P: v14.5 Lightroom has encountered problems reading this photo | Round circle ‘!’ warning on Images

[Giovanni Stoto]

OS: Windows 11
LrC VERSION: 14.5

A couple of days ago I upgrade to v14.5.
As for every update, I regurlay empty cache, optimise catalog, remove all previews and generate new standard ones (also, I wanted to test how was was the new option to use GPU for generating previews).
Never had a problem with this workflow.
After previews generation process was completed (1h 30m for 29.000 files, 23.000 jpegs and 6.000 raws) I got an error: for 21 RAWs the preview could not be generated. Looking in the catalog at those files, I realised they have an exclamation mark on a dark circle: this is not the missing photo mark. If I click on the exclamation mark, I see error "Lightroom has encountered problems reading this photo, you are not allowed to edit this image. "

Yet, I can still enter develop module and edit the photos without any problem: the editing history is there, I can zoom in at 100% (generating the 1:1 preview), I can change sliders, export... Everything... (PS: I do not use smart previews).

The 21 problematic photos are in different folders and have different dates.
The files can be opened by any other program, including Fast raw Viewer.

For a couple of problematic photos, I tried deleting the photos from file explorer, and the square light missing photo question mark replaced the round dark question mark.
I restored the files from three sources:
1- the original file
2- a backup from a second HD
3- a backup from Amazon Photos

In all three cases above the black round exclamation mark came back: this should prove that it's not a problem of corrupted files, I instead believe it's an issue in LrC.

[Giovanni Stoto]

I have been away for three week in Indonesia and I was back yesterday with 4.000 pictures to cull and edit: anyone knows if a new version of LrC has been released with a fix?

@Anshul_Saini any news here? It's been two months already if I remember well.

[johnrellis]

"anyone knows if a new version of LrC has been released with a fix?"

LR 14.5.1 (released 2025/8/26) is the most recent version.  LR 15 will most likely be released the week of Adobe Max (2025/10/28). Based on past behavior, I think it's very unlikely Adobe would release 14.5.2 before then, considering that at least some are reporting you can still edit photos despite the erroneous warning.  I have no inside information, and Adobe rarely indicates ahead of time when bugs will be fixed.

[david48lindsay]

Lightroom Classis 14.5.1

I import all my files as Canon CR3.

I do all the processing I wish to do in Develop.

I then export the photos converting them to maximum size JPG.

I then import the finished JPG files which I continue to Keyword etc.

Everything is done on a day by day basis.

Over the past couple of weeks the very first photo in the JPG Import corrupts.

I then have to delete it, reexport it from CR3 and reimport it. The single JPG import works then fine.

Is there a cache I need to clear or something. I have been using Lightroom for around 10 years now, always in this same manner so I don't know what is wrong. I have changed nothing.

[johnrellis]

Try editing the photo with the "!" in Develop -- does it work?  If so, you're tripping over this bug in LR 14.5 acknowledged by Adobe:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-v14-5-lightroom-has-encountered-problems-rea...

Many users have reported they're still able to edit such photos (i.e. the "!" is just a spurious warning you can ignore).  I think it's very possible the bug will be fixed in LR 15.0, which will probably release the week of Adobe Max (Oct 28).

 

[david48lindsay]

Many Thanks

The photo with the ! never comes fully into focus.

I'll keep up with the double import as the work around pending the bug fix.

I have tried making a sarcificial dummy CR3 to go at the beginning of each
export to JPG but unfortunately it isn't always the first photo up in the
import.


--

Cheers

David

[Giovanni Stoto]

@david48lindsay I'm the one who first reported this bug to Adobe 2 mi tha ago. I have your same workflow or better similar: for every shooting, after deleting bad photos, I mark those I wanna keep in RAW and those that can be converted to JPG with a basic auto conversion. I then export the latter in full JPG, delete the RAWs from catalog and import back the JPGs. I have never seen a ! on a JPG though, only on very very very few RAWs.

