P: Constantly "saving xmp for xx photos" slowing down my Lightroom Classic!

Unfortunately, I still experience that bug. I have two larger catalogues and one still shows that behaviour. Have upgraded both catalogues and running Lightroom 14.0.1.
Have to keep the option "Automatically write Metadata to XMP" deselected until I find a solution ... 😒

I confirmed that the bug recipes no longer misbehave in LR 14.0.1:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-constantly-quot-saving-xmp-for-xx-photos-quot-slowing-down-my-lightroom-classic/idc-p/14847911#M56701 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-constantly-quot-saving-xmp-for-xx-photos-quot-slowing-down-my-lightroom-classic/idc-p/14847913#M56702 

@Junction10Photo  Glad things are working better for you. 

@Rikk Flohr: Photography Rikk - Just want to say thanks to everyone for fixing this particular bug, but also - I don't know what else you've done under the hood, but Lightroom Classic is running really smoothly and editing has become much much smoother now - it's much faster than it has been for many MANY months!

Thanks.

J.

@henningmet , may be a good choice to deselect the option "Automatically write Metadata to XMP" and await a resolution to the bugs.

I have used Lightroom from inception in 2007 and made the decision to not adopt this option. I rely entirely on my Lightroom Catalog for the storage of metadata and edits.

If I ever decide to switch to storing the info with the files / sidecars I will utilize Bridge / Adobe Camera Raw instead of Lightroom Classic.

This is really quite an annoying problem that has occurred with Lightroom 13 (13.3). Although this has been mentioned several times here in the forum in various forms (e.g. here https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-save-metadata-to-file-doesn-t-always-set-metadata-status-to-up-to-date/idc-p/14719954#M55243), unfortunately nothing has changed. I therefore leave “automatically write changes ...” switched off by default until I read in a new version of Lightroom that this bug has been fixed.

This is what I see happening also, similar to what you described in your posts. 

With "Automatically write changes to XMP" set to off, I was using the Smart Collection "Metadata not up to date" to determine which photos needed their XMPs updated. In that Smart Collection, I'd select them all, right-click on the filmstrip and select Metadata/Save Metadata to File. As the XMPs got updated, they'd correctly disappear from the Smart Collection; but then about half of them would come back, then disappear, then about half of those would come back, etc. -- and it would never completely finish, leaving some behind that would not update. 

So: I can't leave "Automatically write changes to XMP" set on because metadata writing loops as described in this thread and negatively impacts LrC's performance; but writing metadata manually doesn't work either, since it too loops and never finishes.

Here's what seems to work for me, though:

- I leave "Automatically write changes to XMP" in Catalog settings turned off while I'm editing.

- Later: I go to the Smart Collection "Metadata not up to date" -- just so I can watch what happens next.

- I turn "Automatically write changes to XMP" on.

- LrC updates the XMPs, they disappear from the Smart Collection, and don't come back.

- I turn "Automatically write changes to XMP" back off. 

Awkward! But at least I can get them updated, don't have any stragglers, and don't get the message about unfinished metadata writing on exit. 

except in my case shutting off automatic xmp writing and trying to write manually left 2600 jpegs that kept reverting to "changed" though they hadn't, and RE-enabling automatic fixed it. Odd behavior for sure.

Correct!