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Chris Gilcher
Chris Gilcher
Participating Frequently
June 30, 2026

Severe GPU Rendering Artifacts When Converting RGB to CMYK on Mac Studio M2 Ultra (Photoshop 27.8 / macOS Tahoe 26.5.2)

  • June 30, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 17 views

Hello,

I have encountered what appears to be a GPU-related rendering bug when converting RGB images to CMYK in Photoshop.

System

  • Photoshop 27.8
  • macOS Tahoe 26.5.2
  • Mac Studio M2 Ultra
  • Apple Silicon GPU

Problem

Whenever GPU acceleration is enabled, converting an RGB image to CMYK produces severe black rendering artifacts across the image. The artifacts appear immediately after the color conversion and make the document unusable.

The issue occurs with multiple images and is fully reproducible on my system.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open an RGB image.
  2. Make sure Use Graphics Processor is enabled under Preferences > Performance.
  3. Convert the document to CMYK (either Image > Mode > CMYK Color or Edit > Convert to Profile).
  4. Large black artifacts appear throughout the image.

Expected Result

The RGB image should convert normally to CMYK without any visual corruption.

Actual Result

The converted image contains large black rendering artifacts that were not present in the original RGB document.

Workaround

Disabling Use Graphics Processor completely resolves the issue.

After restarting Photoshop with GPU acceleration disabled, the exact same RGB image converts to CMYK correctly with no artifacts.

Additional Information

  • The problem started recently. Earlier Photoshop versions on the same hardware did not show this behavior.
  • The issue does not appear to be related to a specific image.
  • Since disabling GPU acceleration immediately fixes the problem, this seems to be related to Photoshop's Metal GPU rendering pipeline rather than the color conversion itself.
  • I can provide the original RGB file, the corrupted CMYK result, screenshots, the GPU Compatibility Report, and the Photoshop System Information if needed.

Has anyone else experienced this issue on Apple Silicon Macs, particularly on an M2 Ultra?

Thank you.

    3 replies

    Jeff Arola
    Community Expert
    Jeff ArolaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    July 1, 2026

    Some other users have reported that going to Photoshop 2026>Settings>Technology Previews, unchecking Precise color management for HDR display and restarting Photoshop rather than disabling the GPU resolves the the CMYK banding/artifact issue.

      Anshul_Saini
      Community Manager
      Anshul_SainiCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      July 1, 2026

      Hi ​@Jeff Arola,

      Thanks for sharing that! I can confirm on my end that disabling “Precise Color Management for HDR Display” and restarting Photoshop resolves the rendering issue without disabling GPU acceleration entirely.

      I’ll share this finding with the product team as part of the investigation.

      Also, if you have links to other posts where users reported the same workaround, could you share them via DM? That would help us consolidate similar reports and merge them into this thread for tracking.

      Thanks again!

      Best,
      Anshul Saini

      Anshul_Saini
      Community Manager
      Anshul_SainiCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      July 1, 2026

      H ​@Chris Gilcher,

      Thanks for taking the time to investigate this further and for sharing the additional observations.

      I was able to reproduce the same behavior on my end. With Use Graphics Processor enabled, I see the same rendering issue on CMYK documents. After disabling GPU acceleration and restarting Photoshop, the CMYK document renders correctly, and there are no rendering artifacts, color banding, or posterization.

      Based on that, this appears to be related to GPU rendering rather than the CMYK conversion itself, which aligns with your findings.

      I’ve shared this with the product team for further investigation and will update this thread as soon as I hear back or if they need any additional information.

      Thanks again for the thorough report and testing.

      Best,
      Anshul Saini

        Chris Gilcher
        Chris GilcherAuthor
        Participating Frequently
        July 1, 2026

        Ok, thanks!

          Chris Gilcher
          Chris GilcherAuthor
          Participating Frequently
          June 30, 2026

          I performed some additional testing and found another important clue.

          The issue is not limited to RGB → CMYK conversion.

          If I open an image that is already in CMYK, the same rendering artifacts are visible as long as GPU acceleration is enabled.

          This means the image data itself is not being corrupted during conversion. Instead, the problem appears to be related to Photoshop's GPU rendering/display of CMYK documents.

          As soon as I disable Use Graphics Processor and restart Photoshop, the exact same CMYK file displays perfectly without any artifacts.

          This makes me believe the issue is related to the Metal GPU rendering pipeline for CMYK documents rather than the color conversion process itself.

          Has anyone else with Apple Silicon hardware (especially an M2 Ultra) been able to reproduce this behavior?

            Sameer K
            Community Manager
            Sameer KCommunity Manager
            Community Manager
            June 30, 2026

            Updating macOS now. I will follow up.

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