1. A method, comprising: displaying, on a display unit, two or more representative images within a collection viewer, wherein each one of the two or more representative images is displayed at a different location relative to a physical origin for the display unit; receiving a notification indicating a new orientation for the collection viewer; and generating and displaying a sequence of animation frames that depict an in-place rotation animation for each of the two or more representative images, wherein each in-place rotation animation is displayed at the different location relative to the physical origin for the display unit, and wherein each animation frame in the sequence of animation frames depicts a different animation state in a sequence of animation states for the two or more representative images by: computing the different animation state for each animation frame in the sequence of animation frames, the animation state including at least a rotation angle; identifying at least the two or more representative images to render in each animation frame; generating a rendered representative image for each of the at least the two or more representative images, by rendering a rotation for each of the at least the two or more representative images according to the rotation angle included in the different animation state; and displaying each rendered representative image at the different location relative to the physical origin for the display unit; wherein a first timing is associated with the in-place rotation animation and a second timing is associated with a physical rotation timing, and the first timing commences after the second timing commences; wherein each in-place rotation animation completes a respective animation state synchronously with each other in-place rotation animation; wherein each in-place rotation animation is timed independently of a physical rotation once a rotation event is detected.