Raster file not exporting as expected - image "dumbs" down

Question

I think this may be a bug but I am not sure. I have a simple IDW raster that I created from some point values. It is symbolized based on a manual classification method of five color classes. On my map, the image looks nice and is sort of blended:

But when I export this layout to any file type (PDF, PNG, JPG, SVG, EMF, etc.), the image gets "dumbed down" to be really basic and standard:

This is what my classification scheme looks like:

Is there a way to "force" my export to look as my map looks? Or is this a bug to where the image on my map is not what I get in my exported layout (it's not WYSIWYG)? Using ArcGIS Pro 3.0.2.

AdrianWelsh · Answer

Well, that's a bummer! According to the bug report, it's in the "product plan" so it's allegedly scheduled to be fixed in a near-term release. I thought there was a way to "follow" a bug so I can get updates on when its status changes. Looks like that went away too! (or I just can't figure out how to do it...)

Wayne_Rennick · Answer

Sadly, this is a bug in ArcGIS Pro that hasn't been fixed in 4+ years (I reported it to ESRI in 2018). The Bilinear method doesn't display the raster imagery correctly on the screen, but it does print correctly as you discovered.

ArcMap displayed the data correctly, ArcGIS Pro doesn't display it on the screen correctly. Since it's been around for a while, I suspect it's something fundamental with how the software works.

BUG-000158290 for ArcGIS Pro (esri.com)

AdrianWelsh · Answer

Yes, I tried the Output as image option and I got the same results. I think I have tried all the different buttons for different options in all the different file types. For image compression I tried the different options as well, including none. Quality is set to max (when I can) and resample is set to best. But I have tried other options there as well - the result doesn't change.

One thing to take note of is that this faded/blending mode only happens when my resampling type is bilinear. In the other modes, it does not give me the next blended colors

Here are how all three look:

Nearest Neighbor resampling:

Bilinear resampling:

Cubic resampling:

All my exports look like the cubic resampling.