Explore What’s New in Lightroom Classic 15.3 - Smarter Workflows and Creative Updates

After the latest update I’m observing the following issues:

1. Red Eye Correction tool
   When activated, the entire image is covered with an orange overlay, which makes the tool unusable.
2. Denoise performance and behavior
   Running Denoise on a larger batch (approx. 100 files) is noticeably slower than before.
   There is no clear indication of remaining processing time.
3. Overall responsiveness during background processing
   While Denoise is running in the background, Lightroom becomes largely unresponsive.
   Image refresh is significantly delayed, and even basic adjustments (e.g. tonal corrections) take a long time to update.
4. Hardware utilization
   GPU usage reaches 100%, while CPU (14 cores) shows minimal activity during Denoise.

System:
Adobe Lightroom Classic version: 15.3
macOS version: 15.7.4

Hardware: Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Max), 36 GB RAM.

Lightroom Classic consistently freezes on launch whenever GPU acceleration is enabled, and the only way to use the application is to disable the GPU entirely and run on CPU. The issue is fully reproducible: Lightroom opens normally the first time a new catalog is created, but after importing photos and closing the program, Lightroom becomes unresponsive on the next launch, hanging during startup before the library grid appears and often leaving the .lock file behind after force‑quit. This occurs with both new and existing catalogs, regardless of whether they are stored on the C: drive or a secondary SSD and persists across multiple NVIDIA driver versions including the latest Studio Driver and previous releases. Other GPU‑accelerated applications such as Photoshop and DaVinci Resolve function normally, and no GPU errors appear in Windows Event Viewer, suggesting the problem lies in Lightroom’s GPU initialization rather than the driver. Resetting preferences temporarily helps, but the freeze returns as soon as GPU acceleration is re‑enabled. System details: NVIDIA RTX 3060, Windows 11, Samsung 990 NVMe SSD, and Lightroom Classic version (15.3). Full System Info from Help → System Info is below. This appears to be a Lightroom Classic GPU initialization bug that prevents the software from functioning unless GPU acceleration is disabled.

Lightroom Classic version: 15.3 [ 202604090947-8f3672ed ]
License: Creative Cloud
Language setting: en
Operating system: Windows 11 - Business Edition
Version: 11.0.26200
Application architecture: x64
System architecture: x64
Logical processor count: 12
Processor speed: 3.1GHz
SqLite Version: 3.36.0
Adobe GSDK Version: 1.4.0.213

CPU Utilisation: 1.0%
Power Source: Plugged In
Built-in memory: 49063.3 MB
Dedicated GPU memory used by Lightroom: 21.4MB / 12115.0MB (0%)
Real memory available to Lightroom: 49063.3 MB
Real memory used by Lightroom: 2051.2 MB (4.1%)
Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 3099.1 MB
GDI objects count: 878
USER objects count: 2639
Process handles count: 2944
Memory cache size: 394.6MB
Internal Camera Raw version: 18.3 [ 2527 ]
Maximum thread count used by Camera Raw: 5
Camera Raw SIMD optimization: SSE2,AVX,AVX2
Camera Raw virtual memory: 539MB / 24531MB (2%)
Camera Raw real memory: 617MB / 49063MB (1%)

Cache1: 
Final1- RAM:306.0MB, VRAM:0.0MB, DJI_0939.DNG
Final2- RAM:163.0MB, VRAM:0.0MB, DJI_0938.DNG
NT- RAM:469.0MB, VRAM:0.0MB, Combined:469.0MB

Cache2: 
m:394.6MB, n:326.8MB

U-main: 97.0MB

System DPI setting: 96 DPI
Desktop composition enabled: Yes
Standard Preview Size: 2576 pixels
Displays: 1) 2560x1440, 2) 2560x1440
Input types: Multitouch: No, Integrated touch: No, Integrated pen: No, External touch: No, External pen: No, Keyboard: No

Graphics Processor Info: 
DirectX: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (32.0.15.9636)
Init State: GPU for Export supported by default
User Preference: Off
Enable HDR in Library: OFF
GPU for Preview Generation: Off (S5_11)

Application folder: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Lightroom Classic
Library Path: C:\Lightroom Classic Catalogs\Lunker Lane\Lunker Lane.lrcat
Settings Folder: C:\Users\Al\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom

Installed Plugins: 
1) AdobeStock
2) Flickr

Config.lua flags: 

Adapter #1: Vendor : 10de
    Device : 2504
    Subsystem : 881d1043
    Revision : a1
    Video Memory : 12115
Adapter #2: Vendor : 1414
    Device : 8c
    Subsystem : 0
    Revision : 0
    Video Memory : 0
AudioDeviceIOBlockSize: 1024
AudioDeviceName: System Default - Headset Earphone (CORSAIR VIRTUOSO SE Wireless Gaming Headset)
AudioDeviceNumberOfChannels: 2
AudioDeviceSampleRate: 48000
Build: LR5x34
Direct2DEnabled: false
GL_ACCUM_ALPHA_BITS: 16
GL_ACCUM_BLUE_BITS: 16
GL_ACCUM_GREEN_BITS: 16
GL_ACCUM_RED_BITS: 16
GL_ALPHA_BITS: 0
GL_BLUE_BITS: 8
GL_DEPTH_BITS: 24
GL_GREEN_BITS: 8
GL_MAX_3D_TEXTURE_SIZE: 16384
GL_MAX_TEXTURE_SIZE: 32768
GL_MAX_TEXTURE_UNITS: 4
GL_MAX_VIEWPORT_DIMS: 32768,32768
GL_RED_BITS: 8
GL_RENDERER: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060/PCIe/SSE2
GL_SHADING_LANGUAGE_VERSION: 4.60 NVIDIA
GL_STENCIL_BITS: 8
GL_VENDOR: NVIDIA Corporation
GL_VERSION: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 596.36
GPUDeviceEnabled: false
OGLEnabled: true
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Well today Lightroom Classic has crashed on 3 Macs, different catalogues all which were working before, the moment I try and import any photo or edit an existing photo, it just locks up. Given all 3 are up to date and different in their images, catalogues and devices, I think there may be a broader issue about. Is anyone else having issues?

Where are film-inspired profiles saved?

I’ve had to roll back to the previous version as the masking feature no longer detects anything. Very frustrating. Everything else about the update is nice though.

Since the update my lightroom has been incredibly slow. I really am unable to even work within it. 

My Lightroom Classic just updated and my catalogue is gone!!! How do I get it back?

I dunno if I'm imagining things, but 15.3 seems so much snappier moving between modules (I use Library, Develop and Print extensively).  It’s like you’ve given a new lease on life for my M1 Max!  Good job! 👏

When I apply a preset that contains “adaptive profile”, the editing menue is blacked out reading “ai process running, editing temporary disabled” and sometimes a popup tells me, that i can not edit the photo because it is doing ai-editing at the moment. This behaviour doesnt occur on my collegues installation. He uses LR classic 15.3 on Win11 on same X1 Carbon gen9 notebook. Is this blacked out editing interface normal behaviour?

Works for me. 🤗