Token	Value	Use
`invisible`	0	Hidden state
`ghost`	0.1	Ghosted/disabled
`subtle`	0.3	Understated presence
`half`	0.5	Semi-transparent
`prominent`	0.7	Clearly visible
`visible`	1	Fully opaque

Fade Durations

Token	Value	Use
`duration-micro`	50ms	Perception threshold
`duration-fast`	100ms	Quick feedback
`duration-standard`	200ms	M3 short-4
`duration-smooth`	300ms	Comfortable pace

Selection Guide

What's the effect?
│
├── FADE IN/OUT → Standard opacity transition
│   ├── Quick → duration-fast (100ms)
│   ├── Standard → duration-standard (200ms)
│   └── Smooth → duration-smooth (300ms)
│
├── CROSSFADE → Two elements swapping
│   └── Use crossfade-midpoint (0.5) timing
│
├── FLASH → Attention/notification
│   ├── Single → count-single
│   ├── Emphasis → count-double
│   └── Duration: 100-150ms per flash
│
├── PULSE → Breathing/ambient
│   ├── Calm → period-slow (3s)
│   ├── Normal → period-medium (1.5s)
│   └── Urgent → period-fast (0.75s)
│
└── SCRIM/OVERLAY → Background dimming
    ├── Light → scrim-light (0.3)
    ├── Modal → scrim-medium (0.5)
    └── Focus → scrim-dark (0.7)

Patterns

Fade In

Element fades in from invisible to visible.

CSS:

.fade-in {
  animation: fadeIn 200ms ease-out forwards;
}

@keyframes fadeIn {
  from {
    opacity: 0; /* {motion.opacity.levels.invisible} */
  }
  to {
    opacity: 1; /* {motion.opacity.levels.visible} */
  }
}

/* Transition variant */
.fade-in-transition {
  opacity: 0;
  transition: opacity 200ms ease-out; /* {motion.opacity.fade.duration-standard} */
}

.fade-in-transition.visible {
  opacity: 1;
}

Framer Motion:

const fadeInVariants = {
  hidden: { opacity: 0 },
  visible: {
    opacity: 1,
    transition: {
      duration: 0.2, // {motion.opacity.fade.duration-standard}
      ease: [0.05, 0.7, 0.1, 1] // emphasized-decelerate
    }
  }
};

<motion.div
  variants={fadeInVariants}
  initial="hidden"
  animate="visible"
/>

GSAP:

gsap.from(element, {
  opacity: 0,
  duration: 0.2, // {motion.opacity.fade.duration-standard}
  ease: "power2.out"
});

Crossfade Transition

Two elements swap visibility simultaneously.

CSS:

.crossfade-container {
  position: relative;
}

.crossfade-item {
  position: absolute;
  transition: opacity 300ms ease-in-out;
}

.crossfade-item.entering {
  opacity: 1;
}

.crossfade-item.exiting {
  opacity: 0;
}

Framer Motion (AnimatePresence):

import { AnimatePresence, motion } from 'framer-motion';

<AnimatePresence mode="wait">
  <motion.div
    key={activeItem}
    initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
    animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
    exit={{ opacity: 0 }}
    transition={{ duration: 0.3 }}
  />
</AnimatePresence>

Remotion:

import { interpolate, useCurrentFrame } from 'remotion';

export const Crossfade: React.FC<{ switchFrame: number }> = ({ switchFrame }) => {
  const frame = useCurrentFrame();

  const opacity1 = interpolate(
    frame,
    [switchFrame - 15, switchFrame],
    [1, 0],
    { extrapolateRight: 'clamp' }
  );

  const opacity2 = interpolate(
    frame,
    [switchFrame, switchFrame + 15],
    [0, 1],
    { extrapolateLeft: 'clamp' }
  );

  return (
    <>
      <div style={{ opacity: opacity1 }}>Content 1</div>
      <div style={{ opacity: opacity2 }}>Content 2</div>
    </>
  );
};

Flash Effect

Quick opacity flash for notifications/attention.

