Working Late? Dark Mode Can Help

Anyone who has spent long evenings fine-tuning molecular models knows the eyestrain that comes with prolonged exposure to bright interfaces. It’s not just about aesthetics—high screen brightness in low-light environments can cause discomfort, fatigue, and reduce focus. That’s where Dark Mode in SAMSON comes in.

Dark Mode isn’t just a visual preference—it’s a small but meaningful quality-of-life setting that can improve comfort, reduce distractions, and make it easier to focus on spatial structures in molecular models. Whether you’re presenting, designing proteins, refining ligands, or just browsing through your workspace, a darker interface often makes everything feel more manageable.

How to Activate Dark Mode in SAMSON

To toggle Dark Mode in SAMSON:

  • Open the Preferences panel by navigating to Interface > Preferences in the main menu.
  • If you’re on Windows or Linux, press Ctrl + K. On Mac, use Cmd + ,.
  • Go to Interface > Dark mode.
  • Click the checkbox to activate or deactivate Dark Mode whenever needed.

The Dark mode preferences

Why Use Dark Mode in Molecular Modeling?

Here’s what molecular modelers can gain from enabling Dark Mode:

  • Reduce Eye Strain: Especially when working in dimly lit labs or at night.
  • Improve Focus: Bright interfaces can be visually noisy. A darker UI helps the 3D viewport and structural visualization stand out more clearly.
  • Supports Presentations: If you’re showing a structure to a group, Dark Mode ensures the model—not the interface—is the most visible element on the screen.
  • Consistency with Workflows: If you already use other applications in Dark Mode, SAMSON can blend into your system preferences for visual continuity.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Dark Mode

Once Dark Mode is enabled, make sure your other settings align well with it. For example:

  • Use bright atom and bond colors to improve visibility against a dark background.
  • Try enabling ambient occlusion and silhouette rendering to enhance depth perception, especially for complex or packed molecular systems.
  • Adjust background under Rendering > Background to black or create a custom dark gradient for continuity.

Should You Always Use Dark Mode?

Not necessarily. While great for night use or presentations, some users prefer high-contrast interfaces in well-lit environments. Fortunately, it only takes a second to toggle between Dark and Light mode in SAMSON, making it easy to switch based on where and how you work.

To learn more about customizing your interface in SAMSON, visit the official documentation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/preferences/

SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.

Comments are closed.