Lightroom RAM usage climbs suddenly to over 15GB causing PC to lag and freeze

[steveisa054]

(UPDATE: Please also read my comment below as a reply. I have identified when this extensive memory consumption occurs).

The problem has started to occur, or at least be noticeable, in the last few days. When working in the Development module on an image, Lightroom's use of motherboard memory surges to over 15 GB. I have 32 GB on my Windows 10 stationary PC. But this grab of over 15 GB causes the PC to not respond anymore. I have to wait until I get control of my mouse again and then shut down Lightroom and restart it.

This must be a bug. Today, just now, this happened when working on an image from a Nikon D810 with a dng file size of around 45 megabytes. I ran the Lightroom denoise, and was editing a few masks (subject and background selections with a few adds and subtracts using a brush mask) when the PC stopped responding. Looking in Task Manager, I saw that Lightroom's memory usage was over 15 GB. After restart of Lightroom and continuing to edit, I see that Lightroom memory consumption is currently only 3 GB.

Background information: My Lightroom Classic is updated to the newest version now, but this problem also occurred before I performed the last Lightroom Classic update. I installed a new graphic card a few days ago, going from a GTX 1660 Super to an RTX 3060. Graphic card driver is fully updated with the Studio driver version from Nvidia. This freezing of the PC caused by high Lightroom memory consumption seems to have started after putting in the new graphic card, but I do not see why that should be. Lightroom performance tab is telling me my system is capable of full GPU utilization (it was listed as limited only with the GTX 1660). I have the setting here on "auto".

This must be a bug. It is happening consistently and often, and I have to shut down Lightroom very often to clear out the memory usage. Today's episode shows clearly something is wrong, because it happened while working on the very first photo, it happened quite suddenly (while working with a few masks), and the memory usage is now down again after a Lightroom restart.

App version: Lightroom Classic version 13.0.2, Camera Raw version 16.0

OS version: Windows 10, fully updated, stationary PC with 32 GB RAM and a 12GB graphic card (RTX 3060)

To reproduce: I just work in the Develop module for a while. I am not sure if this is happening only or because of working with masks.

Expected result and actual result: Using over 8 or 9 GB RAM becomes too much for my PC and certainly for many others. Using 15 GB or more RAM creates a show-stopper situation. There should be no need to take a hold of so much RAM. Expected result therefore is better memory management in Lightroom Classic.

[JoeFish2]

My issue with memory doesn’t appear to be mask related.

Like others, I don’t have to be doing anything exotic. Just normal exposure, highlights, shadows, sharpening etc. will cause my memory to be depleted ar around 32gb.

Denoise will cause it occur quicker. Probably masking too, but neither are the sole culprit.

Joe

[steveisa054]

I associate the memory problems with the masking because that is where I notice it mainly. But I will keep this in mind, and see if I also can see huge memory allocations (>15 GB) when I am not working with the masking. Denoise is interesting. It takes a file in the more compact RAW format and creates a new image file which is much larger in a format where each color channel for each pixel is described by its own huge number on its own. So my 40 MB unenhanced image may become a 200+ MB enhanced image. I guess that also must have an effect on memory allocations.

[steveisa054]

Hi Ian, from my experiences, the problem with the huge memory allocations arises when using any "pixel based" mask type. Here I mean any mask which needs to be described on a pixel basis as opposed to a few parameters. Radial and linear gradients are no problem, as the mask itself in this case can be stored as a few parameters (size, angle, location, feather, etc). But the "pixel based" masks need a full pixel mapping (which can be huge) to store the mask itself. Here I refer to "Subject", "Background", "Brush", any part of any person, etc. It is clear that Lightroom is not rebuilding these masks each time, so this information must be stored somewhere. In my experiences, I notice that creating a "pixel based" mask itself does not cause the memory allocation to explode. It is when I start adjusting various sliders affecting the "pixel based" mask. For example, if I have a RAW file of maybe 45 MB in size, and I create a "Subject" mask. Then, if I start to play with the sliders associated with this subject mask, such as Temp, Tint, or anything really, the memory allocation becomes huge.

Whether this is a bug or a memory leak is of course debatable. But since at least initially the memory allocation of Lightroom decreases substantially when restarting Lightroom and coming back to the very same image in the Development module, makes it look like Lightroom is using up a lot of memory (scratch, temporary objects, who knows?) during the editing and cannot figure out how to release this memory again, until Lightroom is restarted.

[Flapjack7]

It must be a bug or memory leak because Lr worked just fine till last update (i think when the problem started).

[steveisa054]

I have started up Lightroom a little while ago, and edited two photos, but not using any masks yet. I did do a Lightroom denoise on one of them. Opening up Task Manager, I see that Lightroom is being itself for me, it is currently using almost 10 GB of ram. I also happen to have Photoshop open (from editing the first of the two photos) because I did not shut it down afterwards. And here is how the top few posts of my task manager currently looks, sorted for memory usage. The interesting thing to note (and this is a Windows 11 PC) is that my current memory consumption is 42% of a total of 64 GB ram. I seem to have a lot of Windows related processes taking up small amounts of memory, and I don't really try to figure out if they are needed, I just leave them be. But the point is, when working with both Lightroom and Photoshop, I am usually always up near a total memory usage of 25 to 32 GB ram. This is why I am happy that I put 64 GB into my new PC, and why I was really struggling with my old PC with only 32 GB ram. So I don't know how anyone who uses Windows as operating system is dealing with editing using Lightroom if they only have 16 to 32 GB ram installed.

