LaTeX + TikZ Animation for Video Production Workflows

TL;DR TikZ lets you script motion graphics like equations, data charts, and UI wireframes in LaTeX, then export frame stacks that stay razor sharp at any resolution. Combine latexmk, ImageMagick, and ffmpeg to automate the full video handoff.

Why bring LaTeX and TikZ into video production?

• Procedural control: drive every vertex, curve, and easing function directly from formulas or CSV feeds.
• Brand precision: reuse the same typographic system your team uses for decks and PDFs, no font swapping in post.
• Resolution agnostic: render vector frames to 4K, 8K, or infinity without redoing layout.
• Repeatability: version control the scene with Git, build variants per language or product, and drop the results into your existing creative ops pipeline.

Typical workflow

1. Storyboard the motion beats and call out reusable TikZ components (graphs, diagrams, pointer paths).
2. Write a LaTeX document that parameterises frame counts, colours, and easing curves.
3. Use a build script to render sequential PDFs or SVGs with latexmk.
4. Convert to image frames (PNG/WebP) or keep SVG for vector-friendly editors.
5. Assemble the final clip with ffmpeg, or hand the sequence to Premiere, After Effects, or your automated generator.

Minimal animated scene

% file: orbit-animation.tex
\documentclass[tikz]{standalone}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usepackage{animate}

\begin{document}
\begin{animateinline}[poster=first,controls,autoplay]{12}
  \multiframe{60}{rAngle=0+6}{%
    \begin{tikzpicture}[scale=3]
      \draw[very thin, gray!40] (0,0) circle (1);
      \fill[blue!60] (\rAngle:1) circle (0.07);
      \draw[->, thick] (0,0) -- (\rAngle:1);
      \node[anchor=west] at (1.1,0.3) {Angle: $\rAngle^\circ$};
    \end{tikzpicture}%
  }
\end{animateinline}
\end{document}

Build the sequence to PDF frames:

latexmk -pdf -interaction=nonstopmode orbit-animation.tex

The animate package embeds all 60 frames in a single PDF. To export the sequence for video work, split the animation into page-based frames.

Exporting frames to video

# 1. Burst the PDF animation into individual pages
pdfseparate orbit-animation.pdf frames/frame-%03d.pdf

# 2. Convert each page to transparent PNG (or SVG if you prefer vector in post)
for f in frames/frame-*.pdf; do
  magick -density 400 "$f" -background none "${f%.pdf}.png"
done

# 3. Assemble into a 12 fps mp4 clip
ffmpeg -framerate 12 -i frames/frame-%03d.png \
  -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p exports/orbit.mp4

Tips:

• Increase -density for higher pixel density when rasterising.