diff --git a/src/app/components/entity-feature-annotations/annotationwalkthrough/annotationwalkthrough.component.html b/src/app/components/entity-feature-annotations/annotationwalkthrough/annotationwalkthrough.component.html
index 1bd19d84..f8398dbe 100644
--- a/src/app/components/entity-feature-annotations/annotationwalkthrough/annotationwalkthrough.component.html
+++ b/src/app/components/entity-feature-annotations/annotationwalkthrough/annotationwalkthrough.component.html
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
   <div id="annotationwalkthrough">
     <k-button
       (click)="previousAnnotation()"
+      [disabled]="(annotationService.isTransitioning$ | async) ?? false"
       tooltip="{{ 'Back' | translate }}"
       tooltipPosition="above"
       icon-button
@@ -11,11 +12,12 @@
     <span id="walktertitle">{{ title$ | async }}</span>
     <k-button
       (click)="nextAnnotation()"
+      [disabled]="(annotationService.isTransitioning$ | async) ?? false"
       tooltip="{{ 'Next' | translate }}"
       tooltipPosition="above"
       icon-button
     >
-      <mat-icon [attr.aria-label]="'Save Scene' | translate">keyboard_arrow_right</mat-icon>
+      <mat-icon [attr.aria-label]="'Next' | translate">keyboard_arrow_right</mat-icon>
     </k-button>
   </div>
 }
diff --git a/src/app/components/entity-feature-annotations/annotationwalkthrough/annotationwalkthrough.component.ts b/src/app/components/entity-feature-annotations/annotationwalkthrough/annotationwalkthrough.component.ts
index 8ee918f8..c750f733 100644
--- a/src/app/components/entity-feature-annotations/annotationwalkthrough/annotationwalkthrough.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/components/entity-feature-annotations/annotationwalkthrough/annotationwalkthrough.component.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ export class AnnotationwalkthroughComponent {
   public annotationService = inject(AnnotationService);
   #isRepositioning = toObservable(this.annotationService.isRepositioning);
 
-  public ranking$ = new BehaviorSubject(-1);
+  public ranking$ = new BehaviorSubject(0);
   public selectedAnnotation$ = combineLatest([
     this.annotationService.currentAnnotations$,
     this.annotationService.selectedAnnotation$,
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ export class AnnotationwalkthroughComponent {
       firstValueFrom(this.ranking$),
       firstValueFrom(this.annotationService.currentAnnotations$),
     ]);
-    const isFirst = ranking === 0;
+    const isFirst = ranking <= 0;
     const newRanking = isFirst ? annotations.length - 1 : ranking - 1;
     this.ranking$.next(newRanking);
     this.annotationService.setSelectedAnnotation(annotations[newRanking]._id.toString());
diff --git a/src/app/services/annotation/annotation.service.ts b/src/app/services/annotation/annotation.service.ts
index c0a99846..12b67a26 100644
--- a/src/app/services/annotation/annotation.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/services/annotation/annotation.service.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,14 @@ import {
   UtilityLayerRenderer,
   Vector3,
 } from '@babylonjs/core';
-import { BehaviorSubject, ReplaySubject, combineLatest, firstValueFrom, fromEvent } from 'rxjs';
+import {
+  BehaviorSubject,
+  Observable,
+  ReplaySubject,
+  combineLatest,
+  firstValueFrom,
+  fromEvent,
+} from 'rxjs';
 import { distinct, filter, map, switchMap } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { IAnnotation, asVector3, isAnnotation } from '@kompakkt/common';
 import { annotationFallback, annotationLogo } from '../../../assets/annotations/annotations';
@@ -69,6 +76,11 @@ export class AnnotationService {
 
   public isAnnotationMode$ = new BehaviorSubject(false);
 
+  #isTransitioningSubject = new BehaviorSubject<boolean>(false);
+  public get isTransitioning$(): Observable<boolean> {
+    return this.#isTransitioningSubject.asObservable();
+  }
+
   private defaultOffset = 0;
 
   public picked$ = new ReplaySubject<PartialPick>();
@@ -720,7 +732,7 @@ export class AnnotationService {
       // Saved position is { x: alpha, y: beta, z: radius } (spherical ArcRotate)
       const position = asVector3(perspective.position);
       const target = asVector3(perspective.target);
-      this.babylon.cameraManager.smoothCameraTransitionFromSpherical({
+      const animatable = this.babylon.cameraManager.smoothCameraTransitionFromSpherical({
         camera: this.babylon.cameraManager.getActiveCamera(),
         scene: this.babylon.getScene(),
         alpha: position.x,
@@ -728,6 +740,8 @@ export class AnnotationService {
         radius: position.z,
         target: Vector3.FromArray(Object.values(target)),
       });
+      this.#isTransitioningSubject.next(true);
+      animatable.onAnimationEndObservable.addOnce(() => this.#isTransitioningSubject.next(false));
     }
     this.babylon.hideMesh(selectedAnnotation._id.toString(), true);
   }
diff --git a/src/app/services/babylon/camera-handler.ts b/src/app/services/babylon/camera-handler.ts
index 0e53493f..f61bc4e6 100644
--- a/src/app/services/babylon/camera-handler.ts
+++ b/src/app/services/babylon/camera-handler.ts
@@ -233,14 +233,11 @@ export const smoothCameraTransitionFromSpherical = (
   },
   speed = 1,
 ) => {
-  console.log(
-    'SmoothCameraTransitionFromSpherical from',
-    JSON.stringify([camera.alpha, camera.beta, camera.radius, camera.target]),
-    'to',
-    JSON.stringify([alpha, beta, radius, target]),
-  );
-
-  camera.target = new Vector3(target.x, target.y, target.z);
+  // Shortest-path alpha wrap: pick the equivalent alpha value within ±π of
+  // the camera's current alpha so the animation takes the short way around.
+  const TAU = Math.PI * 2;
+  const delta = ((((alpha - camera.alpha + Math.PI) % TAU) + TAU) % TAU) - Math.PI;
+  const wrappedAlpha = camera.alpha + delta;
 
   const animAlpha = new Animation(
     'camera_alpha_animation',
@@ -273,7 +270,7 @@ export const smoothCameraTransitionFromSpherical = (
 
   animAlpha.setKeys([
     { frame: 0, value: camera.alpha },
-    { frame: FPS, value: alpha },
+    { frame: FPS, value: wrappedAlpha },
   ]);
 
   animBeta.setKeys([