When preparing molecular presentations, many scientists struggle with delivering complex results clearly and engagingly. A frequent challenge is: how to create smooth, visually coherent transitions between scenes, especially when contextual images like presentation slides or textures are needed in the background?
In SAMSON, this is addressed through the Set background animation effect, which offers a simple yet flexible way to change the background of your molecular presentation dynamically. This is especially useful when creating scientific videos or interactive demos where scene continuity is key.
Why background animations matter
Switching backgrounds between presentation frames helps guide your audience’s attention, provides important visual context, and enhances narrative flow. If you’re showing molecule conformations on top of slides, or transitioning between different visual themes (dark background for focus, light background for information), coordinating these transitions smoothly can make a difference in understanding.
The Set background animation allows background interpolation over two keyframes. This means that SAMSON automatically handles the visual transition between backgrounds, creating a fade or morph-like effect rather than an abrupt change. Beyond aesthetics, this helps the audience stay oriented during transitions.
How to add a dynamic background
To apply the Set background animation:
- Open the Animation panel within the Animator.
- Double-click on Set background.
- This places the begin keyframe at your current frame in the timeline.
- Drag the second keyframe farther along the timeline to set the duration of the transition.
- Select the background you want — it can be a color or an image (including presentation slides).
By default, SAMSON handles the interpolation. However, you are in control of how this interpolation behaves using the Easing curve. For example, you can apply ease-in, ease-out, or more complex timing functions.
Working with images
When using an image as a background, you can choose whether it should:
- Contain the screen canvas without cropping, ensuring the full image fits (possibly with margins); or
- Cover the screen fully, filling the canvas and cropping the excess parts depending on the aspect ratio.
This is handy when overlaying molecular content on specific visual guides, like grids, thesis slides, or thematic imagery. It also helps maintain consistency if you export parts of your presentation as video.
Practical tip
To make the most out of background transitions, try spacing your keyframes generously — this allows the interpolation to be gradual and less distracting. For precise timing, adjust the easing curve in the Inspector.
Example
Here is a GIF showing how background transitions look within a presentation:
Whether you’re preparing a thesis defense, producing molecular animations for publication, or teaching molecular interactions, this simple tool can help elevate how you communicate science visually.
To learn more, visit the official documentation page here.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.