CSS:

@keyframes flash {
  0%, 100% {
    opacity: 1;
  }
  50% {
    opacity: 0.3; /* {motion.opacity.flash.trough} */
  }
}

.flash-once {
  animation: flash 150ms ease-in-out; /* {motion.opacity.flash.duration-standard} */
}

.flash-twice {
  animation: flash 150ms ease-in-out 2;
}

.flash-triple {
  animation: flash 150ms ease-in-out 3;
}

Framer Motion:

const flashVariants = {
  idle: { opacity: 1 },
  flash: {
    opacity: [1, 0.3, 1, 0.3, 1],
    transition: {
      duration: 0.45, // 150ms x 3 flashes
      times: [0, 0.17, 0.33, 0.5, 0.67]
    }
  }
};

GSAP:

gsap.to(element, {
  opacity: 0.3,
  duration: 0.075, // half of flash duration
  repeat: 3,
  yoyo: true,
  ease: "power2.inOut"
});

Pulse/Breathing Effect

Continuous subtle opacity oscillation.

CSS:

@keyframes pulse {
  0%, 100% {
    opacity: 1;
  }
  50% {
    opacity: 0.5; /* {motion.opacity.pulse.min-noticeable} */
  }
}

.breathing {
  animation: pulse 1.5s ease-in-out infinite; /* {motion.opacity.pulse.period-medium} */
}

/* Subtle variant */
.breathing-subtle {
  animation: pulse 3s ease-in-out infinite;
}

@keyframes pulseSubtle {
  0%, 100% { opacity: 1; }
  50% { opacity: 0.7; } /* {motion.opacity.pulse.min-subtle} */
}

Framer Motion:

<motion.div
  animate={{
    opacity: [1, 0.5, 1]
  }}
  transition={{
    duration: 1.5,
    repeat: Infinity,
    ease: "easeInOut"
  }}
/>

Modal Scrim/Backdrop

Dimming overlay behind modals.

CSS:

.modal-backdrop {
  position: fixed;
  inset: 0;
  background: black;
  opacity: 0;
  transition: opacity 200ms ease-out;
}

.modal-backdrop.visible {
  opacity: 0.5; /* {motion.opacity.layer.scrim-medium} */
}

/* Darker for focused content */
.modal-backdrop.focused {
  opacity: 0.7; /* {motion.opacity.layer.scrim-dark} */
}

Framer Motion:

<AnimatePresence>
  {isOpen && (
    <motion.div
      className="modal-backdrop"
      initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
      animate={{ opacity: 0.5 }} // {motion.opacity.layer.scrim-medium}
      exit={{ opacity: 0 }}
      transition={{ duration: 0.2 }}
      onClick={onClose}
    />
  )}
</AnimatePresence>

Flicker Effect

Random opacity variation for organic/unstable look.

JavaScript + CSS:

function createFlicker(element, variance = 0.1, frequency = 5) {
  const baseOpacity = 1;

  setInterval(() => {
    const randomOffset = (Math.random() - 0.5) * 2 * variance;
    element.style.opacity = baseOpacity + randomOffset;
  }, 1000 / frequency);
}

GSAP:

gsap.to(element, {
  opacity: "random(0.85, 1)", // {motion.opacity.flicker.variance} around 1
  duration: 0.1,
  repeat: -1,
  repeatRefresh: true,
  ease: "none"
});

Reduced Motion

For prefers-reduced-motion: reduce:

Full Motion	Reduced Alternative
Fade (any duration)	Instant or very fast (50ms)
Flash/flicker	Single color change, no animation
Pulse	Static opacity or very subtle
Crossfade	Instant swap or very fast

Implementation:

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .fade-in {
    animation: none;
    opacity: 1;
  }

  .breathing {
    animation: none;
    opacity: 1;
  }

  .flash-once {
    animation: none;
    /* Use color change instead */
    background-color: var(--highlight-color);
  }

  .modal-backdrop {
    transition-duration: 0.01ms;
  }
}

Cross-References

See easing/ for fade timing curves
See duration/ for animation timing values
See entrance-patterns/ for fade + other properties
See exit-patterns/ for fade-out patterns
See transitions/ for crossfade page transitions
See reveals/ for opacity + clip-path combinations

References

No additional references needed for this skill

Standard	Documentation
W3C DTCG	designtokens.org
Material Design 3	m3.material.io/styles/motion
CSS Opacity	developer.mozilla.org/CSS/opacity

opacity

Opacity

Standards Reference

Quick Reference

Opacity Levels