Code Animator

• GIF

  Code Animation Gif

• GIF

  Portrait Code Animation Gif

Inspiration

I've always found it hard to create short recordings of code to share on social media or to explain the code to someone. So I wanted a simple tool to turn code snippets into animated videos or GIFs, perfect for demos and tutorials. The final push to actually build it came after I found out about Kiro and what I could do with it. I quickly described my idea to Kiro, and it confirmed the concept was solid and doable, which gave me the green light to go for it.

What it does

Code Animator is a straightforward web app that does one thing well: it animates your code.

1. Paste Your Code: Drop your code into the editor.
2. Create Slides: Pick which lines of code you want to show and in what order. You can set the timing and choose an animation style, like a typewriter effect.
3. Export: Preview the animation and when you're happy, export it as an MP4, WebM, or GIF.

It's a simple way to make code much easier to follow.

How we built it

This is the cool part: I didn't write a single line of code myself. I used the Kiro IDE to build the entire project.

My process was more like a project manager. I described my Idea and expectation of the final product to Kiro, and it handled the rest. It designed the architecture, set up the project, created tasks, and wrote all the code. My main job was to review its progress, test the output, and provide directions for the next steps.

Challenges we ran into

The main goal was to make this tool incredibly easy for anyone to use, even for non-technical folks. As the project grew and I thought of more features, the biggest challenge was keeping the design simple and intuitive. I had to constantly resist the urge to add buttons and options that might clutter the interface. Every new feature had to be implemented in a way that wouldn't confuse a first-time user, which required a lot of thought and careful planning.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

What I'm most proud of is a key technical achievement: the entire video creation process happens in the browser. There is no server or backend component involved at all. The tool records the animation, encodes it, and lets you download a finished video file, all completely on the client-side. This makes the app fast, private, and free for anyone to use and host. To my knowledge, no other tool does this, and I'm very proud we achieved it.

What we learned

My biggest takeaway was just how important user experience (UX) is. This project taught me that simplicity is the most important feature you can build. It's easy to add more buttons and options, but the real challenge is keeping the tool clean and intuitive. I learned to put the user first and ask one simple question with every decision: "Does this actually make it easier for them?"

What's next for Code Animator

The project is already production-ready and, most importantly, it's open source! I have plans to add more customization options, like new code themes and different video dimensions. Going forward, development will be community-driven. I'm looking forward to seeing the issues and feature requests that come in on the GitHub repository and working with others to make Code Animator even better.

Built With

• kiro
• nextjs