When working with molecular models, clarity is key. Whether you’re preparing figures for a publication, presentations, or just trying to keep track of complex systems, proper labeling of atoms, residues, or molecules can be the difference between insight and confusion.
However, labels can quickly get out of hand—appearing too close, disappearing when you zoom, or becoming unreadable if the font isn’t right. Fortunately, SAMSON makes label customization quite dynamic. In this post, we’ll explore how to adjust label visibility, font, and color—three common pain points that can make or break visualizing your molecular system.
Label Visibility: What You See is What You Control
You may notice that as you zoom in or out, labels appear or disappear automatically. This isn’t a bug—it’s a feature. SAMSON adjusts label visibility based on the node size and zoom level to avoid clutter. But what if the default behavior doesn’t match your preference?
To manually control visibility, simply select a label and open the Inspector. There, you’ll find maximum and minimum display radii settings. These parameters define the zoom levels at which the label appears or disappears.
You can also toggle labels on or off in the Document view by checking or unchecking the label entries for quick adjustments.
Choosing the Right Font: Readability Matters
If your labels look too small, too large, or are simply hard to read, changing the font can help. You can modify the font globally or adjust it only for specific labels:
- To change the font for all labels using the default, go to Preferences > Rendering > Labels.
- To tweak fonts for specific labels, use the Inspector. Select your label(s) and click Choose font…
Prefer to go back to the original setting? Simply double-click the Font property in the Inspector to reset to the default from Preferences.
Color Coding: Add Meaning or Just Aesthetics
Adding color to labels isn’t just visually appealing—it also helps encode information. You might use red labels to mark catalytic residues or different colors to distinguish chains.
To color a label, select it and head to Color > Constant either from the toolbar or in the Inspector. There, you can choose any color you like.
Need to reset it later? Click the small “X” next to the color picker in the Inspector to clear the custom color.
If visual clarity and precise communication matter to you, investing a few minutes to customize your labels can go a long way.
To explore more about labeling in SAMSON, read the full documentation here.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at www.samson-connect.net.