Remotion - Programmatic Video from React

Remotion - Programmatic Video from React

Create videos entirely in React using Remotion. Each frame is a React component. Write code, render to MP4. No AI model needed - pure programmatic control over every pixel and frame.

When to Use Remotion vs AI Video

Use Case	Tool
Precise animations, branded content, data visualizations	Remotion (this skill)
Creative/artistic video from text description	sw-media:video (AI models)
Product demos, marketing, changelogs	Remotion
Realistic footage, scenes, landscapes	sw-media:video

Workflow

Step 1: Check if Remotion Project Exists

# Check for existing Remotion setup
if [ -f "package.json" ] && grep -q '"remotion"' package.json 2>/dev/null; then
  echo "Remotion project detected"
else
  echo "No Remotion project found - will scaffold one"
fi

Step 2: Scaffold Project (If Needed)

If no Remotion project exists, scaffold one:

npx create-video@latest my-video --template blank
cd my-video
npm install

Or add Remotion to an existing project:

npm install remotion @remotion/cli @remotion/bundler

Step 3: Create Video Composition

Create a React component that defines the video. Key Remotion APIs:

import { useCurrentFrame, useVideoConfig, interpolate, spring, Sequence } from 'remotion';

export const MyComposition: React.FC = () => {
  const frame = useCurrentFrame();
  const { fps, width, height } = useVideoConfig();

  // Animate opacity from 0 to 1 over first 30 frames
  const opacity = interpolate(frame, [0, 30], [0, 1], {
    extrapolateRight: 'clamp',
  });

  // Spring animation
  const scale = spring({ frame, fps, config: { damping: 100 } });

  return (
    <div style={{ flex: 1, justifyContent: 'center', alignItems: 'center' }}>
      <h1 style={{ opacity, transform: `scale(${scale})`, fontSize: 80 }}>
        Hello World
      </h1>
    </div>
  );
};

Register the composition in src/Root.tsx:

import { Composition } from 'remotion';
import { MyComposition } from './MyComposition';

export const RemotionRoot: React.FC = () => {
  return (
    <Composition
      id="MyVideo"
      component={MyComposition}
      durationInFrames={150}  // 5 seconds at 30fps
      fps={30}
      width={1920}
      height={1080}
    />
  );
};

Step 4: Preview (Optional)

npx remotion studio
# Opens browser at http://localhost:3000 with preview player

Step 5: Render to MP4

npx remotion render src/index.ts MyVideo out/video.mp4

Additional render options:

# Custom resolution
npx remotion render src/index.ts MyVideo out/video.mp4 --width 1920 --height 1080

# Lower quality for faster rendering
npx remotion render src/index.ts MyVideo out/video.mp4 --quality 80

# Specific frame range
npx remotion render src/index.ts MyVideo out/video.mp4 --frames 0-90

# GIF output
npx remotion render src/index.ts MyVideo out/animation.gif

# PNG sequence
npx remotion render src/index.ts MyVideo out/frames --image-format png

Step 6: Verify Output

FILE="out/video.mp4"
if [ -f "$FILE" ] && [ -s "$FILE" ]; then
  file "$FILE"
  SIZE=$(du -h "$FILE" | cut -f1)
  echo "Video rendered successfully: $FILE ($SIZE)"
else
  echo "ERROR: Render failed - check console output for errors"
fi

Common Animation Patterns

Fade In/Out

const opacity = interpolate(frame, [0, 30], [0, 1], { extrapolateRight: 'clamp' });

Slide In

const translateX = interpolate(frame, [0, 30], [-100, 0], { extrapolateRight: 'clamp' });

Spring Physics

const scale = spring({ frame, fps, config: { damping: 10, stiffness: 100 } });

Sequences (Staggered Timing)

<Sequence from={0} durationInFrames={60}>
  <Title text="Part 1" />
</Sequence>
<Sequence from={60} durationInFrames={60}>
  <Title text="Part 2" />
</Sequence>

Data-Driven Video

// Pass data as props to composition
const data = [
  { label: 'Jan', value: 42 },
  { label: 'Feb', value: 78 },
  { label: 'Mar', value: 95 },
];

// Animate bar chart based on frame
const progress = interpolate(frame, [0, 60], [0, 1], { extrapolateRight: 'clamp' });

Prerequisites Check

Before scaffolding or rendering, verify:

# Node.js required (v18+)
node --version

# Chrome/Chromium required for rendering
if command -v google-chrome >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo "Chrome found"
elif command -v chromium >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo "Chromium found"
elif [ -d "/Applications/Google Chrome.app" ]; then
  echo "Chrome found (macOS)"
else
  echo "WARNING: Chrome/Chromium not found - rendering may fail"
  echo "Install: brew install --cask google-chrome (macOS)"
fi

Error Handling

Error	Action
Node.js not installed	Tell user to install Node.js 18+
Chrome not found	Suggest brew install --cask google-chrome (macOS) or apt install chromium (Linux)
npx create-video fails	Try npm create video@latest or check npm registry
Render fails with memory error	Reduce resolution or use --concurrency 1
TypeScript errors	Check composition imports and prop types

Remotion Agent Skills (Advanced)

Remotion provides official Claude Code skills for advanced usage:

# Install Remotion's official agent skills (optional)
npx skills add remotion-dev/skills

This adds deeper Remotion knowledge to the AI assistant including animation best practices, performance optimization, and advanced composition patterns.

Activation Keywords

Remotion, programmatic video, React video, code video, animated presentation, product demo video, marketing video, video from code, render video, create animation from code