Using plt.show() how can I define the background color?

Question

When I visualize a plot, the default background color is something like gray. I want to have a white end, like the one that I obtain when I save the plot.

Answer 1

Like any other patch, the figure itself has a set_facecolor() method.

fig = plt.figure()
fig.set_facecolor("w")

You may also directly use the facecolor argument of plt.figure()

fig = plt.figure(facecolor="w")

A third option is to set the respective rc Parameter. This can either be done in the top of the script

plt.rcParams["figure.facecolor"] = "w"

or by chaning the matplotlib rc file.

Note that from matplotlib version 2.0 on, the default facecolor for figures is actually white, so updating matplotlib is the fourth option available.