Skip to main content
Participant
February 27, 2026
Answered

P: People Masking fails on Mac (Intel)

  • February 27, 2026
  • 73 replies
  • 1949 views

Since the latest versions of Lightroom Classic and MacOS the masking of people always shows “No people found” – even on photos where it was working before.

 

Lightroom Classic version: 15.2 [ 202602111402-ec4112e8 ]
License: Creative Cloud
Language setting: en-DE
Operating system: Mac OS 26
Version: 26.3.0 [25D125]
Application architecture: x64
Logical processor count: 24
Processor speed: 3,3GHz
SqLite Version: 3.36.0
Adobe GSDK Version: 1.4.0.171

Built-in memory: 196.608,0 MB
Dedicated GPU memory used by Lightroom: 4.743,3MB / 16.368,0MB (28%)
Real memory available to Lightroom: 196.608,0 MB
Real memory used by Lightroom: 3.040,3 MB (1,5%)
Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 55.303,7 MB
Memory cache size: 62,7MB
Internal Camera Raw version: 18.2 [ 2482 ]
Maximum thread count used by Camera Raw: 5
Camera Raw SIMD optimization: SSE2,AVX,AVX2
Camera Raw virtual memory: 631MB / 98303MB (0%)
Camera Raw real memory: 644MB / 196608MB (0%)

Cache1: 
Final1- RAM:519,0MB, VRAM:1.818,0MB, ALP05331.ARW
NT- RAM:519,0MB, VRAM:1.818,0MB, Combined:2.337,0MB

Cache2: 
m:62,7MB, n:253,8MB

U-main: 129,0MB

Standard Preview Size: 6016 pixels
Displays: 1) 6016x3384

Graphics Processor Info: 
Metal: AMD Radeon Pro W5700X
Init State: GPU for Export supported by default
User Preference: Auto
Enable HDR in Library: OFF
GPU for Preview Generation: Off (S5_15)

Application folder: /Applications/Adobe Lightroom Classic
Library Path: /Volumes/Sonnet m2/Lightroom/Lightroom Catalog-v13-3.lrcat
Settings Folder: /Users/zippo/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom

Installed Plugins: 
1) Publisher, By The Turning Gate

Config.lua flags: 

    Correct answer johnrellis

    [View this post in your web browser. It contains formatting and images that don't appear in email.]

     

    @sirthrosturv, ​@Hot Tubs Oxfordshire, there are many reports that People masking fails on Intel Macs with Mac OS 26.3, and the evidence strongly points at a buggy AMD graphics driver released in 26.3:

    While waiting for Apple and AMD to release a fixed driver, try this workaround:

     

    @Hot Tubs Oxfordshire I intalled Mac OS Sequoia on an external drive (since it appears impossible to downgrade Tahoe) and people detection is no an issue when runnig Lightroom under that OS on the iMac.

    That’s further evidence it’s a bug in the Mac OS 26.3 AMD graphics driver.

     

     

    73 replies

    Participating Frequently
    March 11, 2026

    I just got off the phone with Adobe, they tried to help remotely but failed, they said that its one of the highest priority items to work on and that it should be fixed by mid to late march

     

    AK_77
    Participating Frequently
    March 11, 2026

    Thanks for the info, that gives me hope!

    cde1313
    Participating Frequently
    March 13, 2026

    Thank you!! This sounds promising. This has been a nightmare! It’s taking me so long to manually edit everything!

    Participating Frequently
    March 7, 2026

    Had this issue start two days ago. Never chose to update anything because this SAME EXACT THING happened last year and the year before. Somehow without me updating anything it occurred overnight. last time I couldnt use LR for MONTHS. 

     

    Lightroom Classic version: 15.1.1 [ 202601141538-a543b18a ]
    License: Creative Cloud
    Language setting: en-US
    Operating system: Mac OS 26
    Version: 26.3.1 [25D2128]
    Application architecture: x64
    Logical processor count: 8
    Processor speed: 3.6GHz
    SqLite Version: 3.36.0
    Adobe GSDK Version: 1.4.0.171

    Built-in memory: 65,536.0 MB
    Dedicated GPU memory used by Lightroom: 9,792.5MB / 16,368.0MB (59%)
    Real memory available to Lightroom: 65,536.0 MB
    Real memory used by Lightroom: 10,734.3 MB (16.3%)
    Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 59,460.3 MB
    Memory cache size: 321.5MB
    Internal Camera Raw version: 18.1 [ 2420 ]
    Maximum thread count used by Camera Raw: 5
    Camera Raw SIMD optimization: SSE2,AVX,AVX2
    Camera Raw virtual memory: 5706MB / 32767MB (17%)
    Camera Raw real memory: 6048MB / 65536MB (9%)

