Spotlight

A glowing lamp line widens and casts a cone of light onto a heading beneath it.

Add a "Lamp Effect" (also called a lamp glow) to [where].
When the section comes into view, a thin glowing line should widen from the center and cast a soft cone of light down onto the heading below, which fades up into place: slow and smooth.
Play it only once, and for users who prefer reduced motion show the lit heading straight away.

Soft beams of light sway across the background.

Add a "Light Rays" background (also called god rays or light shafts) to [where].
Several soft, semi-transparent beams should fan out from the top and sway gently back and forth, brightening and dimming a little: slow and atmospheric.
Keep the rays behind the content and faint enough not to hurt readability, and stop them for users who prefer reduced motion.

A circle of light around the pointer reveals content while the rest stays dark.

Add a "Cursor Spotlight" effect (also called a flashlight cursor or spotlight effect) to [where].
A soft circle of light should follow the pointer and reveal the content under it while the rest of the area stays dimmed.
On touch devices, where there is no pointer to follow, show the content fully lit instead.

A soft radial light follows the pointer across the card surface and reveals the background beneath.

Add a "Card Spotlight" effect (also called spotlight hover, pointer glow, mouse-following glow or radial gradient hover) to [where].
A soft, faint radial glow should follow the pointer across the card surface, fading in when the pointer enters and out when it leaves.
Keep the glow behind the card content so text stays readable, and on touch devices simply leave the card unlit.

Tiny stars twinkle or drift across a dark space-like backdrop.

Add a "Starfield" background (also called a stars background or twinkling stars) to [where].
Tiny stars of different sizes should twinkle softly at their own pace while the whole field drifts very slowly: quiet and calm.
Keep the number of stars modest so it stays light, and stop the twinkling and drift for users who prefer reduced motion.

Particles spiral around a center like a whirlpool.

Add a "Vortex" background (also called swirling particles) to [where].
Small particles should spiral inward around a center point like a whirlpool, fading in at the edge and fading out as they reach the middle, in a smooth, continuous swirl.
Keep the particle count modest, pause it when off screen, and stop the swirl for users who prefer reduced motion.

Layered wavy lines or shapes undulate horizontally.

Add a "Wave Background" (also called a wavy background or animated waves) to [where].
A few layered wave shapes should roll sideways at slightly different speeds so they overlap and shift like water: slow and smooth.
Make each wave loop seamlessly without a visible jump, and stop the waves for users who prefer reduced motion.