Freeform Gradients Missing or Causing Crashes After Latest Illustrator Update

Hello,

There are several similar reports now, so I wouldn't necessarily put this down to corrupted preferences, particularly when reverting to an earlier Illustrator version resolves the issue.

There's an existing bug report on UserVoice describing freeform gradients disappearing or becoming transparent when editing existing objects:

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/51546641-freeform-gradient-fails-to-apply-disappears-on-e

Another report documents differences in freeform gradient rendering between Illustrator 29.0 and 30.5.1 using the same artwork:

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/51448663-regression-freeform-gradient-renders-differently

That second issue isn't identical, but it does suggest version-dependent problems with freeform gradients.

One other user reported temporarily restoring their gradient by setting a colour stop's Spread to 100%. It might be worth testing on a duplicate object, although I wouldn't consider that a permanent fix.

Since reverting to an earlier version works, I'd recommend continuing with that version for production work until the issue is resolved.

It would be particularly helpful to establish the exact version where the problem starts, and provide Adobe with a small sample file that works correctly in one version but fails in another. That would give the engineering team something concrete to investigate.

I'm using the current v30.8.2 build; freeform gradient fills appear to work alright in the installation on my PC. Have you tried any of the usual troubleshooting steps, such as resetting the Illustrator Preferences file? It sounds like something could be glitched in that particular install.

How complex are the objects being filled with freeform gradients? I've noticed they seem to work just fine on solid objects, such as a rectangle. But they tend to fall apart when applied to complex compound paths, such as a string of text converted to outlines. Only one word in the string will get colored and the other words turn white. The color points misbehave or even disappear when dragged to the white areas. 

hey, i still experiencing this issue, nothing of this list works.
All gradients, linear and circular, are fine. Just the freeform query doesn't seem to recognize any color, although the circles clearly show a fill 

This is now a problem spoken of on dozens of forums. This is no longer a reset preferences issue. Having this issue now, in the middle of a client project!

Hi Keegan35548218sbey

We wanted to follow up on your issue. Are you able to resolve the issue by following the suggestions shared? I tried replicating the issue, and the free-form gradient works for me. 

Please share the details requested by Abhishek so we can assist you further. 

Thanks,

Harshika

Hi ​@Keegan35548218sbey,

Sorry to hear you’re experiencing this issue.

Adding to the expert suggestion, could you please confirm the exact Illustrator version and your operating system details? I tested this on my end but was unable to reproduce the same behavior so far.

In the meantime, please try disabling GPU Performance from Illustrator Preferences and check if that improves the behavior. You can also switch between GPU and CPU preview modes via:
View > Preview on GPU
View > Preview on CPU

Additionally, please update your GPU drivers directly from the Intel / NVIDIA / AMD website instead of relying only on system updates.

Could you also confirm whether this happens only with a particular file or with all files containing freeform gradients? It would help if you could test both:
creating a brand-new freeform gradient in the latest Illustrator version,
and opening older existing freeform gradient files.

I also checked for any submitted crash reports associated with your community email address but could not find any so far. If you see the Adobe Crash Reporter dialog when Illustrator crashes, please submit the crash report and share the email address used via DM so I can help check the logs further from our side.

Reference:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/crash-next-steps.html?linkId=100000357094820

Looking forward to your update.
Abhishek

I have tried with my own documents, but they work. Can you perhaps put one of the gradient objects (not the complete file) into a new document and share it?