M2 Max + LRC + external monitor + Develop module = FLICKER

[ericb14197638]

Hi!
I took delivery the other day of a brand new Macbook Pro with M2 Max chip (38-core GPU) and experience so much flicker for LRC to be unusuable. This only occurs with my external monitor attached.

More details:
* This was a directly replacement of my M1 Max Macbook Pro (which had fewer GPU cores, less RAM);

* Fresh MacOS install (13.2);

* Same data/LR catalog (LRC 12.1);

* Apple Pro XDR display (latest firmware);

* Preferences > Performance > Camera Raw / Use Graphics Processor = Auto.

The flicker presents as if a new color profile is being applied on and off, every time I move the mouse in the Development module. It appears as if a new white balance is applied (the white balance doesn't actually change — it just has the same screen effect as if WB is changing). This makes the program unusuable for any editing. 

True Tone and Automatic brightness adjustments are both off, as is Night Shift.

If I turn this GPU usage to off within LRC, the flickering is gone — but the program slows SIGNIFICANTLY. If turn to this setting to "Custom", "GPU for Display is the most basic setting", and I have to shut it off for LRC to work properly.

Has anyone experienced this? Some web searches revealed M1 (and M2) users had flickering with BenQ monitors. I realize I'm one of the early ones with an M2 Max.

Any thoughts?

Booting into Safe Mode had no impact. Same external monitor, cables (Thunderbolt), data, etc., with my old M1 Max MBP and the new M2 Max MBP.

Thanks for any leads.

[ericb14197638]

I have a replacement in hand (base model M2 Max 14" — 12-core CPU, 30-core (not 38) GPU, less RAM) — and it does, in fact, exhibit the same behavior.

However, I have isolated things a bit further. The flickering only occurs in this scenario:
* Lightroom Classic Develop module;

* MacOS 13.x;

* External monitor connected;
* Brightness (using F1/F2 keys) at maximum or 1 step below max)!

Again, this issue did NOT occur with my M1 Max MBP 14"; however, I read that some people did/do experience flickering with their M1 Max, so I thought it might be a case of a bad GPU.

Odd it only appears in LRC & in the Dev module at that.

[Ian Lyons]

Screen flicker with external displays is a fairly common complaint for M1 based computers dating back to when they were first introduced. In fact, some display vendors have even published guidance of the how it may be fixed (e.g. BenQ document linked below).

I see it occassionally when I my BenQ SW271C On, but have never seen it when the NEC 30-inch SpectraView Refernce display is connected. Needless to say, I rarely use the BenQ, but that's more because macOS and 4K displays are not the best of friends when it comes to choosing a non integer resolution.

There's a lengthy thread on Macrumours discussing (complaining) about the issue https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-pro-m1-external-screen-flickering.2325279/

https://www.benq.com/en-us/knowledge-center/knowledge/how-to-fix-mac-m1-m2-external-monitor-flicker....

FWIW, in my case none of the suggestions by BenQ helped.

[ericb14197638]

Thank you for the reply!

Interestingly (or perhaps only interesting to me), my M1 Max exhibited no flickering at all. 

I was aware of the BenQ suggestions — none worked for me, either.

It's interesting that it is only happening at 15/16 or 16/16 brightness (macOS slider). If that continues to work, it's a usable workaround for me.

Does anyone know how to preserve the brightness setting on a Macbook Pro? Every time I open it up, it reverts to 50% brightness (no automatic settings are on). Would be great if I could have a stored setting for the built-in display and for the external (Pro XDR) monitor.

I don't think Apple considers this to be their problem because Adobe LRC is involved.

THANKS!

[Ian Lyons]

You can create display presets for the interrnal and external Mac displays. More details can be found in the following videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nxa8r9DIzg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJuruNqxiP4

[ericb14197638]

Thank you for all those links. There is quite a bit of valuable information!

I think perhaps my question was clumsily stated when I wrote:
Does anyone know how to preserve the brightness setting on a Macbook Pro? Every time I open it up, it reverts to 50% brightness (no automatic settings are on). Would be great if I could have a stored setting for the built-in display and for the external (Pro XDR) monitor.

The flickering is only occuring when the display brightness is at/near maximum based on using the F1/F2 keys on the Macbook keyboard. Whenever I open and close the lid of the Macbook, it resets the brightness of the internal display to 50% of max.

It's part of my workflow to hit F2 to increase brightness nearly every time I open it up. I'm wondering if I can have it retain *this* setting for both the INTERNAL display and the EXTERNAL monitor. 

Thanks for any tips!

[thedigitaldog]

M1, NEC SpectraView, and 16" MBP, never see flickering either. 

Is the MacBook Pro lid open or closed? And you don't see it on the Retina display right? 

That it goes away with GPU disabled points to the GPU of course. Yet this could be due to the BenQ. 

[ericb14197638]

Thanks for your reply!

The issue occurs whether the Macbook lid is open or closed — the flickering appears on the external monitor only. The internal/Retina display does not exhibit such flickering.

Yes, I agree — that enabling GPU acceleration results in flickering and disabling it eliminates flickering suggests it is a GPU issue. I suppose it could be an issue with *how* LRC uses the GPU.

However, that the macOS brightness utility (F1/F2 on the keyboard) setting affects whether or not the flickering occurs seems to suggest a hardware and/or OS culprit, no?

I do not have a BenQ monitor — this is occurring with the Apple Pro XDR Display. Apple was fairly quick to dismiss this as their issue.

It's probably lost above, 

[Ian Lyons]

If you read through the MacRumors forum link that I provided above you'll see that the issue is not confined to one application, one display vendor, one connection port, one version of macOS, one of anything other than Apple 'M' series processors.

[ericb14197638]

Yes, I realize that. I have seen flickering reported in M1 & M2, along with different apps and montiors. 

Seemed interesting (to me, of course, as it is my issue) that I could eliminate it by reducing brightness by 2 steps. Would love to find a way to make that the default.

[ericb14197638]

To be clear: Yes, it's the M chips, but it is also *an external monitor*. Seems like this isn't happening with the internal retina display from what I've experienced and what I've read.