Panel drop shadow causes issues for screencasting apps

[Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄]

Binary package hint: unity

The drop shadow on the panel at the top of the screen in unity seems to do odd things when the screen is being recorded. This makes recording videos of the desktop almost impossible.

a) It grows and shrinks in size as the mouse goes near it
b) it appears to be on "top" of application windows. (see end of video)

See attached video for a sample.

Perhaps this is due to the way the drop shadow is implemented as a png overlaid on top of whatever is under it?

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: unity 3.8.8-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 270.41.03 Sat Apr 9 00:06:19 PDT 2011
 GCC version: gcc version 4.5.2 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.5.2-8ubuntu3)
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,decor,mousepoll,vpswitch,regex,animation,snap,expo,move,compiztoolbox,place,grid,imgpng,gnomecompat,wall,ezoom,workarounds,staticswitcher,resize,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,scale,session,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Sun Apr 17 13:47:43 2011
DistUpgraded: Log time: 2011-01-19 12:33:17.207056
DistroCodename: natty
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 nvidia-current, 270.41.03, 2.6.38-8-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.0.4, 2.6.38-7-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.0.4, 2.6.38-8-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.0.4, 2.6.38-6-generic, x86_64: installed
GraphicsCard:
 nVidia Corporation G71 [GeForce 7900 GT/GTO] [10de:0291] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: LeadTek Research Inc. Device [107d:2a62]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100816.1)
InstallationMedia_: Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100816.1)
InstallationMedia__: Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100816.1)
JockeyStatus: xorg:nvidia_current - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary, Enabled, In use)
MachineType: System manufacturer System Product Name
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=fb22b4e1-1576-4bf8-8272-15300bc7de38 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
ProcVersionSignature_: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
ProcVersionSignature__: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
Renderer: Unknown
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-01-19 (88 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 04/24/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: Phoenix Technologies, LTD
dmi.bios.version: ASUS P5N32-E SLI ACPI BIOS Revision 1801
dmi.board.name: P5N32-E SLI
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.board.version: 1.XX
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: 123456789000
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacture
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnPhoenixTechnologies,LTD:bvrASUSP5N32-ESLIACPIBIOSRevision1801:bd04/24/2009:svnSystemmanufacturer:pnSystemProductName:pvrSystemVersion:rvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:rnP5N32-ESLI:rvr1.XX:cvnChassisManufacture:ct3:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: System Product Name
dmi.product.version: System Version
dmi.sys.vendor: System manufacturer
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.4+bzr20110415-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu12
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.23-1ubuntu6
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.10.2-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental 7.10.2-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.10.2-0ubuntu1
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+4ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.0-0ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.14.0-4ubuntu7
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau N/A

[Bilal Akhtar (bilalakhtar)]

Even Joey-Elijah, the editor-in-chief of OMG! Ubuntu! is facing similar issues.

[Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄 (popey)]

Still happening on up to date oneiric.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Does Monitor Preferences show multiple outputs are turned on? If so, this could easily be caused by bug 815454 which would render the shadow for all outputs only on the top output. So you could get multiple overlapping shadows.

Another cause of multiple overlapping panel shadows is having multiple panel windows. Even though you often will only see one panel, their shadows will overlap and look really dark. That is bug 769957 - a window leak in the nux library causes multiple shadows to be rendered. And only one would render correctly, so the others might overdraw other windows.

[Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄 (popey)]

Sorry for the late response. No, I don't have multiple screens in the monitor preferences, only one.

Not sure about bug 769957 as I only see the issue when I am recording the screen. The issue occurs on latest Precise too.

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

isn't it specific to nvidia binary driver?

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

OK, this is not a duplicate of those if it's still happening in precise (or oneiric).

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

I've reproduced the same shadow bug, but only while hacking code for bug 901097 and bug 731685. It doesn't happen unless I trigger it by modifying compiz code. That said, this bug seems to have enough "triggers" that it's worth fixing. Even if it doesn't happen in normal desktop usage.

[Alberto Salvia Novella (es20490446e)]

Status changed to 'Triaged' because the bug is:

- Valid.
- Well described.
- Reported in the upstream bug tracker (Launchpad).
- Ready to be worked on by a developer.