How to Create Seamless Element Relocation on Scroll in Webflow

In this tutorial, we'll learn how to seamlessly relocate an element while scrolling from one position to a new position. This works even across mobile devices, adjusting for layout changes such as scale, rotation, and position. We can also apply this technique to multiple elements or images, altering their size and location as we scroll through the page.

Setting Up the Code in Webflow

To get started, let's create this effect in Webflow by applying the necessary attributes and settings to our elements. First, we'll copy the code provided and add it to the before-closing body tag of our page's project settings.

Defining Animation Elements

1. Component - This is a container that holds our animation elements. Add the attribute name with the value of "component".
2. Origin Element - This sets the original size, position, and rotation of the element. Set the attribute name with the value of "origin".
3. Target Element - This is the element we want to animate. Set the attribute name and value to "target".

Ensure that the parent element of the target has a defined width and height, and adjust the max-width to allow for animation size changes. Additionally, for images, disable the responsive image checkbox to prevent compression during animation.

Setting Animation Start and End Points

We need to define when the animation should start and end based on the scroll position. We can use the scrub start setting with keywords like top, center, bottom, or a percentage from the top of the element or screen.

For elements within the component, apply the scrub start attribute. For example, we can set the animation to start when the top of a section is at the top of the screen and end when another wrapper element reaches the top of the screen.

Handling Sticky Elements

When dealing with position sticky elements, we need to apply a custom attribute to the sticky div. Add the attribute with a value of true to the position sticky div to ensure smooth animation.

Enhancing the Animation

Scaling Target Element

To prevent issues with text and container sizes during scaling, we can opt to scale the target element instead of animating its width and height. This option is suitable when the origin and target elements have the same aspect ratio.

Apply the setting scale true to the entire component to enable scaling of the target element, ensuring a smoother transition without additional empty space.

Handling Image Loading

To prevent layout shifts when images load, ensure that all images across the site have a defined height before loading. Apply top-percent padding to div and set the image to absolute inside the div to maintain stability in the page layout.

A good test is to delete the image and ensure that the page's content's height remains consistent without the image present.

Multiple Elements and Customized Animation

Working with Multiple Origin and Target Elements

For scenarios involving multiple origin and target elements within a component, we can apply the same principles to each element, setting their respective attributes and defining start and end points.

We can also customize the order of animation for these elements, allowing them to stagger or animate in a random direction. Additionally, we can specify a minimum screen size for the interaction to ensure the effect only applies to larger devices.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we've explored the scroll flip power-up feature using GSAP flip and GSAP scroll trigger. By implementing these techniques in Webflow, we can seamlessly relocate elements while scrolling, creating engaging and dynamic user experiences on our websites.

This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide for beginners to implement seamless element relocation on scroll in Webflow, utilizing the power of animation and interaction to enhance the user experience. For further learning, be sure to explore additional resources on GSAP and animation principles.