diff --git a/src/plugins/imagery/components/ImageryView.vue b/src/plugins/imagery/components/ImageryView.vue
index 84942c1ee9..4eb987cc73 100644
--- a/src/plugins/imagery/components/ImageryView.vue
+++ b/src/plugins/imagery/components/ImageryView.vue
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
     tabindex="0"
     class="c-imagery"
     @keyup="arrowUpHandler"
-    @keydown="arrowDownHandler"
+    @keydown.prevent="arrowDownHandler"
     @mouseover="focusElement"
 >
     <div
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@
                     v-if="!isFixed"
                     class="c-button icon-pause pause-play"
                     :class="{'is-paused': isPaused}"
-                    @click="paused(!isPaused)"
+                    @click="handlePauseButton(!isPaused)"
                 ></button>
             </div>
         </div>
@@ -165,6 +165,9 @@
         <div
             ref="thumbsWrapper"
             class="c-imagery__thumbs-scroll-area"
+            :class="[{
+                'animate-scroll': animateThumbScroll
+            }]"
             @scroll="handleScroll"
         >
             <ImageThumbnail
@@ -182,7 +185,7 @@
         <button
             class="c-imagery__auto-scroll-resume-button c-icon-button icon-play"
             title="Resume automatic scrolling of image thumbnails"
-            @click="scrollToRight('reset')"
+            @click="scrollToRight"
         ></button>
     </div>
 </div>
@@ -192,6 +195,7 @@
 import eventHelpers from '../lib/eventHelpers';
 import _ from 'lodash';
 import moment from 'moment';
+import Vue from 'vue';
 
 import RelatedTelemetry from './RelatedTelemetry/RelatedTelemetry';
 import Compass from './Compass/Compass.vue';
@@ -289,7 +293,8 @@ export default {
             pan: undefined,
             animateZoom: true,
             imagePanned: false,
-            forceShowThumbnails: false
+            forceShowThumbnails: false,
+            animateThumbScroll: false
         };
     },
     computed: {
@@ -393,6 +398,12 @@ export default {
 
             return disabled;
         },
+        isComposedInLayout() {
+            return (
+                this.currentView?.objectPath
+                && !this.openmct.router.isNavigatedObject(this.currentView.objectPath)
+            );
+        },
         focusedImage() {
             return this.imageHistory[this.focusedImageIndex];
         },
@@ -542,7 +553,7 @@ export default {
     },
     watch: {
         imageHistory: {
-            handler(newHistory, _oldHistory) {
+            async handler(newHistory, oldHistory) {
                 const newSize = newHistory.length;
                 let imageIndex = newSize > 0 ? newSize - 1 : undefined;
                 if (this.focusedImageTimestamp !== undefined) {
@@ -570,10 +581,13 @@ export default {
 
                 if (!this.isPaused) {
                     this.setFocusedImage(imageIndex);
-                    this.scrollToRight();
-                } else {
-                    this.scrollToFocused();
                 }
+
+                await this.scrollHandler();
+                if (oldHistory?.length > 0) {
+                    this.animateThumbScroll = true;
+                }
+
             },
             deep: true
         },
@@ -584,7 +598,7 @@ export default {
             this.getImageNaturalDimensions();
         },
         bounds() {
-            this.scrollToFocused();
+            this.scrollHandler();
         },
         isFixed(newValue) {
             const isRealTime = !newValue;
@@ -848,6 +862,13 @@ export default {
             const disableScroll = scrollWidth > Math.ceil(scrollLeft + clientWidth);
             this.autoScroll = !disableScroll;
         },
+        handlePauseButton(newState) {
+            this.paused(newState);
+            if (newState) {
+                // need to set the focused index or the paused focus will drift
+                this.thumbnailClicked(this.focusedImageIndex);
+            }
+        },
         paused(state) {
             this.isPaused = Boolean(state);
 
@@ -855,7 +876,7 @@ export default {
                 this.previousFocusedImage = null;
                 this.setFocusedImage(this.nextImageIndex);
                 this.autoScroll = true;
-                this.scrollToRight();
+                this.scrollHandler();
             }
         },
         scrollToFocused() {
@@ -865,28 +886,43 @@ export default {
             }
 
             let domThumb = thumbsWrapper.children[this.focusedImageIndex];
-
-            if (domThumb) {
-                domThumb.scrollIntoView({
-                    behavior: 'smooth',
-                    block: 'center',
-                    inline: 'center'
-                });
-            }
-        },
-        scrollToRight(type) {
-            if (type !== 'reset' && (this.isPaused || !this.$refs.thumbsWrapper || !this.autoScroll)) {
+            if (!domThumb) {
                 return;
             }
 
