PDFLaTeX cannot produce shaded TikZ objects

Question

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\shadedraw[draw=blue] 
    (0,0) circle (1);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

can produce a shaded circle when it is compiled with latex-dvips-ps2pdf. However, compiling it with pdflatex only produces a circle without shading.

I use the latest TeX Live 2011 distribution. I have updated the package several days ago.

What is the source of problem?

Works perfectly for me. I guess that it's your PDF viewer, which might have issues with shadings. Try using Adobe Acrobat Reader to see if it works with it. The funny thing is that it works with DVI->PDF, but it might use slightly different PDF commands which might be supported by your viewer. — Martin Scharrer, Jan 13 '12 at 11:05
No, we don't need the log in this form. Maybe the very first line. The output of \listfiles would be more interesting, but simply stating your TeXLive version and the one of PGF/TikZ would be just fine. — Martin Scharrer, Jan 13 '12 at 11:10
After installing Adobe Reader X (ten), the problem does not happen anymore. So do I need to remove this question? — kiss my armpit, Jan 13 '12 at 11:17
@CounterTerrorist: It works for me with Adobe Reader 9.4.2 under Ubuntu Linux. I can remember a similar question about this, but I can't find it just now. Keep the question for now. — Martin Scharrer, Jan 13 '12 at 11:24
@MartinScharrer: I used Adobe Reader 9.4.0 before installing Adobe Reader 10.x — kiss my armpit, Jan 13 '12 at 11:32
I make my comment regarding the viewer to an answer. Perhaps it helps other people who miss the shading with Adobe Reader 9.X. — Stefan Kottwitz, Jan 13 '12 at 11:43
@MartinScharrer: If you would find an exact duplicate, feel free to close as a duplicate, deleting my answer. — Stefan Kottwitz, Jan 13 '12 at 11:50

score 4 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:35

Missing or wrongly displayed shading can be a viewer issue. In this case, and in case of other unexpected display problems, such as for example color gradients, it's recommendable to check the PDF output with a different PDF viewer.

A list of viewers can be found here: Output viewers for use with LaTeX.

Here the problem occured with the Adobe Reader 9.X, it was gone after installing Adobe Reader X, according to the OP.

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 13 '12 at 13:02

2

I had a similar problem, which I posted on the LaTeX Community Forum. Some who replied had similar problems while others did not. The thread also lists possible solutions.

answered Jan 13 '12 at 13:02

Tom Price

374

PDFLaTeX cannot produce shaded TikZ objects

2 Answers2