# Publishing to Community
Publishing lets you share your animation publicly on LottieFiles so others can view, discover, and use your work.

## Publishing vs exporting

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>**Export** Save an animation for personal or project use. Exported files remain private.</ListItem>

  <ListItem>
    **Publish** Share an animation publicly on LottieFiles. Published animations appear on your profile and in community
    discovery.
  </ListItem>
</List>

## When to publish

Publish animations when you want to:

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Showcase your work</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Build a public portfolio</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Share techniques or examples</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Make an animation discoverable by others</ListItem>
</List>

## How publishing works

You can start publishing directly from Lottie Creator.

### Publish an animation

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1. Finish your animation in Creator
2. Click **Publish** in the editor
3. Complete the publish dialog:
   <List type="bullet">
     <ListItem>Title (required)</ListItem>
     <ListItem>Description</ListItem>
     <ListItem>Tags</ListItem>
     <ListItem>License</ListItem>
   </List>
4. Confirm publish
5. The animation uploads to LottieFiles and opens on its public page

Published animations are optimized for web viewing. Creator may automatically convert the file format during publishing.

## Publishing requirements

Before publishing, make sure your animation:

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Is complete and working as expected</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Is original work or properly attributed</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Follows LottieFiles community guidelines</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Contains appropriate and non offensive content</ListItem>
</List>

## Animation metadata

Metadata helps others understand and discover your animation.

### Title

Use a clear and descriptive title that reflects the content of the animation.

**Examples**

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Loading spinner minimal</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Button hover animation</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Hero section illustration</ListItem>
</List>

### Description

Briefly explain what the animation does and how it can be used.

**Example**
Smooth loading spinner designed for web and mobile interfaces.
Includes multiple color variations.

### Tags

Tags improve discoverability and categorization.

**Guidelines**

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Use several relevant tags</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Describe style, use case, and context</ListItem>
</List>

**Examples**

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>loading, button, ui</ListItem>
  <ListItem>minimalist, flat, illustration</ListItem>
  <ListItem>web, mobile</ListItem>
</List>

### License

Choose a license during publishing. Available license options and terms are shown in the publish dialog and define how others may use your animation.

## Managing published animations

After publishing, management happens on LottieFiles.

### View published animations

To view your published work:

1. Sign in to LottieFiles
2. Open your profile or files page
3. Browse your published animations and engagement metrics

### Update a published animation

Edits to published animations are managed on LottieFiles. Updating an animation may replace the existing version or create a new one depending on the workflow and settings.

### Remove a published animation

You can remove or delete a published animation from LottieFiles using the web interface. This removes the animation from public view.

## Community guidelines

Published animations should:

<List type="bullet">
  <ListItem>Be original or properly licensed</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Be appropriate for all audiences</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Avoid copyrighted or misleading content</ListItem>
  <ListItem>Meet basic quality standards</ListItem>
</List>

Violations may result in removal from the community.