Scroll driven image sequence animations are one of the most powerful techniques for creating immersive, high-engagement web experiences. Unlike autoplay videos or traditional animations, these sequences respond directly to user scroll: playing forward, rewinding, and pausing naturally as visitors explore the page.

What was once a “holy grail” reserved for large brands with big development budgets is now far more accessible. In 2026, designers and developers have multiple practical ways to implement scroll-controlled image animations: from no-code WordPress tools to fully custom JavaScript solutions.

In this guide, we’ll explore:

• What scroll image animation really is
• How leading brands helped popularize it
• How to choose the right solution for your project
• Three modern approaches to building it
• Performance, SEO, and UX considerations

What Is Scroll-Driven Image Animation?

Scroll-driven image animation (also called scroll-controlled image sequences, or video scroll) is a technique where a series of images are displayed frame-by-frame as the user scrolls the page.

Instead of pressing “play” on a video, the visitor controls the animation with their scroll:

• Scroll down → animation moves forward
• Scroll up → animation rewinds
• Stop scrolling → animation pauses

This creates a strong sense of interactivity and makes storytelling, product reveals, and transitions feel deliberate rather than passive.

A Brief History of Scroll Image Sequences

Early scroll-based image animations required highly customized engineering and careful performance optimization. Only a small number of companies invested the resources necessary to make them work smoothly across devices.

Sony Be Moved

Apple Airpods Pro

Samsung Galaxy S21

How Can You Create Scroll Image Animation Today?

In 2026, there are three realistic approaches to building scroll-driven image animations:

1. Use a dedicated WordPress plugin
2. Write a custom JavaScript solution
3. Use modern JavaScript animation libraries

Each approach has different trade-offs in cost, complexity, performance, and flexibility.

Option 1: WordPress Plugin (The Easiest Path)

For most WordPress users, a purpose-built plugin is the fastest and safest way to implement scroll image animations.

A tool like Scrollsequence handles the most difficult parts for you:

• Image sequence management
• Scroll-to-frame mapping
• Content animation in synchronization
• Smart preloading strategies
• Responsive behaviour
• Performance optimization

Instead of writing code, you upload your image frames, configure scroll behavior, and focus on storytelling.

Why This Approach Works Well

• No JavaScript expertise required
• Predictable performance across devices
• SEO-friendly content layering
• Compatible with modern WordPress editors and page builders

For marketing sites, landing pages, portfolios, and product storytelling, this is usually the most efficient solution.

Option 2: Writing Your Own JavaScript

Custom JavaScript gives you maximum control and maximum responsibility.

Before writing code, there are several important decisions to make.

Video vs Image Sequence

• Video can be compact, but scrubbing smoothly in both directions is difficult and inconsistent across devices.
• Image sequences are simpler and more predictable, but require careful optimization to avoid large payloads.

In practice, image sequences remain the most reliable choice for scroll-controlled playback.

Which HTML Element to Use?

HTML5 give you a number of ways how to dynamically display images in rapid succession to achieve animation effect.

<img>

Changing the src attribute on scroll is simple, but decoding and repainting can cause visual artifacts if not handled carefully. Modern decoding techniques help, but this approach is still limited. See this example on css-tricks.com

<video>

Using video can work in specific cases, but backward scrubbing and frame accurate control remain problematic. While it may work on one device, or browser, others may struggle due to the codec or video encoding. See example from GSAP forum or a video from Nicolai.

<canvas>

The <canvas> element remains the most powerful and performance oriented option. It allows you to draw images or video frames directly and gives you full control over rendering – at the cost of significantly higher complexity.

Here is a neat working codepen on Image Sequence Animation on Scroll

Performance Considerations (Critical)

Scroll animations live directly on the main thread, so efficiency is non-negotiable.

The most expensive operation is image decoding.

Decoding is necessary operation that takes compressed .jpg or .png and decode it to a bitmap. To efficiently decode the images there are several approaches, but not all are compatible with most browsers. See image.decode(), createImageBitmap, JS web worker and offscreen canvas for reference.

Key principles:

• Use requestAnimationFrame for rendering
• Avoid drawing the same frame multiple times
• Pre-calculate values wherever possible
• Use passive scroll listeners
• Decode images strategically to avoid blocking

Modern APIs like createImageBitmap() and background decoding can help, but browser support and memory usage must be handled carefully.

