For molecular modelers, visualization is as critical as the creation of accurate models. Whether you’re interpreting complex structures or communicating your findings, the way you colorize your data can make a huge difference. SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, provides an extensive library of default color palettes that simplify this process and enhance your workflows.
Why Color Palettes Matter
Default color palettes in SAMSON offer users a predefined yet versatile range of colors for visualizing molecular models. This is especially useful for organizing structural data, distinguishing between different molecular groups, or highlighting key areas of interest. But navigating through and selecting the appropriate palette might seem overwhelming if you’re not familiar with the types and features of the color palettes available.
The Range of Default Color Palettes in SAMSON
SAMSON categorizes its default color palettes into discrete, sequential, qualitative, diverging, and flexible diverging palettes. Here’s what they mean:
1. Discrete Color Palettes
Discrete palettes are great for assigning unique colors to specific, unrelated categories such as different protein chains. Examples include:
- Accent
- Carto Antique
- Okabe-Ito (notable for color-blind friendliness)
2. Sequential HCL Color Palettes
If your data involves a gradient, such as temperature distributions or ligand binding affinities, sequential palettes can efficiently represent variations. Colors progress smoothly, helping you visualize gradual changes. Popular options include:
- Blue-Green-Yellow
- Viridis
- Inferno
3. Qualitative HCL Color Palettes
These palettes are particularly useful for distinguishing between groups without implying any order or significance. Perfect for cluster representation or comparing different models. Examples include Green2Blue and Red2Blue.
4. Diverging HCL Color Palettes
Diverging palettes are designed to highlight two extremes, such as polarities in your data. For instance, the Blue-Red palette splits around a neutral midpoint.
5. Flexible Diverging HCL Color Palettes
These palettes are customizable, allowing flexibility to fine-tune for your specific data variations. Notable examples include ArmyRose and Cividis.
Tips to Enhance Your Workflow
Here are some tips to take full advantage of SAMSON’s powerful colorization tools:
- Reverse color palettes in the color palette or color scheme dialogs for better clarity, especially for diverging palettes.
- Create your own custom HCL color palettes for tailored visualization. Refer to the Colorizing section for guidelines.
Understanding and applying these predefined color palettes will enable you to turn complex molecular data into clear, visually impactful insights.
Learn more about SAMSON’s default color palettes by visiting the documentation page.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON now.