A Lottie animation may look perfect in After Effects but still cause problems when it reaches a live website or application.
It might be unnecessarily large, render incorrectly in the target player, load too late, or continue playing when nobody can see it.
That’s why optimizing an animation involves more than reducing its file size.
Use this Lottie optimization checklist to prepare your animation for production—from the original design to the final deployment.
1. Optimize the Animation Before Exporting
Start with the source project. Removing unnecessary complexity before export can reduce file size and rendering work.
Check the following:
- Simplify vector paths: Remove unnecessary anchor points while preserving the visual shape.
- Remove unused layers: Delete hidden, redundant, or irrelevant elements.
- Reduce excessive keyframes: Avoid recording changes on every frame when simpler keyframes will produce the same motion.
- Limit complex effects: Check whether shadows, masks, expressions, and other effects are necessary and supported by your target player.
- Use raster images carefully: Embedded images can increase file size, so optimize them when appropriate.
- Keep motion purposeful: Remove movement that doesn’t improve communication or the user experience.
Don’t simplify everything blindly. Always preserve the animation’s intended appearance and behavior.
2. Check Your Export Settings
Before exporting, verify that the composition is suitable for its actual use.
- Canvas dimensions: Match the animation’s dimensions to its intended display size.
- Frame rate: Choose an appropriate frame rate for the motion rather than automatically using the highest available setting.
- Timeline: Remove unnecessary empty time before and after the animation.
- Composition: Export only the required animation, not unrelated project content.
- Compatibility: Avoid unsupported features or effects in your target Lottie player.
After exporting, check the actual file—not just the original After Effects composition.
3. Preview and Validate the Exported File
An animation that works in the design tool may behave differently in a browser or application.
Use the Lottie Wizard Viewer to preview your exported animation.
Check:
- Playback and timing
- Colors and transparency
- Scaling and cropping
- Loop behavior
- Missing assets or visual elements
- Unexpected rendering differences
Test the exported file in the environment where it will actually run. A browser preview is useful, but it doesn’t replace testing in your production player.
4. Compress the Lottie File
Once the animation looks correct, reduce unnecessary file data.
Use the Lottie Wizard Compressor to compress your animation, then preview the result again.
Your workflow should be:
Export → Preview → Compress → Preview again
Compare the original and compressed versions to make sure the animation still looks correct.
Remember that file size isn’t the only performance factor. A small animation with complex paths or expensive rendering operations can still affect performance.
For more detailed techniques, read the Lottie JSON optimization guide.
5. Choose the Right File Format
Choose your format based on the requirements of your application and the capabilities of its player.
| Format | Consider it when |
|---|---|
| Lottie JSON | Your integration expects a JSON animation file |
.lottie (dotLottie) | You need a packaged animation and your player supports the required features |
A .lottie file can package animation data and related assets, and can support additional capabilities such as multiple animations and theming in compatible workflows.
Neither format is automatically the best choice for every project. Check player compatibility and test the final file before deployment.
Read our guide: Lottie JSON vs .lottie: Which Format Should You Use?
6. Choose a Loading and Playback Strategy
Decide how the animation should behave on the live page.
Loading
- Prioritize important animations visible immediately.
- Lazy load non-critical animations farther down the page.
- Reserve enough layout space to prevent unexpected shifts while an animation loads.
Playback
- Choose whether the animation should autoplay, loop, or play once.
- Trigger animations on hover, click, scroll, or application state only when appropriate.
- Pause off-screen animations when continuous playback isn’t needed.
For implementation details, read How to Lazy Load Lottie Animations.
7. Check Accessibility and Mobile Performance
Before launch, confirm that the animation supports a usable experience across devices and user preferences.
- Keep essential information available even when animation is disabled.
- Respect reduced-motion preferences where possible.
- Check readability and contrast.
- Test on mobile devices and different viewport sizes.
- Test under slower network conditions.
- Watch for stuttering, delayed loading, or excessive CPU usage.
A successful production animation should look right and behave appropriately—not just work on a powerful development computer.
8. Test the Live Page Before Launch
The final check should happen in the actual website or application.
Verify that:
- The correct animation file is being requested.
- The file loads successfully without missing-resource errors.
- The animation renders in the intended location.
- Loading and playback behavior match your requirements.
- The page remains responsive while animations play.
- Browser console errors are resolved.
- Performance is acceptable on desktop and mobile.
Also check the surrounding page. Several individually optimized animations can still create unnecessary work when they all initialize and play simultaneously.
Final Lottie Production Checklist
Use this checklist before approving an animation for release.
- Animation purpose and behavior are clear.
- Unnecessary layers and keyframes are removed.
- Export dimensions and frame rate are appropriate.
- Exported file has been previewed.
- File has been compressed and tested again.
- Target format and player compatibility are confirmed.
- Loading and playback strategies are configured.
- Reduced-motion behavior has been considered.
- Desktop and mobile testing is complete.
- The final page has been checked for errors and performance issues.
