view-transitions

Shared element transitions in Next.js are created by assigning consistent view-transition-name values to matching elements across routes, enabling them to morph seamlessly during navigation. This maintains visual continuity, such as animating a list thumbnail directly into a detail page hero image.

The best way to animate route changes in React is using the ViewTransition component to orchestrate the browser View Transition lifecycle. It snapshots the old DOM state, updates the UI, and applies a smooth cross-fade animation between the old and new states for interruption-friendly transitions.

Yes, React ViewTransition works with the Next.js App Router to animate page navigation automatically. You can implement it within your page layouts to drive route animations and apply shared element effects across different route transitions.

Directional animations during view transitions are controlled using the addTransitionType function and data attributes. This differentiates forward versus back navigation, allowing you to reverse the motion appropriately based on the user's specific navigation direction.

Style view transitions using the ::view-transition-old and ::view-transition-new CSS pseudo-elements to control timing and animation. You must provide fallbacks and respect reduced motion preferences to ensure accessibility for users who disable animations.