Known Participant

P: (Win/macOS) PS 27.5 Image Flickering When using Image > Adjustment > Curves

Forum|Forum|1 month ago
April 3, 2026
11 replies
172 views

Since version 27.4 and continuing in 27.5 I’ve been experiencing image flickering when using the Curves adjustment.

In version 27.4, the issue occurs in all Curves use cases. In 27.5, it appears primarily when applying Curves as a Smart Adjustment on a Smart Object. It is slightly improved, but still noticeable when using Curves as a standard adjustment layer.

I’ve attached a video demonstrating the issue:

The first example shows Curves applied as a Smart Adjustment on a Smart Object (strong flickering).
The second shows a direct adjustment on a non-Smart Object layer (no issue).
The third shows a standard adjustment layer (minor flickering still visible).

The flickering is clearly visible, especially in the first case.

Please look into this issue, as it makes precise adjustments very difficult.

Thank you.

example video:

https://youtu.be/jbe6K-ORr44

Flickering Curves3.mov

G

gabriel5E9E

Inspiring

Same bug here. Only happens when I try to use the shortcut (cmd + m) to add curves into a smart object image / asset. If its rasterized, I don’t get any flickering on my screen.

Charismatic_yogiB82AAuthor

Known Participant

btw. this issue was not fixed in 27.6 !?

A

AntonRidd

Inspiring

No. This behavior is also observed in 27.7 beta

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

It sounds like a system resource issue.

How big is the image when open? Also check Efficiency, and Scratch Sizes along with how much free space on the drive allocated as primary scratch space?

I’m guessing from the hardware that you are using Windows.

Check Resource Monitor and see how much RAM is in use, and how it compares to what you have allocated to Photoshop. Check CPU and GPU usage as well, and look for bottlenecks.

Restart your computer, open Photoshop and test it again.

S

StefanKlein

Known Participant

Happens on every image, no matter how small it is. There´s no bottleneck in my system with 32GB RAM, RTX 3060/12GB VRAM, super fast SSDs. It´s simply a terrible bug.
It doesn´t happen with direct curves, but with curves adjustment layers. This bug has been coming and going several times since many years.

A

AntonRidd

Inspiring

A stable 27.6 has been released, but the problem with curves remains. Changes occur in jerks / frame by frame

S

StefanKlein

Known Participant

Please Adobe, very annoying bug.

S

StefanKlein

Known Participant

Same here on Win 10/I9 12900K/RTX 3060/32GB RAM/12GB VRAM.
Curves are very jerky! Image updates maybe once per second, if used as adjustment layer!

pixxxelschubser

Community Expert

Tried it with PS 27.5.0 Win 11 RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

no delay with menu: Image → Adjustment → Curves
but there are slight, jerky delays when using an Adjustment layer → Curves

A

AntonRidd

Inspiring

Yes, curves are most often used as a separate layer. I'm still on version 27.3.1, which is the latest version where they work correctly.

pixxxelschubser

Community Expert

This behaviour needs to be tested and confirmed by the official team.
(Since the issue doesn’t occur with the menu option, but only when using an adjustment layer, I would personally probably call it a minor bug. But that decision is up to the Adobe team.)

A

AntonRidd

Inspiring

When using curves, changes in the image occur in jerks/frame by frame. The responsiveness of the curves themselves is also affected. Any change is delayed and accompanied by a jerk.

PC:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU: Radeon RX 6600 XT 8 Гб
RAM: 32 Гб

P

Pawel376750718aja

Inspiring

Same problem here. When adjust a curves added to smart object, everything flickering. My setup:

Adobe Photoshop Version: 27.5.0 20260323.r.13 dee573e x64 (final, Release)
RX 7800 XT

Operating System: Windows 11 64-bit
Version: 11 or greater 10.0.26100.7840

Memory available to Photoshop: 49440 MB

A

AntonRidd

Inspiring

Photoshop 27.4 / 27.5

GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT

Symptoms:

Curves adjustment lag / not real-time
UI updates in jumps

Tried to solve the problem:

GPU ON/OFF
different drivers
AMD settings tweaks

Sameer K

Community Manager

Hey, @Charismatic_yogiB82A. Welcome to the Photoshop Community. Thanks for bringing this up, and @Ged_Traynor, for helping validate this.

I see this on my MBP and a secondary Windows 11 machine. I've reported this to the team for review.

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

Charismatic_yogiB82AAuthor

Known Participant

Thank you very much!

I just realized that my nickname has been changed to @Charismatic_yogiB82A, and I did not make this change myself. I’ve been a member here for many years and have posted frequently.

I know this is a bit off topic, but could you please let me know how and why my nickname was changed?

Thanks!