Develop module Slow Lightroom on extremely fast M1 MAX MacBook pro 16"

[gary_11]

Lightroom Version Number

Lightroom Classic 11.3

Operating System

1. macOS 12 Monterey

Hi everyone.

I am new to the forum and hoping you will be able to help me out.

Recently, I have received my new MacBook Pro 16" M1 MAX. 64gb ram with 2tb storage (1.5 tb still available). After lots of research and watching videos online, I was made to think this thing would be like a rocket ship! Especially at the price point of just over £4000!

I have been very disappointed with the speed within lightroom. For example, after making fairly basic changes within the software (exposure, contrast, saturation, white balance etc) even tapping the '\' button to scroll between the before and after edit, there is a 2-3 second delay with the rainbow loading circle coming up. I only really use the laptop for photo shop and Lightroom, and the rest of my basic use within the laptop seems to be ok (still not crazy fast like I was expecting). Other viewers I see online, seem to have instantaneous response and are all reporting incredible speeds within adobe.

I have been onto Apple support today and after various calls, they found one problem with the 'spotlight' however apart from that, most of the answers I get is the fact it's a 'third party software' problem.

To give you a bit more background Lightroom is installed on the Mac, and the files are kept on the Mac itself too. I build 1/1 previews and there is around 500 culled images 5 star from a catalog of around 2000 shot on the Sony a7iii and a7riii which I am filtering by 'rating'.

Has anyone got any suggestions of what I can do / try? Does this sound normal and am I just being unrealistic?

I am so hopeful someone can help with a suggestion or a new avenue to explore, as right now, it feels like I have wasted a lot of money!

Thank you,
Gary

 

[WorldShooter]

Hey Gary,
Did you find an answer yet?
Could have missed it, but I would do a couple of straightforward things, just to rule stuff out:

1. Quit the BackBlaze application altogether while running LRC, not just pauze it. (I don't know, maybe it's still running file queries in the background without actually making backups).
2. Disconnect the Dell monitor; and
3. Disconnect the Logitech keyboard and mouse; it's a full blown laptop after all, right

Check results

 

[JanM72]

Resetting Lightroom Preferences.

See this blog feature from the Lightroom Queen to give you some background on Lightroom Preferences and how to reset them.
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/how-...ces/?msclkid=81848cc6bbe711ecb2c0cdbb89471c26

Resetting the preferences can sometimes resolve unusual Lightroom Classic behaviour. The downside is that it is the equivalent of a factory reset and you need to re establish your own settings again after the reset.

Ver 11.3
This contains a new feature to make it easier to reset the preferences.

Victoria refers to it in her blog post.... which you can find here.... https://www.lightroomqueen.com/whats-new-in-lightroom-classic-11-3/


View attachment 18479

Unfortunately, you still need to re enter your personal settings after resetting, as it acts like a factory reset.

Cable.
It is likely that the Dell supplied cable should be ok. However the physical characteristics (and resulting bandwidth) of a USB C cable may differ depending on the protocols to be used over the cable and the bandwidth required. You will notice that Thunderbolt 3 cables, for example, will be much thicker and often shorter than the most basic USB C cable, should have a Thunderbolt 3/4 logo and can cater for 40 Mbps throughput. A cheap USB C imported cable make work to charge small peripherals such as keyboards, but may not cater for the bandwidth to drive a 4k monitor, thunderbolt 3 external drive, etc... Use this as an opportunity to define what cable you need for your screen and then tape a label to the cable, so you will know that is the cable to be used for your screen in future. Cables get mixed up all the time, especially if you introduce a docking station between your computer and screen.

Has this issue with the M1 MBP been resolved?

