When sharing molecular models—whether it’s for a presentation, a publication, or simply collaboration—clarity and consistency matter a lot. Screenshots taken from visualization software are often inconsistent in size, format, or even visibility due to cluttered interfaces or unsuitable backgrounds. If you’ve used SAMSON, you may have wondered whether there is a better way to manage your captures.
The answer is yes: SAMSON includes a dedicated section in its Preferences panel to customize capture behavior. In this post, we highlight how to use the Interface > Captures preferences to produce better, faster, and more reproducible molecule images.
Where to Find It
To access these settings, open the Preferences panel via Interface > Preferences in the menu, or use the shortcut Ctrl+K on Windows/Linux (Cmd+, on Mac). Then navigate to Interface > Captures.
Key Preferences for Capture Settings
In the Interface > Captures section, you can set up the most critical parameters for image creation:
- Save Folder: Choose a default directory where your captures are stored. This prevents the need to browse for a folder each time.
- Filename Prefix: Images are saved as
prefix01.jpg,prefix02.jpg, etc. Picking a unique prefix for each project can help with organization. - File Format: Choose between
JPG,PNG, andBMP. PNG is preferable when using transparent backgrounds (more below). - Image Size: Either select a custom resolution or use a multiplier of the current viewport size. This is useful to quickly create high-resolution images.
Visual Options to Improve Clarity
For images that will be used in presentations or graphical abstracts, clarity is key. This is where two often overlooked options can help:
- Preserve Aspect Ratio: Prevents distortions that might occur when changing image dimensions manually. It’s always better to maintain accurate proportions, especially when showing molecular geometries.
- Transparent Background: Ideal when combining the image into documents or overlays, this option makes the background fully transparent when exporting as PNG. It gives you clean visuals without background distractions.
By configuring these options once, you save time and effort across your workflow. Future screenshots are instantly better suited for use, without needing post-processing in separate software.
Quick Tip: Capture Hotkey
Don’t forget that by default, pressing F10 triggers a capture using your defined preferences. Once things are configured, one key is all it takes to generate standard, high-quality molecule images on demand.
To learn more about setting image preferences and other useful SAMSON features, visit the official documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/preferences/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.