Create a parallax scrolling effect

Parallax scrolling is a technique in which the background content and foreground content scroll at different speeds. You can implement this technique to enhance your app's UI, creating a more dynamic experience as your users scroll.

Version compatibility

This implementation requires that your project minSDK be set to API level 21 or higher.

Dependencies

Create a parallax effect

To achieve the parallax effect, you apply a fraction of the scrolling value from the scrolling composable to the composable that needs the parallax effect. The following snippet takes two nested visual elements—an image and a block of text—and scrolls them in the same direction at different speeds:

@Composable
fun ParallaxEffect() {
    fun Modifier.parallaxLayoutModifier(scrollState: ScrollState, rate: Int) =
        layout { measurable, constraints ->
            val placeable = measurable.measure(constraints)
            val height = if (rate > 0) scrollState.value / rate else scrollState.value
            layout(placeable.width, placeable.height) {
                placeable.place(0, height)
            }
        }

    val scrollState = rememberScrollState()
    Column(
        modifier = Modifier
            .fillMaxWidth()
            .verticalScroll(scrollState),
    ) {

        Image(
            painterResource(id = R.drawable.cupcake),
            contentDescription = "Android logo",
            contentScale = ContentScale.Fit,
            // Reduce scrolling rate by half.
            modifier = Modifier.parallaxLayoutModifier(scrollState, 2)
        )

        Text(
            text = stringResource(R.string.detail_placeholder),
            modifier = Modifier
                .background(Color.White)
                .padding(horizontal = 8.dp),

        )
    }
}
ParallaxEffect.kt

Key points about the code

  • Creates a custom layout modifier to adjust the rate by which the composable scrolls.
  • The Image scrolls at a slower rate than the Text, producing a parallax effect as the two composables translate vertically at different rates.

Results

Figure 1. A scrolling list with a parallax effect.

Collections that contain this guide

This guide is part of these curated Quick Guide collections that cover broader Android development goals:

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