 

[gary_11]

Hey Gary,
Did you find an answer yet?
Could have missed it, but I would do a couple of straightforward things, just to rule stuff out:

1. Quit the BackBlaze application altogether while running LRC, not just pauze it. (I don't know, maybe it's still running file queries in the background without actually making backups).
2. Disconnect the Dell monitor; and
3. Disconnect the Logitech keyboard and mouse; it's a full blown laptop after all, right

Check results

Thank you for your reply. I took it into an Apple store who finally admitted it was faulty and refunded me in full. I have had to order a new one with another 6-7 week wait, however, that's better than having a faulty machine!

 

[msvillager]

Thank you for your reply. I took it into an Apple store who finally admitted it was faulty and refunded me in full. I have had to order a new one with another 6-7 week wait, however, that's better than having a faulty machine!

Hi. Just curious if you got the replacement MacBook Pro M1 Max 16" and if things are better. I'm experiencing the same thing on my similarly equipped MacBook Pro with the most current Mac OS and updated LR Classic.

 

[gary_11]

Hi. Just curious if you got the replacement MacBook Pro M1 Max 16" and if things are better. I'm experiencing the same thing on my similarly equipped MacBook Pro with the most current Mac OS and updated LR Classic.

Yes, things are slightly better. The CPU isn't reaching anywhere near the levels it was and I am not having issues with the loading bar and delays between images etc.

However, I still am very uninspired by the machine. I had such high hopes after spending quite a few months researching, watching youtube reviews etc... all saying these machines (and mostly ones that are a much lower spec then mine) will blow my mind, and I am not finding it particularly quick whatsoever.

 

[GregJ]

Hi everyone.

I am new to the forum and hoping you will be able to help me out.

Recently, I have received my new MacBook Pro 16" M1 MAX. 64gb ram with 2tb storage (1.5 tb still available). After lots of research and watching videos online, I was made to think this thing would be like a rocket ship! Especially at the price point of just over £4000!

I have been very disappointed with the speed within lightroom. For example, after making fairly basic changes within the software (exposure, contrast, saturation, white balance etc) even tapping the '\' button to scroll between the before and after edit, there is a 2-3 second delay with the rainbow loading circle coming up. I only really use the laptop for photo shop and Lightroom, and the rest of my basic use within the laptop seems to be ok (still not crazy fast like I was expecting). Other viewers I see online, seem to have instantaneous response and are all reporting incredible speeds within adobe.

I have been onto Apple support today and after various calls, they found one problem with the 'spotlight' however apart from that, most of the answers I get is the fact it's a 'third party software' problem.

To give you a bit more background Lightroom is installed on the Mac, and the files are kept on the Mac itself too. I build 1/1 previews and there is around 500 culled images 5 star from a catalog of around 2000 shot on the Sony a7iii and a7riii which I am filtering by 'rating'.

Has anyone got any suggestions of what I can do / try? Does this sound normal and am I just being unrealistic?

I am so hopeful someone can help with a suggestion or a new avenue to explore, as right now, it feels like I have wasted a lot of money!

Thank you,
Gary

Now this is interesting. See the recent long thread about LR utilizing the fastest M.2 PCIe 4 NVMe SSDs over the fastest connectivity. LR might be a bit slow at bringing up a new raw for the first click in the development module (in terms of the fastest internal SSD vs an external HDD on a slower USB old-gen port), but there is no way that machine should not feel super-fast with LR.

You are on the cutting edge of laptop tech and LR should feel really fast. Sure, loading a raw in the dev module for the first click might take a second or two, but as you get into your workflow, you are going to be rocking with an over-amped guitar like Jimmy Hendrix or Prince....

Something ain't right. Makes no sense. My laptop was cutting edge 2 years ago at 4 grand (Windows - Dell) and is way behind yours now, but it slices through LR like a knife through water.

One thing.... My opinion .... Don't use a different catalog for each wedding. But that is probably not the reason for this problem.

Now the fact is, you are not going to see the same snap in the dev module that you do in the library module as you click on images (if you have created 1:1 previews as you should - which makes the Library module snap). The dev module takes a second to load that big raw file from disk that first time at full res (does not use the preview file). But that happens fast and gets better as you work, especially if you go back to a file just worked on.

