Skip to main content
S
Shelemiah
Known Participant
June 21, 2024

P: AI Masks Require updating and/or disappear

  • June 21, 2024
  • 63 replies
  • 49274 views

Hello,

 

I recently had a call with Adobe support with no luck. I have found some threads on this but nothing presents a solution and it seems hard to find what the actual issue is.

 

If I edit a client gallery and use any healing brush tool or AI masking tool, the mask or healing brush/generative AI will get a red dot underneath after going back to the start of the gallery, my AI edits are gone....

 

I also noticed this happens 100% of the time when I quite and reopen lightroom, I can fix the mask, update ai settings but it just resets each time I open lightroom.

 

We tested a new catalogue, we tested a bunch of things with no luck. 

 

We really need a fix on this Adobe it is killing workflow, not sure what broke this setting. I can't revert to an old version because I have lots of photos (I do 1 catalogue per year) and can't go back weeks of client work.

 

Also this catalogue was started at the begining of 2025 so there is no version 13 of this catalogue to revert to and test.

 

PLEASE HELP ADOBE!

    63 replies

    Show previous replies
    maeganlutz
    maeganlutz
    Participant
    July 7, 2025

    All of the suddent today, my lightroom is not pasting masks correctly. For example, I select background, do my edits and then paste to a group of images. It shows the mask pasted, but no edits on the mask and the background is not selected, its just a blank mask. Also, my generative AI removals are disappearing when I come back to an image that I removed something on. 

    I did not run an update to LR and it is up to date. What in the world is going on? I have restarted the program and restarted my computer as well.

    HELP PLEASE!

    maeganlutz
    maeganlutz
    Participant
    July 7, 2025

    Also... I am seeing that it is only doing this on one catalog that I am currently editing. I went back to some old ones, and they are fine.

    Noel Orridge
    Community Manager
    Noel OrridgeCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    July 7, 2025

    Hi @maeganlutz, Thanks for reaching out! I'm sorry for the trouble you're facing.

     

    Could you please share your system info (from Help> System info> Copy and paste it into a text file and attach it to your response)? Does this happen to all the photos or just certain ones? 

     

    While we wait, you can try out these steps:

     

    1) Optimize the problematic Catalog. Go to the File menu > Optimize Catalog

     

    2) Check out the correct answer in this thread: Solved: Re: Betreff: Einige KI Einstellungen müssen aktual... - Adobe Product Community - 15287448

     

    Let us know how it goes! 

    Cheers!

    Please be sure to use @ before mentioning my username so that I can be notified as soon as possible, and you can get the Help you deserve.

    Noel
    DrewsCrows
    DrewsCrows
    Participant
    July 4, 2025

    Im having the same problem, only my AI edits disappear after I move to another photo. Not even when just when I close lighroom. So frustrating! It only started happening a week ago! 

    A
    alma_mogli
    Participant
    July 1, 2025

    Hallo Zusammen, 

    ich habe seit etwa einer Woche das Problem, dass meine KI-Bearbeitungen plötzlich wieder zurückgesetzt sind. 
    Seit es diesen "KI-Bearbeitungsstatus" gibt, habe ich Probleme. Außerdem werden die Bilder zum Teil ohne diese Bearbeitung exportiert. 
    Kurze Zwischeninfos: 
    - Lightroom Version 14.04
    - Macbook 15 Pro (neu)
    - ich bearbeite meine Bilder mit Imagen AI und diese werden dann nach Lightroom geladen (das gab sonst nie Probleme)

    Hat jemand ein ähnliches Problem und kann mir bitte dabei helfen?

    johnrellis
    johnrellis
    Legend
    July 1, 2025

    A fair number of people have reported this issue. These symptoms can occur when LR can't write the .lrcat-data file for some reason, either because LR has corrupted it or there is a permissions issue. LR stores computed AI settings in that file. Try these steps, which help many but not all:

    1. Do the menu command Help > System Info. If you're not on the latest version (currently 14.3.1), do Help > Updates.

    2. In LR, do Edit > Catalog Settings > General > Show. That will open Windows File Explorer / Mac Finder on the current catalog folder.

    3. Exit LR.

    4. Move the file <catalog>.lrcat-data to the Desktop.

    5. Start LR.

    6. In Library Grid view (not Loupe view), select all photos and do Photo > Develop Settings > Update AI Settings. That will recompute all the AI masks, which could take a while.