Responsiveness and Resize Handling

Scroll animations must adapt gracefully across:

• Desktop
• Tablets
• Mobile devices

If you’re using <canvas>, resizing requires manual recalculation and redraws. Resize events should always be throttled or debounced — especially on mobile, where viewport changes can trigger frequent layout shifts.

Core Web Vitals & Scroll Animations

Scroll animations must respect Core Web Vitals:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint):
  The first frame or fallback image should load quickly.
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift):
  Animations must not shift layout unexpectedly.
• INP (Interaction to Next Paint):
  Scroll handlers must remain lightweight and responsive.

SEO Considerations

Modern search engines can execute JavaScript, but indexing still happens in stages.

Best practices:

• Ensure meaningful content exists in the HTML
• Do not hide critical text behind JavaScript-only rendering
• Use animations as enhancement, not replacement
• Provide sensible fallbacks for non-JavaScript environments

Scroll-driven visuals should support your message, not replace it.

Image Preloading & Optimization

Image sequences can involve dozens or hundreds of frames, so image optimization matters:

• Compress images aggressively
• Load only what’s necessary upfront
• Defer non-critical frames
• Use responsive image sizing

Poor image handling will directly impact performance metrics and user experience.

To learn more, read our article about Bulk Image Optimisation.

Cross-Device Compatibility

Every browser and device handles scrolling differently. Touch input, momentum scrolling, and CPU limitations vary widely.

A production-ready solution must be tested on:

• Mobile Safari
• Chrome (desktop and mobile)
• Firefox – Especially tricky, because there are constant viewport height changes during up and down scrolling and associated showing/hiding of the address bar
• Edge

This is one of the most underestimated challenges of custom implementations.

Option 3: JavaScript Animation Libraries

GSAP + ScrollTrigger

GSAP remains the gold standard for high-performance web animation. Its ScrollTrigger plugin has effectively replaced older scroll-based libraries and provides:

• Scroll-linked timelines
• Scrubbing
• Pinning
• Optimized performance

For teams with JavaScript expertise, this is the most robust “middle ground” between plugins and bespoke engines.

• Creating Awesome UI’s that Animate Only On Scroll (youtube video using GSAP)
• CodePen Demo (AirPods)

Legacy Tools

Older tools like ScrollMagic or jQuery-based sequencers are now largely legacy solutions. While tutorials still exist, modern projects should favor actively maintained libraries.

• Image Sequence Example (ScrollMagic)
• Apple Airpod Pro Javascript Animation Tutorial (Youtube video from DevEd)
• Animated Video Scroll Render for Web with Bodymovin & ScrollMagic JS (Medium)

Choosing the Right Approach

• Use a plugin if you want speed, reliability, and simplicity
• Use GSAP if you need flexibility and have development resources
• Write custom code only if you require full control and can invest in long-term maintenance

Most projects benefit from choosing the simplest solution that meets their requirements.

Closing Words

Scroll-driven image animations remain one of the most effective ways to create immersive, memorable web experiences. What once required large budgets and custom engineering is now achievable with modern tools and well-established best practices.

If you’re working in WordPress and want a streamlined workflow, a dedicated solution like Scrollsequence offers the fastest path from idea to production. For more advanced needs, GSAP or custom JavaScript implementations provide flexibility at a cost.

Whichever path you choose, the key is balance: performance, accessibility, and storytelling should always come first.

In this article we will look on how to make Image sequence animation in Beaver Builder. Sequence of images that play and rewind as you scroll up and down on the page. This is part of a series that focuses on Scrollsequence WP plugin integration.

First two steps are focusing on plugin installation and creating a basic animation, if you already know that, you can skip to the integration to Beaver Builder

1. Install Scrollsequence WP Plugin

There is a choice between Free and Pro version of the plugin.
Even with the free version, you can make it work. We also provide a free 14-day trial so that you can check it out for free and upgrade if you like.

2. Create Animation

Below it is described how to make a simple animation in Scrollsequence.

