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shayb68441784
Inspiring
July 10, 2026

P: Photoshop 27.8 & later Open as Layers from Lightroom Classic causes flickering and slow

  • July 10, 2026
  • 26 replies
  • 263 views

I’ve reported this already in “Bug Reports” and my post was deleted with no resolution and no communication. I’ve reposted there and now looking for help here!

When “opening as layers in photoshop” the images are very slow to load in PS 27.8 vs. 27.7. This problem is confirmed by several other users I know. What used to take 11 seconds now takes 17 seconds. There’s a new behavior where each of the layers “flashes” up on screen for a split second before the loading actually starts and it takes significantly longer than it used. Downgrading to 27.7 restores correct (fast) functionality. 

Why would my bug report get deleted and if there’s a bug then, how are we supposed to report it so that Adobe will address it? Thanks

      Pinned Reply By Sameer K

      Hey All! The team has been at work on this issue, and a fix will arrive to Photoshop (beta) soon. Please feel free to try the coming builds of Photoshop (beta) from the Creative Cloud desktop app > Apps > Beta Apps section.

      You can change the version of Photoshop used for Edit-in workflows from Lightroom Classic’s Preference > External Editor menu. 

      Thanks!
      Sameer K

      26 replies

      ginniel62063664
      ginniel62063664
      Participating Frequently
      August 25, 2026

      Found this when trying to find out why my “Open as Layers...” was acting strange and not as it used to. Glad to know that I am not the only one. I guess that someone somewhere is working on it...

      T
      Toomas28910242z4q0
      Participant
      August 8, 2026

      Version 27.9.1 still has this critical bug. So annoying!

        Sameer K
        Community Manager
        Sameer KCommunity Manager
        Community Manager
        August 5, 2026

        Hey All! The team has been at work on this issue, and a fix will arrive to Photoshop (beta) soon. Please feel free to try the coming builds of Photoshop (beta) from the Creative Cloud desktop app > Apps > Beta Apps section.

        You can change the version of Photoshop used for Edit-in workflows from Lightroom Classic’s Preference > External Editor menu. 

        Thanks!
        Sameer K

          S
          shayb68441784Author
          Inspiring
          August 5, 2026

          Thank you, could you please keep us updated or make sure it's in the release notes? I cannot use beta ever again. I installed beta a couple of years ago and it completely messed up system causing me to need to uninstall all of Photoshop and Lightroom and reinstall them. It was a nightmare getting everything back to the way it was. I won't do that again.

          B
          BuyCoastal
          Participating Frequently
          August 4, 2026

          Bug still present in latest PS release 27.9.1

            B
            BuyCoastal
            Participating Frequently
            July 21, 2026

            Bug still present in latest PS 27.8 release update

            Sameer K
            Community Manager
            Sameer KCommunity Manager
            Community Manager
            July 23, 2026

            Thanks for the details and updates. I've shared this with the team for review.


            Thanks!
            Sameer K
            (Type '@' and type my name to mention me when you reply)

              S
              shayb68441784Author
              Inspiring
              July 23, 2026

              @ Sameer K  Thank you! Please ensure they see the video I posted in this thread below , which shows the massive slow down in 27.8

              B
              BuyCoastal
              Participating Frequently
              July 21, 2026

              Bug still present in latest PS 27.8 release update

              Sasha003
              Sasha003
              Participating Frequently
              July 13, 2026

              I've also noticed this gets much slower with lots of high-resolution files. If possible, try testing with a smaller batch first to see if it's the file count or file size causing the slowdown. That can help narrow down whether it's a system limitation or something else.

              B
              BuyCoastal
              Participating Frequently
              July 11, 2026

              Happening to me too.  Only started with latest version of PS.

                B
                BuyCoastal
                Participating Frequently
                July 11, 2026

                Happening to me too.  The amount of “flashes” depends on how many images are being opened.  So if you select 5 images in LR and “open as layers in photoshop,” there will be 5 flashes before the images actually start to load.  I uninstalled, deleted preferences, re-installed and the issue is still present.

                  S
                  shayb68441784Author
                  Inspiring
                  July 11, 2026

                  Here is a real world example of the issue, comparing  PS 27.8 and 27.7.  Notice the extra step of the images “flashing” briefly on screen during the first example that are absent in the second. 

                   

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