LR4 slow when making many adjustments

[soboyle]

Noticing how slow LR4 gets when making multiple brush and graduated filter adjustments to an image.
Any indication that this is something that will be fixed?
I didn't notice this in LR3, or maybe I'm just using these tools more and not going out to PS as much.
I'm using the 4.0 version, not the release candidates.

[Phil Indeblanc]

please list your system sw and hw specs when referring to speed issues.

thanks

[soboyle]

Quad core processor @ 2.4 GHz, 8 gigs ram, Vista 64

[natas]

What type of files are you working with?

I had the same issue on my MBP, but I was working with 40MP raw files. I upgraded from 8gigs to 16gigs and life is so much better now.

[John Cothron]

Increasing that 8gb to 12 or 16 will take you a long way I suspect.

[Phil Indeblanc]

oddly enough I am feeling it too...I make an adjust its a lag before it shows. then I adjust again the first adjust appears and It's All Wrong. :-/

These adjustment sliders are not so good at all..jumpy and lag response.

3.2ghz+i7 16GB ram 1gb video 2x30" screens using 5DMk2 files

[jljonathan]

I am using 8 gigs in a Mac Pro and the software response is very bad. Adjustments are slow and the spinning ball comes on many times, going from fill to 1:1 sometimes takes several seconds, the brushes slow everything down and the sliders are not moving smoothly and take several seconds to respond. This never happened on 3.6. We need a fix for this soon.

[JeanMichel]

Hi,
I too experience a slowdown in response from LR4. I use a MacPro with 5 GB of ram (planning to upgrade that at some point soon). As I use LR, with a only few other programs such as Safari, ... open, I note that the free ram eventually gets down to only a few MB's. I wonder if somehow LR keeps eating up ram and not releasing it. A restart restores the available ram; an inconvenience but in my environment it is not too bad. But LR4 feels slower than LR3, but the tools are so much like working in a traditional darkroom!!!
Jean-Michel

[Robert Katz]

I am running LR4 RC2 on Windows Vista 2.2 GHz, 64 bit, 8 GB RAM.  My catalog/photo library
is on an external drive connected via USB 2.0. Originally I have found the program to be a bit slower than LR3.
What I have found to be very helpful is to make sure that 1:1 previews are generated of the images I am working on.
I usually do this on import and have the preference checked that the previews stay for 30 days. If I don't have
the previews I generate them before working on them.  With those previews generated the program runs very well.
Robert

[Remo Nonaz]

I followed up on the suggestion to use 1:1 previews. I was hoping to find a way to generate these after import if this was not done at import. (I didn't quite find my answer.)

I came across this Adobe page, which lists a whole bunch of ways to optimize Lr http://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/kb/optimize-performance-lightroom.html. In my case, I have a fast computer with plenty of memory and cache but I really did see a slow down with 4.1rc2. It's definitely the adjustment brushes and graduated filters that clobber it. It all works very well until you add a few of these, then it bogs down.

If there is a way to create a 1:1 preview on images that were not imported that way, I'd appreciate hearing about how to do it.

[Robert Katz]

Go the Library Module. Click on Library among the choices at the top.  On the drop down menu 4th from the bottom>Preview>Render 1:1 Previews
Whatever photos you have selected LR will generate the preview.
Robert

[Schewe]

Go the Library Module. Click on Library among the choices at the top.  On the drop down menu 4th from the bottom>Preview>Render 1:1 Previews

Just so you know, 1:1 previews are not used in Develop...Develop must access the real raw data and doesn't work on preview data. You can expand the Camera Raw cache which caches the raw data and can speed up initial Develop previews to avoid the Loading...message. But regardless of your preview setting in Library, it doesn't impact the Develop previews.

[Robert Katz]

Jeff,
 I did not realize that. I wonder why it seemed to help with adjustments made in the Develop module. I know at some point I did increase
 the size of the cache as you mentioned. Perhaps that is why for the most part LR4 has run well.  I wanted to ask a question regarding external hard drives and LR performance. I have my catalog/photo library on an external hard drive connected via a USB 2.0 port.  If I upgrade my computer with USB 3.0 will that have a noticeable impact on LR performance?
BTW you and Michael have done a great job with the videos.
Robert

[Schewe]

If I upgrade my computer with USB 3.0 will that have a noticeable impact on LR performance?

Yes...for those operation where disk I/O is relevant...

[John Cothron]

Just so you know, 1:1 previews are not used in Develop...Develop must access the real raw data and doesn't work on preview data. You can expand the Camera Raw cache which caches the raw data and can speed up initial Develop previews to avoid the Loading...message. But regardless of your preview setting in Library, it doesn't impact the Develop previews.

Jeff,

Am I correct in thinking that Lr doesn't create the preview used in develop until you actually take the image the first time?  It is my understanding that those previews are two separate (and separately generated) preview images.  Hence building 1:1 previews on import does save some time, but really only in the library module.  Using a large (and fast disk) RAW cache is what helps with the develop module.