Lightroom shows only on Pixel in Developer Mode

[bluelemonade]

I have the problem that older photos in a library are only displayed in the library and not in development mode. In the library the latest version is displayed perfectly, in developer mode I only see a small black pixel! How can I fix this?

[dj_paige]

Show us a screen capture of this problem. Use the "Insert Photos" icon to include your screen capture in your reply. Do NOT attach files.

Also go Help->System Info and paste the information there (down to and including the Plug-ins information, not anything beyond that) into your reply.

[bluelemonade]

You can see that all the settings are there, regardless of whether the graphics card is on or off, no image is displayed. With a gForce card there is one pixel, without graphics there is just a grey background.

[bluelemonade]

It is a larger older project, the newer images are displayed, the older ones are not. The library has been updated.

[Miley_Adi]

This sounds like a common issue with photo-editing software,  like Adobe Lightroom, that i faced too as a professional editor. Let’s fix it step by step!

Steps to fix the black pixel issue:

1. Restart the program:

   • Close Lightroom (or the software you're using) and open it again.
   • Sometimes, it’s just a glitch.

2. Check GPU settings:

   • Go to Edit (Windows) or Lightroom (Mac) > Preferences.
   • Under the Performance tab, disable GPU acceleration (uncheck “Use Graphics Processor”).
   • Restart the program and check if the photos appear in Develop mode.

3. Build new previews:

   • In the Library module, select the problem photos.
   • Click Library > Previews > Build Standard-Sized Previews.
   • This might refresh how the software handles the previews.

4. Check original file location:

   • Make sure the original photo files haven’t been moved or deleted.
   • If you see a “missing file” warning, right-click the photo in the Library, click Locate Missing File, and point to the correct location.

5. Update the software:

   • Go to Help > Check for Updates and install any available updates.

6. Clear Cache:

   • Go to Preferences > Performance.
   • Click Purge Cache and restart the software.

Try these steps and see if the issue goes away!

[bluelemonade · Accepted solution]

I basically checked this straight away. Nothing improved. I had to select the images and re-import the metadata. (Although the settings were already displayed correctly)

[Miley_Adi]

If re-importing the metadata didn’t solve the issue, here are a few more advanced solutions you can try.

1. Optimize the Catalog: Lightroom catalogs can get corrupted over time, leading to display issues.Go to File > Optimize Catalog. This will clean up and optimize your Lightroom catalog, potentially fixing any glitches in the development module.
2. Check Monitor Profile Settings: If you're using a specific color profile for your monitor, Lightroom may have issues displaying certain images correctly.On Windows, go to Control Panel > Color Management > Devices and reset the color profile to the default sRGB.On Mac, go to System Preferences > Displays > Color, and choose a standard color profile like Adobe RGB or sRGB.
3. Reset Lightroom Preferences: Corrupted preferences can cause unpredictable issues.Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while starting Lightroom. A dialog box will appear asking if you want to reset the preferences—click Yes.
4. Rebuild 1:1 Previews: If standard-sized previews didn’t help, try rebuilding full-size (1:1) previews.In the Library module, select the problematic images.Go to Library > Previews > Build 1:1 Previews. This may take more time but could resolve the display issues.
5. Disable Third-Party Plugins: Sometimes, third-party plugins can conflict with Lightroom’s performance.Go to File > Plugin Manager and disable any third-party plugins. Restart Lightroom and check if the issue persists.
6. Check the Scratch Disk: If your hard drive or scratch disk is full or has limited space, Lightroom may struggle with large previews or displaying images correctly.Clear up some space on your hard drive, especially where Lightroom is installed and where your photo files are stored.
7. Reinstall Lightroom: As a last resort, consider uninstalling Lightroom and reinstalling the latest version. This will reset everything to factory defaults and may fix deeper issues.

If these steps still don’t resolve the issue, there could be a more significant problem with the photo files themselves or the hardware configuration, and reaching out to Adobe Support might be necessary.

professional Photo creator and editor in chief .

[bluelemonade]

I have the problem that older photos in a library are only displayed in the library and not in development mode. In the library the latest version is displayed perfectly, in developer mode I only see a small black pixel! How can I fix this?

[duplicate post: https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/lightroom-shows-only-on-pixel-in-develo...]

[Jao vdL]

This looks a little like a bug with an older Lightroom version. Are you fully updated to the latest classic version? What version are you running? Is your GPU driver fully updated (go to the manufacturer's website and download the driver there - windows update doesn't update these fully)?