chart-animation
Version: 1.0.0
Generate animated trend charts from time-series data. Creates GIF/MP4 animations with dark theme styling and static overview images.
Usage
# Generate animation from data
chart-animation --data <path/to/data.json> --output <output-dir>
# With custom options
chart-animation --data data.json --output ./output --title "Temperature Trends" --fps 15
Data Format
Input JSON should have this structure:
{
"metadata": {
"generated_at": "2026-06-06",
"source": "your data source"
},
"dates": ["2025-06-01", "2025-06-08", ...],
"series": {
"Series A": {
"values": [12.5, 14.2, ...],
"color": "#E74C3C"
},
"Series B": {
"values": [15.0, 16.8, ...],
"color": "#3498DB"
}
}
}
Output
<output>/animation.gif- Animated chart (GIF format)<output>/animation.mp4- High-quality video (if ffmpeg available)<output>/overview.png- Static multi-panel overview
Features
- Dark theme: Professional dark background for presentations
- Multi-series support: Up to 4 data series with distinct colors
- Responsive X-axis: Automatically formats date labels
- Overview chart: Grid layout showing each series separately
- Min/Max markers: Highlights extreme values in overview
Dependencies
- Python 3.8+
- matplotlib
- numpy
- pillow (for GIF)
- ffmpeg (optional, for MP4)
Install:
pip install matplotlib numpy pillow
# For MP4 support:
# macOS: brew install ffmpeg
# Ubuntu: sudo apt install ffmpeg
Example
# Create sample data
python3 -c "
import json
data = {
'metadata': {'source': 'example'},
'dates': ['2025-01', '2025-02', '2025-03', '2025-04'],
'series': {
'Revenue': {'values': [100, 120, 115, 140], 'color': '#27AE60'},
'Cost': {'values': [80, 85, 90, 88], 'color': '#E74C3C'}
}
}
print(json.dumps(data, indent=2))
" > data.json
# Generate animation
chart-animation --data data.json --output ./charts
Options
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--data |
required | Path to input JSON |
--output |
./output |
Output directory |
--title |
auto | Chart title (auto from metadata) |
--fps |
12 | Animation frames per second |
--width |
14 | Figure width in inches |
--height |
8 | Figure height in inches |
Notes
- For Chinese characters, ensure fonts like "PingFang SC" or "SimHei" are installed
- The skill auto-detects Y-axis range from data
- Overview charts use 2x2 grid for up to 4 series
