diff -r 37e8e30f21a0 o.n.swing.tabcontrol/src/org/netbeans/swing/tabcontrol/plaf/NimbusEditorTabCellRenderer.java
--- a/o.n.swing.tabcontrol/src/org/netbeans/swing/tabcontrol/plaf/NimbusEditorTabCellRenderer.java	Mon Feb 02 00:36:02 2009 +0100
+++ b/o.n.swing.tabcontrol/src/org/netbeans/swing/tabcontrol/plaf/NimbusEditorTabCellRenderer.java	Mon Feb 02 13:46:57 2009 +0100
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@
 import java.awt.Insets;
 import java.awt.Polygon;
 import java.awt.Rectangle;
+import java.awt.Shape;
 import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
 import javax.swing.Icon;
 import javax.swing.JComponent;
@@ -106,7 +107,16 @@
     
     private static void paintTabBackground (Graphics g, int index, Component c,
     int x, int y, int w, int h) {
+
+        Shape clip = g.getClip();
         NimbusEditorTabCellRenderer ren = (NimbusEditorTabCellRenderer) c;
+
+        w +=1;
+        boolean isPreviousTabSelected = ren.isPreviousTabSelected();
+        if (isPreviousTabSelected) {
+            g.setClip(x+1, y, w-1, h);
+        }
+
         Object o = null;
         if (ren.isSelected()) {
             if (ren.isActive()) {
@@ -126,6 +136,10 @@
             painter.paint(g2d, null, w, h);
             g.drawImage(bufIm, x, y, null);
         } else {
+        }
+
+        if (isPreviousTabSelected) {
+            g.setClip(clip);
         }
     }
     
diff -r 37e8e30f21a0 o.n.swing.tabcontrol/src/org/netbeans/swing/tabcontrol/plaf/NimbusViewTabDisplayerUI.java
--- a/o.n.swing.tabcontrol/src/org/netbeans/swing/tabcontrol/plaf/NimbusViewTabDisplayerUI.java	Mon Feb 02 00:36:02 2009 +0100
+++ b/o.n.swing.tabcontrol/src/org/netbeans/swing/tabcontrol/plaf/NimbusViewTabDisplayerUI.java	Mon Feb 02 13:46:57 2009 +0100
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@
 import java.awt.Graphics2D;
 import java.awt.Insets;
 import java.awt.Rectangle;
+import java.awt.Shape;
 import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
 import org.netbeans.swing.tabcontrol.TabDisplayer;
 import javax.swing.plaf.ComponentUI;
@@ -207,6 +208,17 @@
 */
     protected void paintTabBackground(Graphics g, int index, int x, int y,
                                       int width, int height) {
+        boolean isLast = index == getDataModel().size()-1;
+        if (!isLast) {
+            width++;
+        }
+
+        Shape clip = g.getClip();
+        boolean isPreviousTabSelected = index-1 == displayer.getSelectionModel().getSelectedIndex();
+        if (isPreviousTabSelected) {
+            g.setClip(x+1, y, width-1, height);
+        }
+
         Object o = null;
         if (isSelected(index)) {
             if (isActive()) {
@@ -227,6 +239,10 @@
             painter.paint(g2d, null, width, height);
             g.drawImage(bufIm, x, y, null);
         } else {
+        }
+
+        if (isPreviousTabSelected) {
+            g.setClip(clip);
         }
     }