Image Transparency Issue While Exporting To PDF - ArcGIS Pro

[SeanFadum1]

Hi,

When I apply a transparency to a raster image (ie. an airphoto) and export my layout in ArcGIS Pro to PDF, strange lines appear in the image (almost like the software is tiling it).  If I remove the transparency, then the export is fine. I have tried adjusting the DPI during the export and printing directly to PDF, with no luck.

Has anyone else had this issue... and if so is there a fix?  I am using ArcGIS Pro 2.0.1.

Thanks,

Sean

[MikeBuscher]

This works for a single group, but not for multiple groups (such as for different transparencies). It also creates a situation where the desired transparency is not reflected in the legend symbol, so additional workaround of adding a separate but unchecked layer with desired transparency to the legend.

[christinebrooks]

You legend! I have been going mad for the last 2 days, thank you so much! ESRI you should really include this work around instructions in your issue report here and here please!:

Problem: Grid Lines Display in PDFs Exported from ArcGIS Pro (esri.com)
BUG-000137038 for ArcGIS Pro (esri.com)

[jpgrana]

This solution worked well for me...thanks for posting!

[JoeBryant1]

It's the end of 2023... any update on this from Adobe? Should we assume that exporting PDFs will always be an issue in ArcGIS Pro?

[JeremyWright]

@JoeBryant1 UPDATE: we have worked with Adobe and also determined that a specific setting in Acrobat causes the display artifacts.  One workaround we know of at this time is to have the user uncheck this option.  Please see https://support.esri.com/en-us/knowledge-base/problem-grid-lines-display-in-pdfs-exported-from-arcgi...

[Wayne_Rennick]

I see the artifacts in viewers other than Acrobat (we use PDF-XChange, but it also occurs viewing the pdfs in Chrome and Edge), so this is not an Adobe issue. There is a setting in PDF-XChange to "Enhance think lines" but having it checked or unchecked does not do anything to remove the white lines.  
ESRIs work arounds are not solutions, exporting a map to an image format instead of a pdf, is like downgrading from a sports car to roller-skates. 
Time to fix the problem and not point fingers.

(The real frustration is that this problem has existed since at least 2017 and it's not fixed)

[GISAdminSHN]

@JeremyWright since we have a good handle on what creates the impaired PDFs (the zero-width tile borders when transparency is applied to tiled layers) why hasn't the Export to PDF tool been updated to just have an option that handles situations like these similar to the way ArcMap export worked? (but on a layer level instead of flattening every layer with transparency into one)

Any tiled layers with transparency could be pre-merged into single images by the tool before output. Additionally, the tool could either respect the transparency setting from Pro, or flatten the transparency into the output image layer.

Tiles are performance features, it is not appropriate for their boundaries to be respected for the purposes of an exported image or PDF. One should not expect to find individual tile images within a single output image layer, as these tiles should rightfully be merged together by the export tool.

[Wayne_Rennick]

 @JackDangermond hire this guy!

[GISAdminSHN]

Thanks Wayne! I just love digging in to see how things work and brainstorming solutions!

As GIS professionals, we learn it is normal to have to develop our own internal workflows and workarounds to account for software limitations and bugs (and sometimes our extremely unique processes! :D) But when efficiency and quality are taking a hit during essential core activities like these, we can certainly get quite frustrated. I really hope someone at Esri can give this issue the attention it deserves and restore the quality of this frequently used core functionality.

[GISAdminSHN]

It's pretty embarrassing to have to ask clients to change the settings in their Acrobat to fix something that wasn't previously a problem. There are other things that change in appearance as well when that setting is changed. I would recommend the other two workarounds that have been provided over that one, in particular the combination of a white transparent polygon mask and the turning off of transparency on the tiled raster layer.