Does Lightroom 12 make use of eGPU?

[alpshiker2]

Hi,

I have Lightroom and other Adobe programs on a 2018 Mac Mini OS Monterey with 64GB of RAM. The GPU is Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536MB. The new individual AI masking tools for people require a minimum of 2000MB to activate.

Here is my question: will an external GPU be recognized by Lightroom and release the restricted functionality? I am thinking of the Black Magic solution.

Cordially, Paul

[AxelMatt]

I don't have experience on Mac and MacOS, but I think yes. 

If the automatic detection doesn't work, you can disable the internal GPUs on Windows Notebooks. I thinks there's a similar function on Macs.

[alpshiker2]

Thank you for your advice. Yes, Lightroom offers those possibilities in the prefereces on Mac too. However, there are differences in the way the two OS deal with allocated memory as far as I know, so what will work on one system will not automatically work the same on the other. I wish someone had first hand experience to share. Thanks!

[alpshiker2]

I found a video meanwhile that shows also that Lightroom for Mac displays the eGPU in the performances preferences. So the answer to my question is likely yes. As you suggested, it should work with one setting or another. The only thing Lightroom does not do is use the two GPUs simultaneously, have I read. So, thank you!

[JohanElzenga · Accepted solution]

I used to have a Mac Mini with a BlackMagic eGPU. Lightroom Classic recognised it and worked fine with it. I now have a MacBook Pro with M1 Max, so I can't check if anything changed with Lightroom Classic 12, but I would be very surprised if it all of a sudden would not work anymore.

[alpshiker2]

Oh, great! That comes as a confirmation! Thank you Johan.

[johnrellis]

"The GPU is Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536MB. The new individual AI masking tools for people require a minimum of 2000MB to activate."

It's most unfortunate that Adobe stubbornly refuses to let users disable the use of the GPU for AI masking:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-ideas/p-allow-users-to-disable-the-gpu-for-ai-maski...

AI masking, and People detection in particular, runs just fine (albiet more slowly) on computers with no GPU or on GPUs that LR deems as not meeting minimum requirements.