GSAP Project — Interactive Animated Landing Page
In this tutorial, you will learn about GSAP Project. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices to help you master this topic.
This project walks through building a full-featured animated landing page with GSAP, combining ScrollTrigger, TextPlugin, MorphSVG, Draggable, and timeline-based hero animations.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this project, you will structure a large GSAP project with multiple animation systems, create a hero sequence with timeline orchestration, build scroll-triggered section reveals with parallax, implement interactive elements with Draggable, and optimize animation performance.
Project Architecture
var LandingPage = {
tl: null,
sections: {},
init: function() {
this.heroTimeline();
this.setupReveals();
this.setupParallax();
this.setupInteractive();
},
heroTimeline: function() {
this.tl = gsap.timeline({ defaults: { ease: 'power3.out' } });
this.tl
.from('.hero-title', { y: 100, opacity: 0, duration: 1 })
.from('.hero-subtitle', { y: 50, opacity: 0, duration: 0.8 }, '-=0.4')
.from('.hero-cta', { scale: 0, opacity: 0, duration: 0.6 }, '-=0.3')
.from('.hero-image', { clipPath: 'inset(0 100% 0 0)', duration: 1.2 }, '-=0.8');
},
setupReveals: function() {
gsap.utils.toArray('.reveal-section').forEach(function(section) {
gsap.from(section.querySelectorAll('.reveal-item'), {
y: 60,
opacity: 0,
duration: 0.6,
stagger: 0.1,
scrollTrigger: {
trigger: section,
start: 'top 85%'
}
});
});
}
};
Common Mistakes
1. No Performance Budget
Animating too many elements simultaneously causes jank. Prioritize visible elements and use will-change.
2. ScrollTrigger Markers in Production
Remove markers: true in production. Use build-time flags to exclude debug code.
3. Loading All Animations on Page Load
Lazy-load animations for sections below the fold. Use ScrollTrigger with immediateRender: false.
4. Not Handling Resize
ScrollTrigger auto-refreshes on resize. Custom animations using viewport dimensions need manual update.
5. Missing Fallbacks
If GSAP fails to load (ad blocker), the page should still be usable. Use progressive enhancement.
Practice Questions
Q1: How do you structure a large GSAP project? A: Use a main application object with methods for each animation section. Store timeline references.
Q2: How do you lazy-load animations? A: Use ScrollTrigger with onEnter callback to create animations only when the section scrolls into view.
Q3: How do you optimize animation performance? A: Use will-change on animated elements, reduce paint areas, use GPU-composited properties (transform, opacity).
Q4: How do you handle page load animation timing? A: Use a page loader or wait for window.load event before starting hero timeline.
Q5: How do you test animations across devices? A: Use Chrome DevToolsk "DevTools" >}} device mode, throttled CPU, and slowed-down animations with gsap.ticker.lagSmoothing.
Challenge: Add a Draggable testimonial carousel that snaps to each testimonial card. Cards should auto-rotate every 5 seconds but pause on hover.
FAQ
Try It Yourself
Build a mini animated landing page hero.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>GSAP Landing Page</title>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/gsap/3.12/gsap.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/gsap/3.12/ScrollTrigger.min.js"></script>
<script>gsap.registerPlugin(ScrollTrigger);</script>
<style>
* { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; }
body { font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; }
.hero { min-height: 100vh; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #1a1a2e, #16213e); display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; color: white; text-align: center; overflow: hidden; }
.hero-title { font-size: 3.5rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; }
.hero-subtitle { font-size: 1.2rem; color: #4ecdc4; margin-bottom: 2rem; }
.hero-cta { display: inline-block; padding: 14px 36px; background: #ff6b35; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 50px; font-weight: bold; }
.hero-image { width: 200px; height: 200px; background: #4ecdc4; border-radius: 24px; margin-top: 3rem; }
.features { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr); gap: 2rem; padding: 5rem 10%; background: #f5f5f5; }
.feature-card { background: white; padding: 2rem; border-radius: 12px; box-shadow: 0 4px 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.08); }
.feature-card h3 { margin-bottom: 0.5rem; color: #1a1a2e; }
.feature-card p { color: #666; line-height: 1.6; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<section class="hero">
<h1 class="hero-title">Build Amazing Animations</h1>
<p class="hero-subtitle">GSAP powers the web's most engaging experiences</p>
<a href="#" class="hero-cta">Get Started</a>
<div class="hero-image"></div>
</section>
<section class="features">
<div class="feature-card reveal-item">
<h3>Scroll Magic</h3>
<p>Trigger animations based on scroll position with precise control.</p>
</div>
<div class="feature-card reveal-item">
<h3>Timeline Control</h3>
<p>Sequence complex animations with GSAP's powerful timeline system.</p>
</div>
<div class="feature-card reveal-item">
<h3>SVG Animation</h3>
<p>Morph, animate, and transform SVG elements with ease.</p>
</div>
</section>
<script>
var tl = gsap.timeline({ defaults: { ease: 'power3.out' } });
tl.from('.hero-title', { y: 80, opacity: 0, duration: 1 })
.from('.hero-subtitle', { y: 40, opacity: 0, duration: 0.8 }, '-=0.4')
.from('.hero-cta', { scale: 0, opacity: 0, duration: 0.5 }, '-=0.2')
.from('.hero-image', { clipPath: 'inset(0 100% 0 0)', duration: 1.2 }, '-=0.6');
gsap.from('.feature-card', {
y: 60,
opacity: 0,
duration: 0.6,
stagger: 0.15,
scrollTrigger: { trigger: '.features', start: 'top 80%' }
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
What's Next
Explore Babylon.js for 3D.
Getting Started — 3D with Babylon.js.
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