diff --git a/python_app/gui/controllers/app_window_plot/gpr_plot_mixin.py b/python_app/gui/controllers/app_window_plot/gpr_plot_mixin.py
index 6947feb..94b87f7 100644
--- a/python_app/gui/controllers/app_window_plot/gpr_plot_mixin.py
+++ b/python_app/gui/controllers/app_window_plot/gpr_plot_mixin.py
@@ -14,6 +14,12 @@ from python_app.orchestration.gpr_locator import (
     gpr_object_rows as extract_gpr_object_rows,
 )
 
+# Fraction of the frame maximum below which the heatmap is not highlighted
+# (same as cloud-threshold=0.75 in the VNA_AlGo 3D SAR animation): the color
+# scale is stretched over [frac*max, max], everything below falls into the
+# darkest LUT color.
+HEATMAP_DISPLAY_THRESHOLD_FRAC = 0.75
+
 
 class AppWindowGprPlotMixin:
     """Renders GPR accumulator heatmaps and detected object overlays."""
@@ -244,7 +250,9 @@ class AppWindowGprPlotMixin:
             self._gpr_image_item.setImage(image, autoLevels=False)
             self._gpr_image_item.setRect(rect)
             self._gpr_image_item.setLookupTable(self._gpr_lookup_table)
-            self._gpr_image_item.setLevels((float(np.min(image)), float(np.max(image) + 1e-6)))
+            image_max = float(np.max(image))
+            self._gpr_image_item.setLevels(
+                (HEATMAP_DISPLAY_THRESHOLD_FRAC * image_max, image_max + 1e-6))
             self._gpr_image_item.show()
 
             visible_x_min, visible_x_max, visible_z_min, visible_z_max = self._gpr_visible_bounds()
diff --git a/python_app/gui/controllers/app_window_plot/sar3d_plot_mixin.py b/python_app/gui/controllers/app_window_plot/sar3d_plot_mixin.py
index 2c5253d..80d93f9 100644
--- a/python_app/gui/controllers/app_window_plot/sar3d_plot_mixin.py
+++ b/python_app/gui/controllers/app_window_plot/sar3d_plot_mixin.py
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ from PyQt6.QtCore import QRectF
 import numpy as np
 import pyqtgraph as pg
 
+from python_app.gui.controllers.app_window_plot.gpr_plot_mixin import (
+    HEATMAP_DISPLAY_THRESHOLD_FRAC,
+)
 from python_app.gui.runtime.sar3d_views import sar3d_bottom_view_deg_from_label
 from python_app.models.dataset_model import ResultCollection
 
@@ -111,8 +114,9 @@ class AppWindowSar3dPlotMixin:
         image_item.setImage(image, autoLevels=False)
         image_item.setRect(rect)
         image_item.setLookupTable(self._sar3d_lookup_table)
-        # Projections are normalized to [0, 1] by the processor.
-        image_item.setLevels((0.0, 1.0))
+        # Projections are normalized to [0, 1] by the processor; stretch the
+        # colors over [threshold, 1] like the 3D animation cloud cutoff.
+        image_item.setLevels((HEATMAP_DISPLAY_THRESHOLD_FRAC, 1.0))
         image_item.show()
         plot.setXRange(x_min, x_max, padding=0.0)
         plot.setYRange(y_min, y_max, padding=0.0)