Lottie in Flutter: solved exercise with JSON animations

Lottie in Flutter: solved exercise with JSON animations

Lottie is the standard format for vector animations exported from Adobe After Effects. In Flutter, the lottie package lets you play them with a single widget, with full control over speed, loops, and synchronization with gestures or app state.

Problem statement

Build an app that:

  • Plays a Lottie animation in a loop with configurable speed.
  • Allows pausing and resuming the animation from a button.
  • Shows a second Lottie animation controlled by a slider (manual frame scrubbing).
  • Uses AnimationController to synchronize Lottie with app state.

Dependencies

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dependencies:
  lottie: ^3.1.2

Download free .json files from LottieFiles and place them in assets/animations/.

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# pubspec.yaml
flutter:
  assets:
    - assets/animations/loading.json
    - assets/animations/success.json

Full solution

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import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:lottie/lottie.dart';

void main() => runApp(const MaterialApp(home: LottieDemo()));

class LottieDemo extends StatefulWidget {
  const LottieDemo({super.key});
  @override
  State<LottieDemo> createState() => _LottieDemoState();
}

class _LottieDemoState extends State<LottieDemo>
    with TickerProviderStateMixin {
  // Controller for the looping animation
  late final AnimationController _loopController;

  // Controller for the manual (slider) animation
  late final AnimationController _manualController;

  double _speed = 1.0;
  double _manualProgress = 0.0;
  bool _isPlaying = true;

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    _loopController = AnimationController(vsync: this);
    _manualController = AnimationController(vsync: this);
  }

  @override
  void dispose() {
    _loopController.dispose();
    _manualController.dispose();
    super.dispose();
  }

  void _togglePlayPause() {
    setState(() => _isPlaying = !_isPlaying);
    if (_isPlaying) {
      _loopController.forward();
    } else {
      _loopController.stop();
    }
  }

  void _onManualProgressChanged(double value) {
    setState(() => _manualProgress = value);
    _manualController.value = value;
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(title: const Text('Lottie in Flutter')),
      body: SingleChildScrollView(
        padding: const EdgeInsets.all(16),
        child: Column(
          crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.stretch,
          children: [
            // ── Looping animation ───────────────────────────────────────────
            const Text('Looping animation',
                style: TextStyle(fontWeight: FontWeight.bold, fontSize: 16)),
            const SizedBox(height: 8),
            Lottie.asset(
              'assets/animations/loading.json',
              controller: _loopController,
              height: 180,
              onLoaded: (composition) {
                // Assign duration and start looping
                _loopController
                  ..duration = composition.duration
                  ..repeat();
              },
            ),
            const SizedBox(height: 8),
            Row(
              mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
              children: [
                FilledButton.icon(
                  onPressed: _togglePlayPause,
                  icon: Icon(_isPlaying ? Icons.pause : Icons.play_arrow),
                  label: Text(_isPlaying ? 'Pause' : 'Resume'),
                ),
                const SizedBox(width: 12),
                const Text('Speed:'),
                SizedBox(
                  width: 120,
                  child: Slider(
                    min: 0.25,
                    max: 3.0,
                    divisions: 11,
                    label: '${_speed.toStringAsFixed(2)}x',
                    value: _speed,
                    onChanged: (v) {
                      setState(() => _speed = v);
                      final baseDuration = const Duration(milliseconds: 2000);
                      _loopController.duration =
                          baseDuration ~/ v.round().clamp(1, 10);
                      if (_isPlaying) _loopController.repeat();
                    },
                  ),
                ),
                Text('${_speed.toStringAsFixed(1)}x'),
              ],
            ),

            const Divider(height: 40),

            // ── Manual frame control ────────────────────────────────────────
            const Text('Manual frame control',
                style: TextStyle(fontWeight: FontWeight.bold, fontSize: 16)),
            const SizedBox(height: 8),
            Lottie.asset(
              'assets/animations/success.json',
              controller: _manualController,
              height: 180,
              onLoaded: (composition) {
                _manualController.duration = composition.duration;
              },
            ),
            Row(
              children: [
                const Text('Progress:'),
                Expanded(
                  child: Slider(
                    min: 0.0,
                    max: 1.0,
                    value: _manualProgress,
                    onChanged: _onManualProgressChanged,
                  ),
                ),
                Text('${(_manualProgress * 100).round()}%'),
              ],
            ),

            const Divider(height: 40),

            // ── Lottie from URL ─────────────────────────────────────────────
            const Text('Lottie from URL',
                style: TextStyle(fontWeight: FontWeight.bold, fontSize: 16)),
            const SizedBox(height: 8),
            Lottie.network(
              'https://assets5.lottiefiles.com/packages/lf20_fcfjwiyb.json',
              height: 150,
              repeat: true,
              errorBuilder: (_, error, __) =>
                  const Text('Could not load network animation'),
            ),

            const Divider(height: 40),

            // ── Tap-responsive animation ────────────────────────────────────
            const Text('Tap response',
                style: TextStyle(fontWeight: FontWeight.bold, fontSize: 16)),
            const SizedBox(height: 8),
            _TapLottie(),
          ],
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

// ── Tap-triggered Lottie widget ────────────────────────────────────────────────
class _TapLottie extends StatefulWidget {
  @override
  State<_TapLottie> createState() => _TapLottieState();
}

class _TapLottieState extends State<_TapLottie>
    with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {
  late final AnimationController _controller;
  bool _triggered = false;

  @override
  void initState() {
    super.initState();
    _controller = AnimationController(vsync: this);
  }

  @override
  void dispose() {
    _controller.dispose();
    super.dispose();
  }

  void _onTap() {
    if (_triggered) {
      _controller.reset();
    } else {
      _controller.forward();
    }
    setState(() => _triggered = !_triggered);
  }

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return GestureDetector(
      onTap: _onTap,
      child: Column(
        children: [
          Lottie.asset(
            'assets/animations/success.json',
            controller: _controller,
            height: 150,
            onLoaded: (c) => _controller.duration = c.duration,
          ),
          Text(
            _triggered ? 'Tap to reset' : 'Tap to animate',
            style: const TextStyle(color: Colors.grey),
          ),
        ],
      ),
    );
  }
}

How AnimationController works with Lottie

ModeCodeResult
Auto loop_controller.repeat()Continuous animation
Play once_controller.forward()Plays and stops
Reverse_controller.reverse()Plays backwards
Manual frame_controller.value = 0.5Jumps to 50% of animation
SpeedChange _controller.durationShorter = faster

Common mistakes

  • Black screen when loading Lottie: the asset is not declared in pubspec.yaml or the path is wrong. Check flutter pub get and the exact path.
  • onLoaded never fires: expected with Lottie.network when there’s no connection. Use errorBuilder to handle it.
  • Animation plays too fast or too slow: you must assign _controller.duration = composition.duration inside onLoaded. Without it the controller uses its default duration (1 second).

Practical use

Lottie is used for: loading screens (complex spinners), animated empty states, celebration animations after completing an action, animated onboarding, and micro-animations on buttons.

Guided practice and next step

FAQ

Can I use Lottie Web files in Flutter?

Yes. The Lottie JSON format is cross-platform. Download the .json from LottieFiles and use it as a local asset or via Lottie.network.

Does Lottie affect performance?

Simple Lottie animations have minimal impact. For complex animations with many layers, use RenderingStrategy.canvas or simplify the file in After Effects. Use Flutter DevTools to verify frame rate.

Can I change Lottie animation colors from Flutter?

The package supports LottieDelegates which allow overriding the colors of specific layers. Use this when you need dynamic theming without modifying the JSON file.