For that, firstly go to the ‘Scrollsequence Menu’ on the left side of your dashboard and click on the ‘Add New Scrollsequence’. 

In the next steps create a new scene and add images to the Scene.

After you’ve selected and added the images, a new editor section called ‘Fixed Content’ will appear on top of it. It’s used to overlay headlines and other text on top of an image sequence. There is already a default header in place with ‘Another Day on Earth’. 

Let’s not spend much more space with the details on how to make an animation. You can have a look at how to create scroll animation and a general introduction articles.

3. Add Scrollsequence Image Animation To Beaver Builder

I am sure you are familiar with Beaver Builder. It is an intuitive WordPress website builder. It works in real time on the front end of your page. Live, Front End Editing – what you see is what you get.

Firstly, make sure that you’ve Beaver Builder is installed on your website whether free or premium. 

Then, you need to go to the page you want to add the animation and launch it with Beaver Builder. Afterward, you’ll be directed to the Beaver Builder’s page editing interface. 

Now, from the right sidebar, you can drag the HTML module to the page.

Then, paste the shortcode that you copied previously in the ‘General box’ as shown above. And you need to click on the ‘Save’ button just below that. 

You can also preview the scroll image animation in the back end just as shown in the above GIF. As our plugin Scrollsequence seamlessly integrates even in the back end of these page builders. 

If you like your scroll image animation, then you can publish it right away. And, there you go with your animation added using Beaver Builder page builder. 

More from this series

1. Add Image sequence animation to Elementor

2. Add Image sequence animation to Divi

3. Add Image sequence animation to Beaver Builder

Conclusion

folks! We’ve come to the end of our article on how to make scroll image animation and integrate it Beaver Builder in WordPress. 

Are you fascinated by the scroll image animation that you see on Sony, Apple, or Samsung websites? We are going to talk about image sequence animation in Divi page builder.

In general, you can understand scroll image animation as appealing animated images that play and rewind as you scroll. Therefore, you can also create scroll image animation web pages on your WordPress site to draw your visitors to your site.

Thankfully, it’s possible with our Scrollsequence plugin. It’s a handy plugin that allows you to quickly create attractive animation effects. And it’s totally compatible with various page builders such as Beaver Builder, Elementor, Divi, and more. This way, you can add them to various pages effortlessly.

1. Install Scrollsequence WP Plugin

There is a choice between Free and Pro version of the plugin.
Even with the free version, you can make it work. We also provide a free 14-day trial so that you can check it out for free and upgrade if you like.

2. Create Animation

There are some useful articles on how to create scroll animation and a general introduction tutorial. Have a read through them if you feel like you need to start fresh.

3. Add Scrollsequence Image Animation To Divi

Divi’s is a visual page builder. You drag and drop page sections rows and modules to build any type of website by combining and arranging content elements.

To add Scrollsequence to Divi, just follow the steps below. It’s quite simple!

Now, you need to go to the page where you want to add the animation. And go to the Plus (+) button to type in ‘Divi Builder’ and click on it. 

Then, you’ll see ‘Edit With The Divi Builder’, click on it. 

Following that, in the Insert Module search bar, type in ‘Code’. Once you’ll see the code wizard, click on it. 

Now, paste the shortcode that you copied previously and paste it into the Code box. Then, click on the right (✓) icon just below it to save the changes.

More from this series

1. Add Image sequence animation to Elementor

2. Add Image sequence animation to Divi

3. Add Image sequence animation to Beaver Builder

Conclusion

That’s it, folks! We’ve come to the end of our article on how to make scroll image animation and integrate it Divi in WordPress. 

We genuinely hope you enjoyed this article and now can make scroll image animation effortlessly and add it with various page builders using our Scrollsequence plugin. 

If you’ve any queries or confusions related to making scroll image animation or Scrollsequence plugin, then leave a comment below. We’ll respond to you as soon as possible. Also, if you’re already using it to make animation, do leave your thoughts below.

Lastly, don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family. Do follow us on Facebook,and Twitter for more related articles. 

You have been wondering how to make Sony, Apple, or Samsung style image sequence animation in Elementor? Look no further, we are going to dive deep into the visually striking animation technology.