    Cache1: 
    Final1- RAM:5,293.0MB, VRAM:8,816.0MB, _DSC8806.ARW
    NT- RAM:5,293.0MB, VRAM:8,816.0MB, Combined:14,109.0MB

    Cache2: 
    m:321.5MB, n:492.7MB

    U-main: 136.0MB

    Standard Preview Size: 3440 pixels
    Displays: 1) 3440x1440, 2) 1920x1080

    Graphics Processor Info: 
    Metal: AMD Radeon HD GFX10 Family Unknown Prototype
    Init State: GPU for Export supported by default
    User Preference: GPU for Export enabled
    Enable HDR in Library: OFF
    GPU for Preview Generation: On (S5_15)

    Application folder: /Applications/Adobe Lightroom Classic
    Library Path: /Volumes/Marvin/lightroom cat-v13-3-2.lrcat
    Settings Folder: /Users/sweetpea/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom

    Installed Plugins: 
    1) AdobeStock
    2) Aperture/iPhoto Importer Plug-in
    3) Flickr
    4) TourBox

    Config.lua flags: 

    johnrellis
    Legend
    March 8, 2026

    [View this post in your web browser. It contains formatting and images that don't appear in email.]

     

    @SweetPeaPhotog Metal: AMD Radeon HD GFX10 Family Unknown Prototype

     

    That probably indicates that your Mac has a GPU card that wasn’t sold directly by Apple but rather added on afterward, e.g. a Radeon RX 6800XTXH or RX 6800XTH, which involved “spoofing” that card to make Mac OS think it was supported:

    https://elitemacx86.com/threads/how-to-fix-amd-radeon-hd-gfx10-family-unknown-prototype-on-macos-clover-opencore.2495/

     

    I don’t know if this is the cause of your symptoms, but it does create more uncertainty.

    Participating Frequently
    March 8, 2026

    if that was the case it would have happened instantly, not 2 months after installing the GPU and it wouldn't be happening on PC. 

    MyScreenNameIsTaken
    Participant
    March 6, 2026

    It’s not a Mac problem.  I just imported three of the SAME images to Lightroom Classic on a PC to see if the problem persisted, and it absolutely did.  It’s a Lightroom problem that I did not have before now.

     

    Ryzen AI 9 HX 370

    Lightroom 15.2

    johnrellis
    Legend
    March 6, 2026

    @MyScreenNameIsTaken,

     

    Please attach a couple example images (original, not exports) here, so we can determine more precisely which configurations are having problems with them.

    johnrellis
    Legend
    March 7, 2026

    @MyScreenNameIsTaken, also, please do the LR menu command Help > System Info and copy/paste the entire contents here so we can see exactly which versions of hardware and software LR thinks you're running and important LR options that are set.

    MyScreenNameIsTaken
    Participant
    March 6, 2026

    I switched to my laptop in hopes that it would work there.  It does not.  People are found on about 1/3 of the images, so it does not fail every time but enough that it is breaking my editing work flow.  These photos are a set of portraits that are clearly lit with eyes pointing at the camera in each image.

    MacBook Pro

    Apple M1 Pro

    Tahoe 26.3

    Lightroom 15.2

    Camera Raw 18.2

    johnrellis
    Legend
    March 6, 2026

    [View this post in your web browser. It contains formatting and images that don't appear in email.]

     

    @AK_77 what happens now? Five people have gone to the trouble of registering here and reporting the error; there are surely hundreds out there who don't have the time and (like me, usually) are hoping that someone will fix it. The least Adobe could do would be to acknowledge and investigate the problem. 

     

    Adobe is significantly more transparent about its ongoing bugs than many large companies (e.g. Apple or Nikon), but not as much as most of us would prefer.  In the Mac OS 14.4.1 issue, an Adobe employee replied to that thread after four weeks and a dozen people posting, announcing that Adobe had investigated the issue and determined it was an Apple/AMD problem:

     

    In this thread, Adobe Community Manager ​@nikunj.m did some initial troubleshooting with you, so he/she is at least aware of this thread. Based on past history, we may not hear much more substance until/if Adobe definitively identifies this as an Adobe or Apple/AMD bug.

