Illustrator not exporting gradients when exporting to PDF

[defaulthqsnsupqvzb7]

I just updated to Adobe Illustrator 2023, and when you use the freeform gradient tool and export your files as a PDF, whatever you have set as a freeform gradient disappears.

I either need a fix to this ASAP or a way to roll back to the previous version of Ai because I'm working with a brand that uses freeform gradients in a TON of their materials, and PDFs are one of the main filetype resources we use. 

[Tuzuharu]

NO! it's an issue with Adobe also. You don't get to tell us or our client what software, app or hardware to use. Exported files should work everywhere if it's visual (screens can display CMYK, why not gradients correcty?) You're not helping so don't write! Don't tell us to complain to Apple, we're paying Adobe! 

[Monika Gause]

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@Tuzuharu  schrieb:

NO! it's an issue with Adobe also. You don't get to tell us or our client what software, app or hardware to use. Exported files should work everywhere if it's visual (screens can display CMYK, why not gradients correcty?) You're not helping so don't write! Don't tell us to complain to Apple, we're paying Adobe! 

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If the gradient is visible in Acrobat, then obviously it has been created according to the standard. If another app ignores the PDF standard, then, well

Are you expecting engineers to test the exported PDF in every PDF viewer on earth and then make it so that it works in the worse of those? Would be better to set up a standard, test against the standard and then other PDF viewer makers also need to support that. This would save a lot of development hours. 

But yeah, Apple ...

[Ton Frederiks]

I would complain to Apple, they wrote their viewer.

[matejl63550032]

I have the same problem ..

MacBook M1 Max - Ventura 13.5; Illustrator ver.: 27.8.1 or Illustrator Beta 27.10 206 same problems when exporting to PDF  using gradients.

I Have copied artwork to Photoshop and exported it - it works but it is not the same - it is not a perfect vector product at the end - it is the same result if you rasterize artwork in Illustrator when you make a bigger pdf it is not vector ...

max

[Monika Gause]

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@matejl63550032  schrieb:

I have the same problem ..

MacBook M1 Max - Ventura 13.5; Illustrator ver.: 27.8.1 or Illustrator Beta 27.10 206 same problems when exporting to PDF  using gradients.

I Have copied artwork to Photoshop and exported it - it works but it is not the same - it is not a perfect vector product at the end - it is the same result if you rasterize artwork in Illustrator when you make a bigger pdf it is not vector ...

max

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This thread discussed probably a dozen issues.

So please describe your issue. What exactly is in your file, how exactly and using which settings are you exporting it and which PDF viewer are you using,. And if it is not Acrobat, then it's just not reliable.

[Alejandra28979212n03d]

I am having the same issue on Mac 13.0 ventura. I have been using this computer since January 2023 and as of last month my freeform gradients dissapers when saving to pdf. I tried changing the standard and nothing works wether I use RGB or CMYK. This is extremely frustrating!!! 

[Doug A Roberts]

Have you read this complete thread? What are you using to view the PDFs?

[Monika Gause]

Which PDF viewer are you using? Acrobat? If not, please try that. If Acrobat does not work, you could apply the Rasterize effect with sufficient resolution to your freeform gradient. The gradient will stay editable in the AI file, but will be rasterized in the PDF.

[honzisletsmind]

Hey everyone, macOS Sonoma fixes the issue.

[Monika Gause]

Hey everyone, macOS Sonoma fixes the issue.

By @honzisletsmind

It is currently not recommended to upgrade to Sonoma. Wait until there is an official "Go" https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/macos-sonoma-compatibility-common-issues.html 

There are reports of issues in Illustrator all around in the forum.