No ... something is wrong and the Apple guys here will help you. All your other programs are fine right?

Do this.... Grab 100 files and create 1:1 preview files and watch your specs and it should fly. Then take 100 files and export all 100 as full-size jpegs. Watch your specs and all of those previously laborious processes (on older machines) should fly on that kick-azz new MacBook Pro.

Here is what my windows PC did when I played around with that last week:

Export - Uses both CPU and GPU. CPU does not max out load like it does on generate previews - it spikes each second on every jpeg export to around 50-60% load. Fans go to 22-2,600 RPM. Temps 50-55 C. GPU temps go to 40 C. GPU clock at 1935 MHz. Fans go to max RPM.

Generate 1:1 Previews -- CPU stays at 100% load for the whole job. No spikes. Temps climb to 65-70 C. All fans spike to max. GPU does not engage. GPU temp at 31, fans off, clock at 210 MHz. LR uses a lot of RAM on building previews - 45 GB.

 

[pedz]

I have an M1 64GB and it is very snappy to me. One obvious thing that I don't see suggest is just a simple reboot. My religious (i.e. has nothing to do with reality or science) belief is to do a Shutdown. Wait for all the screens to go completely black. Count to ten. Then boot by pushing the power button and the chime should be within a few seconds. If it isn't, then that is a clue in itself.

 

[Linda A]

Hi everyone.

I am new to the forum and hoping you will be able to help me out.

Recently, I have received my new MacBook Pro 16" M1 MAX. 64gb ram with 2tb storage (1.5 tb still available). After lots of research and watching videos online, I was made to think this thing would be like a rocket ship! Especially at the price point of just over £4000!

I have been very disappointed with the speed within lightroom. For example, after making fairly basic changes within the software (exposure, contrast, saturation, white balance etc) even tapping the '\' button to scroll between the before and after edit, there is a 2-3 second delay with the rainbow loading circle coming up. I only really use the laptop for photo shop and Lightroom, and the rest of my basic use within the laptop seems to be ok (still not crazy fast like I was expecting). Other viewers I see online, seem to have instantaneous response and are all reporting incredible speeds within adobe.

I have been onto Apple support today and after various calls, they found one problem with the 'spotlight' however apart from that, most of the answers I get is the fact it's a 'third party software' problem.

To give you a bit more background Lightroom is installed on the Mac, and the files are kept on the Mac itself too. I build 1/1 previews and there is around 500 culled images 5 star from a catalog of around 2000 shot on the Sony a7iii and a7riii which I am filtering by 'rating'.

Has anyone got any suggestions of what I can do / try? Does this sound normal and am I just being unrealistic?

I am so hopeful someone can help with a suggestion or a new avenue to explore, as right now, it feels like I have wasted a lot of money!

Thank you,
Gary

 

[Linda A]

Make sure Lightroom or Lightroom Classic has Full Disk Access. Doing that has cured some performance problems even when there is no obvious permissions issue: https://community.adobe.com/t5/ligh...s-to-lightroom-classic-on-macos/td-p/12913413

 

[msvillager]

Make sure Lightroom or Lightroom Classic has Full Disk Access. Doing that has cured some performance problems even when there is no obvious permissions issue: https://community.adobe.com/t5/ligh...s-to-lightroom-classic-on-macos/td-p/12913413

Thanks for this. Mine was not checked for LrC for Full Disk Access.

One question for clarification regarding the instructions via the link, in Step 2, are we supposed to add all of the Adobe apps to the Accessibility section, and "Allow the apps below to control your computer?" The instructions never mention the Accessibility section, but you see it in the screenshot image.

 

[Linda A]

Thanks for this. Mine was not checked for LrC for Full Disk Access.

One question for clarification regarding the instructions via the link, in Step 2, are we supposed to add all of the Adobe apps to the Accessibility section, and "Allow the apps below to control your computer?" The instructions never mention the Accessibility section, but you see it in the screenshot image.

