtraction: deciding what NOT to move.

## When to use

- Starting any piece — explainer, launch film, UI demo, data story, loop — and the look/feel isn't decided yet.
- Animation feels "busy", "cheap", or "inconsistent" and the cause is decisions, not craft.
- Orchestrating other skills (gsap/lottie/shader/three.js): direction sets the rules they execute.
- Translating a brand or brief into directable, written choices a team (or an agent) can follow.

## The one rule

**Define the motion language first, then animate to it.** A motion language is a short spec — pick *one* of each: easing family, base timing unit, transition family, stagger rhythm, motion intensity. Everything in the piece obeys it. Consistency reads as confidence; variety reads as noise. When in doubt, reuse, don't invent.

## Direction workflow

| Step | Decision | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brief | Audience, one message, platform, duration, mood (3 adjectives) | One-line creative intent |
| 2. Tone & energy | Where it sits on calm↔kinetic and soft↔sharp | A point on the matrix below |
| 3. Motion language | Lock the spec table | The motion-language spec (filled) |
| 4. Hierarchy | Rank what moves: hero / support / texture | Motion hierarchy list |
| 5. Restraint pass | Cut motion that doesn't carry meaning | List of what stays static |
| 6. Shot direction | Note intent per shot, not keyframes | Direction notes (see template) |
| 7. Consistency check | Audit against the spec | Pass/fail per shot |

## Tone & energy matrix

Place the piece on two axes; the cell dictates the motion language defaults.

| | Soft (organic, eased) | Sharp (precise, snappy) |
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 72c550863500c047

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