---
title: "Examples"
description: "Start a blank document or open an editable example to explore a feature."
canonical: "https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/examples/"
last_updated: 2026-10-29
---

# Examples

Start a blank document or open an editable example to explore a feature.

## New documents

**New document** (`⌃N`, or **File** › **New document**) starts a blank 1920 × 1080
artboard at 30 fps, five seconds long. `w` asks for its filename before saving, and saves it
as a `.ctd`; **↓ export** makes a Lottie or a `.lottie` of it.

A new document saves beside the document that was open. A named copy of an example saves in
`~/Documents`. Double-click a file’s name in the rail (the Properties panel in After Effects
or Figma, the Inspector in Rive) to rename it on disk. Edits still need `w` to save them.

Use [Your first animation](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/getting-started.md) to start from a blank document.

## Open an example

On home, open **Examples and templates** with `enter` or `→`, then choose an example.
You can also press `:` and type an example’s name to open it from the palette.
**Templates** in home’s list opens the gallery; **Templates** typed in the palette can also
find the example made from sample data.

An example opens as your own editable copy in `~/.config/motion/examples/`.
`w` saves edits to that copy. The bundled example stays unchanged.
The previous document waits in its tab; `{` returns to it.

Watch: [A tour of the studio](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/tour/).

| Example | What you can inspect and change |
|---|---|
| **Showreel** | A 74-second film at 1920 × 1080, 60 fps, with music at 120 BPM; scenes are precomps, with shapes, strokes, text, tokens, charts, video and a state machine |
| **Features** | Twenty animated feature tiles, from the stage and ease box to sound and export |
| **Features 2** | Twenty more tiles: interactivity, motion blur, copilot work, SVG, preview, selection, anchors, precomps and the command line |
| **Interface** | A picture of the editor at work: selecting, retiming, easing, playing and asking the copilot |
| **Shapes** | Shape parameters animated on labelled cards |
| **Layouts** | Rows and columns, gap, padding, wrapping, justification and alignment; siblings move when a layer grows |
| **Text** | Lines, wrapping boxes, alignment, spacing, fonts, presets and text along a path |
| **Animate text** | Letters, words and lines arriving in different orders, a wave, selected words and a typewriter; inspect **TEXT** › **Animate** |
| **Sound** | A 120 BPM beat with animation keyed to its kicks and hats, and volume fades |
| **Video** | A clip with sound, a rounded card, a text matte, trims, slips and ½× and 2× speed; needs ffmpeg |
| **Tokens** | A profile name and colour, a gauge’s number and two themes: ocean and sunset |
| **Data** | Tables driving bars, a download race, a donut and a counting number |
| **States** | An interactive like button: idle, hover, press, liked and unlike; `⌃P` tries it |
| **Checkout** | A pay button with loading, success, decline, retries, timeout, unlock and theme inputs |
| **Copilot** | A release card built and refined over five asks, with tool calls beside it; absent when **AI features** are off |
| **Motion Blur** | Slides, bursts, turns, pops and parented moves with blur beside sharp versions; `⇧B` changes it |
| **Templates** | A **Download race** built from sample packages, with **TEMPLATE** controls for source, wording, theme, size and length |
| **Variable Stroke** | A stroke with **Width**, **Ends**, **Taper**, **Wave**, **Phase** and **Draw** animated |

The Showreel carries its type and generated music. Its video clip, and the Video example’s
clip, are written beside their working copies so their video layers can find them.

![The Showreel with an animated stroke selected, its values in the rail and scene precomps in the score.](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/assets/showreel.png)

## Kept copies and recent files

Your example copies survive between runs. When an update includes a newer example, opening
it updates your copy. If you edited the old copy, it is kept as `<name>.before.ctd` first.

**RECENT** at the foot of the left panel lists files you saved, newest first. Click one to
open it. The list is kept in `~/.config/motion/recent.json`.
A document opened only to look at gives its tab to the next file until you edit it.
See [Documents and tabs](https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/docs/home-and-screen.md#documents-and-tabs).