svg path elements lose their `fill` color during smil animation if the animated `` lacks an explicit `fill` attribute — even when the original path had one. the fix is to ensure every animated `` element (including those created dynamically or used in `` targets) explicitly declares `fill`.
When animating SVG paths using SMIL (e.g., with ), browsers do not inherit or preserve styling attributes like fill from the base element onto the animated version — especially when the animated is defined separately (e.g., as a second without fill). In your code, the first correctly has fill="#e67700" and fades in via opacity animation, but the second — the one driving the d-attribute animation — has no fill declared at all, causing it to render in the browser’s default black.
✅ The solution is simple but critical:
Add fill="#e67700" (or your intended color) to every element involved in the animation — including those that only exist to animate d, opacity, transform, or other attributes.
✅ Corrected Example Snippet
d="M -3.11,-5.41 Q ... Z">
⚠️ Key Notes
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SMIL does not cascade styles: fill is not inherited from parent or computed from CSS unless explicitly set on the .
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Dynamic generation? If your app generates these elements programmatically (e.g., via JavaScript), always inject fill into the element’s attributes before appending it to the DOM.
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CSS fallback (optional): You can also apply path { fill: #e67700; } globally in a
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Opacity + fill interaction: When animating opacity, ensure fill is present before opacity reaches 1; otherwise, the path may flash black before coloring.
By consistently declaring fill on all animated elements, you guarantee consistent, predictable color behavior across all modern browsers supporting SMIL — no more unexpected black paths.