That's the first time I used Adobe's link for those instructions. I didn't notice the screenshots don't match the description of what to do. I don't think you need to change anything in Accessibility. And now I'll go back to using my own saved instructions when I pass along that advice...

Did it help the performance to give LrC Full Disk Access?

 

[Conrad Chavez]

…in Step 2, are we supposed to add all of the Adobe apps to the Accessibility section, and "Allow the apps below to control your computer?" The instructions never mention the Accessibility section, but you see it in the screenshot image.

It’s odd that Accessibility is selected in that Privacy panel screen shot; it may be a mistake. I can tell you that I have no Adobe applications listed under Accessibility, and I use Lightroom Classic and Photoshop every day. Some applications do legitimately ask to control the computer, such as utilities that use Accessibility features to provide conveniences. But so far Lightroom Classic and Photoshop have not asked me for permission to control my computer.

My guess is that the reason the screen shot has all Adobe applications under Accessibility is that it’s probably a screen shot of an Adobe support employee’s computer, and in the normal course of doing their support work, they may have changed a lot of settings that the rest of us might not need to change.

I also happen to have no Adobe applications listed under Full Disk Access, but that’s because they do have access to removable volumes and specific folders under Files and Folders (because I clicked Allow when the application asked for that access). I think what might happen to some users is that at some point the application asks for access to a certain folder, but out of caution the user clicks Don’t Allow, and then the application can no longer use that folder.

It’s possible to reset those settings using a Terminal command, but that isn’t common knowledge and may be a little scary. So for many users the easy way to un-block those folders is to grant Full Disk Access.

 

[GregJ]

I just saw this and didn't read it all carefully, but wanted to comment since I just went through my house tossing out all of my old USB cables. It is not a bad idea to do that. Over the years we manage to gather boxes of cables from various devices and sources, and I have experience dealing with bad cables. Since most TB3 & all TB4, USB 4, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 cables are all USB-C (which is great thing), let's toss out those old USB cables and go ahead and get the 20 or preferably 40 Gbps rated cables.
I can't tell you how many times I was transmitting at a lower data rate because I was using some old cable, or that my devices were charging at a much slower rate because the cable was from an old charger or device that was operating at a much lower data transfer rate and charging wattage.
I won't tell you all the details or how the latest USB-C cables are labeled. Just Google it and study.
Remember, you also have to consider the charging too as you can go up to 100 watts now on USB4 / TB4 while sending data too. They say 240 watts, but you will never get that because of heat and throttling issues. When you start hooking laptops and big 4K screens to these cables, you have to have the best and latest rated cables.
But even with a phone or tablet, I have noticed it will charge slow if you use old cables and start connecting other devices to the new high wattage chargers.
Do yourself a favor. Toss your old USB-C cables and get some new good cables.
And remember to check cable length. TB 4 and USB 4 (if it is rated at 40, some USB 4 is 20) will give you 40 Gbps over two-meter cables but if you go too long it drops dramatically fast.
OK everybody.... Not just the OP.... Start cleaning out your cable stash. It's time to move on and get some good cables.
Those old cables are the source of so many problems on all of the blogs and boards.
Oh, and those HDMI cables that you have had for 7 years? Toss them now. Order new HDMI cables. Those old one cause huge problems when you start streaming 4K on Netflix or get the new TVs. I just threw away about 16 old HDMI cables. Trash them.
Listen to me. This is important. Do it.

 

[pedz]

Yes, things are slightly better. The CPU isn't reaching anywhere near the levels it was and I am not having issues with the loading bar and delays between images etc.

However, I still am very uninspired by the machine. I had such high hopes after spending quite a few months researching, watching youtube reviews etc... all saying these machines (and mostly ones that are a much lower spec then mine) will blow my mind, and I am not finding it particularly quick whatsoever.

I don't know if it would help but maybe a video showing how fast / slow it is doing particular operations and see if others say "Gee... that looks slow to me" or "Gee, that looks about right to me".