Last updated on
30 Jun 2023
- Lightroom Classic User Guide
- Introduction to Lightroom Classic
- Workspace
- Import photos
- Organize photos in Lightroom Classic
- Process and develop photos
- Develop module basics
- Create panoramas and HDR panoramas
- Flat-Field Correction
- Correct distorted perspective in photos using Upright
- Improve image quality using Enhance
- Work with image tone and color
- Masking
- Apply local adjustments
- HDR photo merge
- Develop module options
- Retouch photos
- Cure red eye and pet eye effects
- Use the Radial Filter tool
- Adjustments with Lens Blur
- Edit and Export in HDR
- Remove Tool
- Viewing photos
- Export photos
- Work with external editors
- Manage catalogs and files
- Maps
- Photo books
- Slideshows
- Print photos
- Web galleries
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Content Authenticity
- Lightroom and Adobe services
- Troubleshooting
- Technical Support
- Performance Guidelines
- Technical issues
- GPU Issues
- Startup Issues
- Rendering Issues
- Stability Issues
- Miscellaneous Issues
- Workflow Issues
How does Lightroom Classic use the graphics processor?
When configured (Preferences > Performance), Lightroom Classic can use a compatible graphics processor (also called a graphics card, video card, or GPU) to speed up tasks of displaying and adjusting images in the Develop module, the Library module's Grid view, Loupe view, and Filmstrip. Features like Select Subject, Select Sky, and Enhance Details are also accelerated by the GPU. Using a compatible GPU can provide significant speed improvements on high-resolution displays, such as 4K and 5K monitors.
What are the minimum system requirements for GPU features in Lightroom Classic?
Your graphics processor must meet the minimum system requirements (see below) to be used by Lightroom Classic. We also recommend choosing a graphics card with a GPU Compute benchmark score of 2000 or greater.
System requirements to use GPU for display
Windows
- Windows 10 (64-bit) 1909 or later
- GPU with support for DirectX 12. To find out the version of DirectX on your system, see this Microsoft documentation.
- Intel GPUs: Skylake GPU or later is required.
macOS
- macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later
- GPU with Metal support. To find out if your computer supports Metal, see this Apple documentation.
Ensure all the GPU for display system requirements are met.
|
|
Minimum |
Recommended |
|
VRAM |
2 GB GPU RAM |
4 GB GPU RAM or more for 4k displays and greater |
Ensure all the system requirements for image processing are met.
|
|
Minimum |
Recommended |
|
VRAM |
2 GB GPU RAM |
8 GB of dedicated GPU RAM or 16 GB of shared memory |
Caution:
- Lightroom Classic currently doesn't take advantage of more than one graphics processor. Using two video adapters does not enhance performance. To resolve issues arising because of conflicting graphics drivers, follow Step 5 and Step 6 in Solution 4: GPU and graphics driver troubleshooting steps.
- Only the 'Main' Lightroom Classic window is accelerated. The 'Secondary' window isn't accelerated by the graphics processor.
- Graphics processors running under virtual machines are not tested or supported.
- When you launch Lightroom Classic, it runs a test on the graphics card. If the test fails, the graphics card is disabled even if it meets the minimum requirements. Walk through the troubleshooting steps to try to resolve the error. Some graphics cards, despite meeting the minimum requirements, may never be compatible with Lightroom Classic for graphics acceleration.
For additional details, see System requirements | Lightroom Classic.
Suggestions for choosing a graphics card
For best performance, use a discrete graphics card that has the GPU Compute benchmark score of 2000 or greater.
Note:
- A very high benchmark score does not mean that you will also get great results in Lightroom Classic as the performance dependent on multiple factors.
- Integrated graphics cards are generally less performant. They are often found in laptops as they use less power to preserve battery and share memory with the CPU.
- Ensure that you have the latest driver for your specific graphics card installed. Laptop and desktop versions of the graphics processor have slightly different names.
When Lightroom Classic is able to use the GPU, you'll find that the Use Graphics Processor check box is selected in Preferences.
- (macOS) Lightroom Classic > Preferences > Performance
- (Windows) Edit > Preferences > Performance
In preferences, the name of the GPU available to Lightroom Classic and its available video memory is displayed. If no information is displayed, then you may need to install a new driver for your GPU, or your hardware or operating system does not meet the minimum system requirements.
Note:
If Lightroom Classic detects that the system GPU is disabled, a pop-up will appear asking you to Enable it with a single click. The GPU preference in such a case will switch from Off to Auto.
GPU acceleration in Lightroom Classic
Introduced in Lightrooom Classic 8.4 (August 2019 release)
In Lightroom Classic, the current status of GPU acceleration is displayed just below the GPU name. Your system may automatically support limited or full acceleration. If your system automatically supports limited acceleration, you can enable full acceleration using the Custom option.
Acceleration may also be turned off automatically if your system does not support it or due to an error. If acceleration is turned off and an error message appears, it could be due to GPU hardware, driver version, or operating system not meeting the system requirements.
You can select one of the following options from the Use Graphics Processor drop-down to turn the GPU acceleration on/off.
Auto
Select this option to automatically determine the correct level of GPU support based on your system's hardware and operating system configuration. This is the default option.
Custom
Select this option to choose the level of GPU support manually.
- Use GPU for Display
- Use GPU for Image Processing
- Use GPU for Export
Off
Select this option to turn off the GPU acceleration.
How do I determine the make and model of my graphics card?
To determine your graphics card make and model, launch Lightroom Classic and choose Help > System Info to view the information for your graphics processor.
Does Lightroom Classic take advantage of more than one graphics processor or graphics card?
Lightroom Classic currently doesn't take advantage of more than one graphics processor. Using two graphics cards does not enhance Lightroom Classic's performance.
Multiple graphics cards with conflicting drivers can cause problems with graphics processor accelerated features in Lightroom Classic.
For best results, connect two (or more) monitors into one graphics card.
Caution:
If you have to use more than one graphics card, make sure that they are the same make and model. Otherwise, crashes and other conflicts can occur in Lightroom Classic. To resolve issue arising because of conflicting graphics drivers, follow Step 5 and Step 6 in Solution 4: GPU and graphics driver troubleshooting steps.
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