[SFsix]

I have the same issue in MacOS.

Just take a look, 64GB RAM installed and LRc uses 150GB haha

Someone suggested trying to reset LrC preference files:  https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/setting-preferences-lightroom.html

[sheldong26810370]

Has this been submitted as "bug" by anyone yet?

[Mannyyyyyyy]

I have the same thing happenening to me in regular Lightroom (not classic). The AI Denise feature is a sure fire way to get this to happen. I'm running a 4070 Ti Super GPU and 64 gb of RAM and yet Lightroom will fully use all that RAM as time goes on. Definitely appears to be a memory bug.

[Ian Lyons]

@Mannyyyyyyy 

If you haven't done so already, I recommend that you create your own thread on the Lightroom Ecosystem forum (link provided below) In addition to describing your issue, you should attach a copy of your 'System Info, which can be obtained from the Lightroom > Help > System Info menu item.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-ecosystem-cloud-based/ct-p/ct-lightroom?page=1&sort=latest_...

[Ganji12]

Hi Evreryone.

Same problem here and i spend 2x1 hours with adobe technicien doing mess on my computer for no result.

There is any official response from adobe? Are they working on this problem?

Personnaly i have this probleme since 1 years and it appears as soon i start working with mask.

[steveisa054]

I hope they are working on it. I am not following it anymore. Gave up. Hoping they realize what an annoying situation it is and do something. For me, the situation has gotten moderately better. With 64 GB Ram, my Lightroom slows down and gets laggy when the memory allocation gets above 15 GB, but it no longer freezes my PC. When this happens, I just restart Lightroom. I also try not to use the pixel based masks as much, I might use a radial gradient instead of selecting the subject. But again, with 64 GB ram, things work better. I do not have difficulties with Topaz apps not being able to run quickly or at all as I had when I only had 32 GB ram.

[sheldong26810370]

I tried to post this issue in the the BUGS section and it was removed.  I haven't seen any interest in this by the Adobe contact in this forum.  I don't get it.

[MattPointZero]

I have upped my ram to 96gb of DDR5 6600 to try and help, but in reality I have just been favouring capture one instead.  Really annoying

[sheldong26810370]

96 GB is really overkill for LrC unless you are running multiple other programs that use a lot of memory at the same time.  OCing the ram to 6600 Mhz will do little to improve LrC's performance, but will decrease your system's stability.

[MattPointZero]

it's 6600 rated ram and it SHOULD be overkill for LRC - but that is the issue.  When LRC eats memory like crazy, it's not overkill.  System is stable.

[sheldong26810370]

for DD5 6600Mhz is OC via XMP.  The higher speed wil make little difference in LrC or other content type programs.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/impact-of-ddr5-speed-on-content-creation-performance-2023...

[MattPointZero]

It's incidental - I wanted to up my ram (which was DDR5 64gb 5600 across two sticks) to more memory - but 4 sticks of ram were unstable when I tested 128gb, and the easiest upgrade I could do with two ram slots filled was 96gb - which happened to be 6600 

[sheldong26810370]

in order to get 6600 Mhz you had to enable XMP, correct?

[MattPointZero]

yes - but also when running 64gb at 5600

[sheldong26810370]

XMP = OC

[MattPointZero]

It's not the relevant part of the post.  The point is I put more ram in partly because LRC is using more than it should. 

[Ganji12]

New version, new feature and same problem...

My never go down and i have freeze as soon i use local adjustement or AI..

[steveisa054]

I am constantly seeing posts on Facebook discussing which MAC laptop is best for Lightroom, and it seems that a MAC user can be happy with only 16 GB ram. Is there really such a great difference between Windows and MAC with regard to this issue with Lightroom memory usage?

[D Fosse]

@steveisa054 

The problem here is shared system memory.

All MacBooks and most Windows laptops have an integrated GPU that doesn't have its own onboard VRAM - instead the GPU uses system memory from a shared pool. That's something you need to consider, because the GPU can use a lot.

And then you may get competition for resources. The operating system may have allocated, say 12 GB for the GPU, and then suddenly LrC needs 10. And it doesn't get it, because the OS won't release it.

I can't imagine any Mac user can be happy with 16 GB RAM total. They can't do very demanding work. In these situations, 32 should be considered minimum, 64 better.

And note that this is an even more urgent consideration in Photoshop.

[steveisa054]

That may be true of Windows laptop users but there are a good many responses, me included, which are using Windows on stationary PC's with dedicated GPU ram on a graphics card. I couldn't start with only 16 GB motherboard ram, but it sounds like MAC users can.