-            const scrollWidth = this.$refs.thumbsWrapper.scrollWidth || 0;
+            // separate scrollTo function had to be implemented since scrollIntoView
+            // caused undesirable behavior in layouts
+            // and could not simply be scoped to the parent element
+            if (this.isComposedInLayout) {
+                const wrapperWidth = this.$refs.thumbsWrapper.clientWidth ?? 0;
+                this.$refs.thumbsWrapper.scrollLeft = (
+                    domThumb.offsetLeft - (wrapperWidth - domThumb.clientWidth) / 2);
+
+                return;
+            }
+
+            domThumb.scrollIntoView({
+                behavior: 'smooth',
+                block: 'center',
+                inline: 'center'
+            });
+        },
+        async scrollToRight() {
+
+            const scrollWidth = this.$refs?.thumbsWrapper?.scrollWidth ?? 0;
             if (!scrollWidth) {
                 return;
             }
 
-            this.$nextTick(() => {
-                this.$refs.thumbsWrapper.scrollLeft = scrollWidth;
-            });
+            await Vue.nextTick();
+            this.$refs.thumbsWrapper.scrollLeft = scrollWidth;
+        },
+        scrollHandler() {
+            if (this.isPaused) {
+                return this.scrollToFocused();
+            } else if (this.autoScroll) {
+                return this.scrollToRight();
+            }
         },
         matchIndexOfPreviousImage(previous, imageHistory) {
             // match logic uses a composite of url and time to account
@@ -1087,7 +1123,7 @@ export default {
             this.setSizedImageDimensions();
             this.setImageViewport();
             this.calculateViewHeight();
-            this.scrollToFocused();
+            this.scrollHandler();
         },
         setSizedImageDimensions() {
             this.focusedImageNaturalAspectRatio = this.$refs.focusedImage.naturalWidth / this.$refs.focusedImage.naturalHeight;
@@ -1122,9 +1158,7 @@ export default {
             this.handleThumbWindowResizeEnded();
         },
         handleThumbWindowResizeEnded() {
-            if (!this.isPaused) {
-                this.scrollToRight('reset');
-            }
+            this.scrollHandler();
 
             this.calculateViewHeight();
 
@@ -1137,7 +1171,6 @@ export default {
         },
         wheelZoom(e) {
             e.preventDefault();
-
             this.$refs.imageControls.wheelZoom(e);
         },
         startPan(e) {
diff --git a/src/plugins/imagery/components/imagery-view.scss b/src/plugins/imagery/components/imagery-view.scss
index b90234f9e7..ee0713244b 100644
--- a/src/plugins/imagery/components/imagery-view.scss
+++ b/src/plugins/imagery/components/imagery-view.scss
@@ -194,6 +194,9 @@
         overflow-y: hidden;
         margin-bottom: 1px;
         padding-bottom: $interiorMarginSm;
+        &.animate-scroll {
+            scroll-behavior: smooth; 
+        }
     }
 
     &__auto-scroll-resume-button {
diff --git a/src/plugins/imagery/pluginSpec.js b/src/plugins/imagery/pluginSpec.js
index 634639160e..15a81b09e3 100644
--- a/src/plugins/imagery/pluginSpec.js
+++ b/src/plugins/imagery/pluginSpec.js
@@ -481,19 +481,16 @@ describe("The Imagery View Layouts", () => {
                 });
             });
         });
-        it ('scrollToRight is called when clicking on auto scroll button', (done) => {
-            Vue.nextTick(() => {
-                // use spyon to spy the scroll function
-                spyOn(imageryView._getInstance().$refs.ImageryContainer, 'scrollToRight');
-                imageryView._getInstance().$refs.ImageryContainer.autoScroll = false;
-                Vue.nextTick(() => {
-                    parent.querySelector('.c-imagery__auto-scroll-resume-button').click();
-                    expect(imageryView._getInstance().$refs.ImageryContainer.scrollToRight).toHaveBeenCalledWith('reset');
-                    done();
-                });
-            });
+        it ('scrollToRight is called when clicking on auto scroll button', async () => {
+            await Vue.nextTick();
+            // use spyon to spy the scroll function
+            spyOn(imageryView._getInstance().$refs.ImageryContainer, 'scrollHandler');
+            imageryView._getInstance().$refs.ImageryContainer.autoScroll = false;
+            await Vue.nextTick();
+            parent.querySelector('.c-imagery__auto-scroll-resume-button').click();
+            expect(imageryView._getInstance().$refs.ImageryContainer.scrollHandler);
         });
-        xit('should change the image zoom factor when using the zoom buttons', async (done) => {
+        xit('should change the image zoom factor when using the zoom buttons', async () => {
             await Vue.nextTick();
             let imageSizeBefore;
             let imageSizeAfter;
@@ -512,7 +509,6 @@ describe("The Imagery View Layouts", () => {
             imageSizeAfter = parent.querySelector('.c-imagery_main-image_background-image').getBoundingClientRect();
             expect(imageSizeAfter.height).toBeLessThan(imageSizeBefore.height);
             expect(imageSizeAfter.width).toBeLessThan(imageSizeBefore.width);
-            done();
         });
         xit('should reset the zoom factor on the image when clicking the zoom button', async (done) => {
             await Vue.nextTick();