Scrollsequence allows you to seamlessly Scroll through video cut up to individual image frames. On top of the animation you can add any interactive content and animate it in sync with the video animating in the background. It is available as freemium WordPress plugin.

In this article we are going to discover, how easy it is to encompass the animation sequence in Elementor Page Builder

Elementor is the leading website builder platform for professionals on WordPress. It serves web professionals, including developers, designers.

1. Install Scrollsequence WP Plugin

There is a choice between Free and Pro version of the plugin.
Even with the free version, you can make it work. We also provide a free 14-day trial so that you can check it out for free and upgrade if you like.

2. Create Animation

So, now let’s get down to the exciting part that is creating animation with our Scrollsequence plugin.

For that, firstly go to the ‘Scrollsequence Menu’ on the left side of your dashboard and click on the ‘Add New Scrollsequence’. 

Following that, you need to click on the ‘Add Scenes’ option to add images to create its moving effect. On clicking it, you’ll see that ‘Scene 0’ is created for you to add your images. Also, you can create as many scenes as you want by clicking the Plus (+) icon next to the Scene to add additional scenes.

After you’ve selected and added the images, a new editor section called ‘Fixed Content’ will appear on top of it. It’s used to overlay headlines and other text on top of an image sequence. There is already a default header in place with ‘Another Day on Earth’. 

You can wish to alter it to reflect what you want to show. So, here we’ve changed it to ‘Rotating Watch’ for now as shown above.

Also, you can change the heading ID, by clicking on the ‘Text’ editor. You can see that by default, there is ‘on-earth’. So, let’s change into the ‘rotatingwatch’ here as shown above.

Following that, you can also add animation to your heading. To do so, click on the ‘Add Animation’ button that’s located just below Fixed Content Animation.

Then, you’ll see a new animation menu appear in the User Interface. There you’ll find 3 options boxes that are:

• Selector: Here, you need to type in the IDs of the elements you want to animate, starting with a hash (#). For example, #rotatingwatch.
• Start: This field is to select the image number where you want the animation to begin. We want the heading animation to appear from image 15. So, let’s put 15 as a starting point.
• End: Enter the image number to bring the animation to a close. So, let’s put the ending point of heading animation as 100. 

Following that, you can also, select the animation effects at the start and end of the animation, i.e. ‘From Animation’ and ‘To Animation’ sections. 

Here are some useful articles on how to create scroll animation and a general introduction tutorial. With that out of the way, let’s get to the core!

3. Add Scrollsequence Image Animation To Elementor

Let’s go ahead and add animation using the Elementor page builder. Also, do make sure that you’ve already installed Elementor whether free or premium. 

Now, you should go to the page where you want to add the animation and click it in ‘Edit with Elementor’ as shown above.

Following that, you’ll see the Elementor page editing interface. After that, search for the ‘Shortcode’ widget in the left sidebar. Then, you’ll see the shortcode widget just beneath it. You can drag and drop the widget in the page area at the right. 

In the left sidebar, you’ll see the ‘Enter your shortcode’ box. There, you need to paste the shortcode of your animation that you copied last time. Afterward, you’ll need to click on the ‘Apply’ option. 

Following that, you’ll see a page as shown above. As mentioned before, our ScrollSequence plugin seamlessly integrates even on the backend of these popular page builders. 

As shown in the above GIF, you can Live Preview your scroll image animation right from your backend. In addition, this saves a lot of time as you’ll not have to switch back and forth between your frontend and backend. 

Once everything is finalized, now all you need to do is click the ‘Publish’ button at the end of the page. Pretty easy right?

More From This Series

1. Add Image sequence animation to Elementor

2. Add Image sequence animation to Divi

3. Add Image sequence animation to Beaver Builder

Conclusion

That’s it, folks! We’ve come to the end of our article on how to make scroll image animation and integrate it Elementor in WordPress. 

We genuinely hope you enjoyed this article and now can make scroll image animation effortlessly and add it with various page builders using our Scrollsequence plugin. 

If you’ve any queries or confusions related to making scroll image animation or Scrollsequence plugin, then leave a comment below. We’ll respond to you as soon as possible. Also, if you’re already using it to make animation, do leave your thoughts below.

Lastly, don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family. Do follow us on Facebook,and Twitter for more related articles.