     

    Again, based on past history. the more people who report a problem, the more likely Adobe will prioritize an investigation. They recognize that only a small fraction of people experiencing a problem or requesting a feature will post in this forum.

    AK_77
    Participating Frequently
    March 7, 2026

    Again, based on past history. the more people who report a problem, the more likely Adobe will prioritize an investigation. They recognize that only a small fraction of people experiencing a problem or requesting a feature will post in this forum.

    @johnrellis Let's hope so, because I quickly got used to this practical feature and adjusted my way of working accordingly. I'm about to head off to today's photoshoot and I have to tell my clients that it will take longer this time for the selection and the finished pictures.

    MyScreenNameIsTaken
    Participant
    March 6, 2026

    Also having the same issue - people masking no longer detects people and my workflow is completely broken as. result.  

     

    3.3 GHz 6-core Intel Core I5

    AMD Radeon Pro 5300 4 GB

    64 GB 2667 MHz DDR4 Memory

    Tahoe 26.3

    LR Classic 15.3

    johnrellis
    Legend
    March 5, 2026

    [View this post in your web browser. It contains formatting and images that don't appear in email.]

     

    @AK_77 regarding the current problem, it's pure speculation. Above all, the change would have had to occur between macOS 26.2 and 26.3, a minor version, which I consider highly unlikely.

    More facts:

     

    There are currently five reports in this thread of similar symptoms. All are on LR 15.2, Mac OS 26.3, and Intel Macs with AMD GPUs:

     

    AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (2)

    AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (2)

    AMD Radeon Pro Vega II (1)

     

    Apple never discloses when they release new graphics drivers as part of a Mac OS release, though in the past with Intel Macs, they released them through the version cycle as Nvidia and then AMD made them available. As described in the previously linked thread, that problem started with Mac OS 14.4.1, a patch release, and was fixed for most people in Mac OS 15.0.   

     

    Thus, it's not at all "highly unlikely" that Apple released new AMD drivers in Mac OS 26.3.

     

    LR and the Camera Raw engine don't code for specific GPUs -- they rely on the generic operating system APIs. In the past many years on this forum, when there is a problem that is limited to a particular GPU or set of GPUs from a manufacturer that doesn't appear with other GPUs, more often than not, updating to a newer version of the graphics driver makes the problem go away. 

     

     

    AK_77
    Participating Frequently
    March 5, 2026

    There are currently five reports in this thread of similar symptoms. All are on LR 15.2, Mac OS 26.3, and Intel Macs with AMD GPUs:

    […]

    Thus, it's not at all "highly unlikely" that Apple released new AMD drivers in Mac OS 26.3.

    I don't want to rule out that this could be the case, but what happens now? Five people have gone to the trouble of registering here and reporting the error; there are surely hundreds out there who don't have the time and (like me, usually) are hoping that someone will fix it.

    The least Adobe could do would be to acknowledge and investigate the problem. I mean, if it were open source, I could do it myself, but it isn't, and I'm paying for it, so I expect something in return.

    johnrellis
    Legend
    March 4, 2026

    @AK_77 This is pure speculation!

     

    Fact.  See this long thread:

    Users on Intel Macs with AMD GPUs started reporting significant bugs with Mac OS 14.4.1. Most reported that the problems went away after updating to Mac OS 15.0.

    AK_77
    Participating Frequently
    March 5, 2026

    I don't doubt that either, but regarding the current problem, it's pure speculation. Above all, the change would have had to occur between macOS 26.2 and 26.3, a minor version, which I consider highly unlikely.

    johnrellis
    Legend
    March 4, 2026

    1. Please do the LR menu command Help > System Info and copy/paste the entire contents here so we can see exactly which versions of hardware and software LR thinks you're running and important LR options that are set.

     

    2. Attach the original file here, and we can see if the problem occurs on other installations or is specific to yours.

    Participant
    March 4, 2026

    LRC removal tools don't work to remove people; they show "no distraction found.” I tried resetting it by using the settings to apply or remove the tools' application.  It is invian. I need help. 

    johnrellis
    Legend
    March 25, 2026

    [View this post in your web browser. It contains formatting and images that don't appear in email.]

     

    @year of the dog LRC removal tools don't work to remove people; they show "no distraction found.” 

    Please do the LR menu command Help > System Info and copy/paste the entire contents here so we can see exactly which versions of hardware and software LR thinks you're running and important LR options that are set.