[Giovanni Stoto]

@Anshul_Saini and @Sameer K I think we all deserve and answer here about ETA of the fix

[jm68902488]

Yes this is getting ridiculous already

[johnrellis]

While it would be excellent if an employee responded, beware that Adobe rarely indicates the ETA for bug fixes or new releases.

The entire LR ecosystem releases about every eight weeks. LR 15 will almost certainly be released in two weeks during Adobe Max (10/28). 

[Giovanni Stoto]

Version 15 just installed and it seems issue has been fixed: can you all confirm?

[johnrellis]

@Giovanni Stoto: "Version 15 just installed"

Before everyone jumps on this: As of Sunday Oct 26 9:30 PDT (16:30 UTC), LR 15.0 hasn't been officially released yet -- there are no official announcements posted on Adobe.com or Lightroomqueen.com and the Creative Cloud app  generally isn't showing the update available.

In the past, the new annual release has been available on the first day of Adobe Max (plus or minus), which this year is Tue Oct 28.  But there often have been reports of new releases being available to a few people a couple days earlier. This may be part of a deliberate slow "rolling release" strategy that some companies use to minimize any boo boos in the release process, or it could be that someone in Adobe jumped the gun. Adobe has never said.

[Giovanni Stoto]

Well this is the 3rd time I get a new version a few days in advance 🤷🏻‍:male_sign:

[Sameer K]

Hello everyone,

An update for Adobe Photography products has been released as part of the MAX cycle. This update addresses the reported issue.

If you don’t see the update in your Creative Cloud app, refresh it using [Ctrl/Cmd] + [Alt/Opt] + [R].

Please note: It may take up to 24 hours for the update to appear.

Thank you for your continued patience.

[Giovanni Stoto]

I have confirmed already issue is solved 😁

[Sameer K]

I read the conversation yesterday, and I had to hold off on celebrating too early. I'm glad to know & share that it's fixed! 

Best, 
Sameer K

[jm68902488]

I downloaded version 15 of Lightroom and am still getting the error
warning. So it is not fixed.!!!

Lightroom has encountered problems reading this photo. You will not be
able to make adjustments to the photo with the explanation mark on the
photos.





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[Giovanni Stoto]

Mmmmmhhhhh interesting...

I have been editings a few pictures with intersecting masks and no issues so far

[Bob321]

I have updated my version to
  Lightroom Classic version: 15.0 [ 202510171722-44f87028 ]
  with Internal Camera Raw version: 18.0 [ 2389 ]
on 02.11.2025 and the problem did not reappear so far.

[jm68902488]

it seems to be an issue with one of my catalogues vs. some of the other
ones. I have optimized the catalog a few times since but still being an
issue on the one catalog

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[Bob Somrak]

I finally had a 12 photo import that had the first photo with the ! in the black circle.   Odd bug 

[adamw31442428]

this Annoiyng  issue apper on my system randomly on HDR Images only   if Graphic Card Support is activated
>>  afte rdeactivation both of options  iot seem to work
>> must e bug in graphic driver 

newes WINDOWS and neest drivers

[adamw31442428]

..another though.  becouse the problem is appering randomly   I checked also the Tuning options of Graphic card & disabled  the +200Mhz  automaticly tuning  that has worked well for last 18 Months 
>>>  mayby there is kind of instability since Lightroom utilise more & more Graphic card power ???

[Giovanni Stoto]

I am the one who discovered this and reported here for the first time: for me the problem has disappeared.

Now, as senior IT professional I can state that THIS IS NOT A GRAOHIC CARD ISSUE BUT AN ADOBE ONE: if version X of a software works and suddenly, with no other changes, version X+1 does not, then it's a software problem, probably yes related to the graphic card but still a problem of the developer.

[Bob Somrak]

@Giovanni Stoto 

The Nov 8 import was the first time it happened but I know to keep watching for it now!!

[remov_b4_flight]

in LrC15.0.1, Issue still exists. 'opmize catalog' nothing helps me.

M4MBA,24GB,macOS26.1