GdFe spin-valve structures, Si/bottom electrode/TbFeCo/CoFe (1 nm)/Cu (6 nm)/GdFe (10 nm)/Ru, with dimensions of 20×20 μm2 were investigated by a magneto-optical imaging technique. In a parallel configuration, i.e., a configuration in which the magnetization directions of GdFe and TbFeCo layers are parallel, the coercivity (Hc) decreases when nucleation centers are present in the patterns. In the antiparallel configuration, although few nucleation centers are present the deviation in Hc is greater than that in the parallel configuration.