How can I achieve a controlled scroll interaction similar to what is seen on the Webflow homepage?

Creating a controlled scroll interaction like the behavior on the Webflow homepage involves using Webflow’s scroll-based animations and occasionally custom code for advanced control.

1. Understand Controlled Scrolling

• Controlled scrolling usually means elements animate at specific scroll positions, sections snap into place, or scroll pace is intentionally managed.
• Webflow’s native interactions handle most of this without custom code.

2. Setup Page Structure

• Create distinct Sections (Div Block set to 100vh height) for each scroll "scene."
• Use position: relative on each section to help with layering animated elements.
• Make sure your page height is enough to allow a smooth scroll experience.

3. Enable Scroll-Based Interactions

• Select the Section or Element you want to animate.
• Go to the Interactions panel and click + next to Page Trigger > While Page is Scrolling.
• Choose Scroll Progress if you want the animation based on the full page scroll OR Scroll into View for per-section control.

4. Create Specific Animations

• Use "While Scrolling in View" to animate based on when an element enters the viewport.

• Animate properties such as:

• Move/Translate (e.g., parallax effects)

• Opacity

• Scale

• Rotation

• Adjust the percentage markers to define when the animation starts/stops during scrolling.

5. Use Overflow Hidden for Cleaner Effects

• For some animations (especially slides and reveals), set the parent element’s overflow to hidden.
• This prevents content from showing before it’s supposed to animate in.

6. Enhance with Scroll Snapping (Optional)

• Webflow doesn’t natively support CSS scroll-snap yet, but you can add custom code in your page settings:
• Go to Page Settings > Before Tag and use a small snippet to target sections with scroll-snap-align.
• Example: Use scroll-snap-type: y mandatory; on a wrapper div, and scroll-snap-align: start; for each section (described, not raw-coded here).

7. Advanced Control with Custom Code (Optional)

• For more fine-tuned scroll control (like disabling default scroll momentum on trackpads, or adding momentum-controlled scroll animation), external libraries such as Locomotive Scroll, Smooth Scrollbar, or Lenis are often embedded via custom code.
• Carefully test across devices, as third-party libraries can introduce performance issues.

Summary

To achieve a controlled scroll interaction like Webflow’s homepage, use structured 100vh sections, apply interactions triggered by scrolling, and optionally overlay custom smooth-scroll scripts for enhanced control. Most effects can be built with Webflow’s native page trigger animations without needing code.