    A
    alma_mogli
    Participant
    July 2, 2025

    Thank you very much for the quick response.
    And afterwards? Does the catalog need to stay on the Desktop?

    P
    Pypphotography
    Participating Frequently
    June 27, 2025

    Anybody else having issues with Lightroom after the update my masking gets shown while I'm doing the editing and then it kind of reverts back to the original image not allowing me to export it with the masking done. I am on MacBook M3 Pro shooting with Sony  raw files it gives me a message to update. I'm asking and I do that and then it shows the image as I want it to be after I've edited the masking but then after a few seconds or sometimes a couple minutes it basically takes the mask away I go back into the masking  and it gives me the AI update to rent to the file I do it. It goes back to the way I want it, but when I export it does not, and it keeps reverting back to the normal photo. I'm trying to do some product photography where I make the background a lot darker. and then also even if the mask seems to be working and then export the file, it exports it how it was previously with the lighter background. These are several different photos, but they've all done the same thing where I turned them dark and then when I  export there bright making the mask void ..  when I go back into the Lightroom, it says I have to like I said update the mask. I do it a darkens it again but anytime I export it doesn't.. And after a few minutes, it'll brighten back up again and then I click on the masks and they say that they're still in effect but they're not working! 

     

    the other issue I'm having is with the new Denoise when I click it. I keep getting these error messages. And it doesn't work

    P
    Pypphotography
    Participating Frequently
    June 27, 2025

    my apologies that came out a little bit of a mess. I was typing in a hurry, but it'll say, I need to update the file to render it or update the mask to render it. I click update it renders it back to the way I wanted it too, and then it reverts back after a couple seconds or sometimes a couple minutes, but even if I export it right away, it doesn't show in the export. I believe it's a bug

    A
    Community Manager
    AlekeCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    June 27, 2025

    Hi @Pypphotography, welcome to the community! Sorry to hear you’ve been running into issues with Lightroom Classic.

     

    Let’s take it one issue at a time so we can get to the bottom of this. You mentioned you're seeing an error about needing to constantly update your AI masks, right? Lightroom Classic stores AI masks and Generative Remove patches in a file called Catalogname.lrcat-data. Sometimes that file can get a little glitchy, which might be causing the issue you're seeing.

     

    To test this, try moving that file out of your catalog folder and then launch Lightroom Classic. You’ll get a message saying the data file is missing—just click “Continue.” Lightroom Classic will create a fresh version of the file. Then try updating one of your masks and see if it sticks. If it works, you’ll need to update all your masks again, but hopefully just this once.

    Let me know how it goes!
    Alek

    *(If you mention me with an @, like @Aleke, I’ll get a notification and can respond faster.)*
    K
    Korbin28428483wl4i
    Participant
    June 16, 2025

    This issue just popped up to where I use a background mask and as soon as I leave the photo to edit the next photo in line, the AI background mask has to be updated. This makes it where I cannot batch edit or batch export since the mask is removed once I leave the photo so I have to export 1 by 1 to make sure that my mask stays. Is there a fix because there are not any updates available and it has greatly decreased my editing speed. I have never had this issue before and I use background masks on 99% of all my shoots. I am on the latest version of lightroom classic and using a M1 Max Mac Studio woth 64GB of RAM. 

      johnrellis
      johnrellis
      Legend
      June 16, 2025

      These symptoms can occur when LR can't write the .lrcat-data file for some reason, either because LR has corrupted it or there is a permissions issue. LR stores computed masks in that file. Try these steps:

      1. Do the menu command Help > System Info. If you're not on the latest version (currently 14.3.1), do Help > Updates.

      2. In LR, do Edit > Catalog Settings > General > Show. That will open Windows File Explorer / Mac Finder on the current catalog folder.

      3. Exit LR.

      4. Move the file <catalog>.lrcat-data to the Desktop.

      5. Start LR.

      6. In Library Grid view (not Loupe view), select all photos and do Photo > Develop Settings > Update AI Settings. That will recompute all the AI masks, which could take a while.

      K
      Korbin28428483wl4i
      Participant
      June 16, 2025

      Thank you! I will give this a try. I'm currently creating a new catalog to try too. 

      L
      luzye_photo
      Participating Frequently
      June 16, 2025

      Hello software engineering team.

       

      Please help.  I just spent 2 full days editing a wedding and have to redo the work again.  This is the 2nd time this happens, now on a smaller catalog which I had to create after the 1st time this happened back in March.

       

      Al edits such as brushes and cloning are transitory.  Once a user clicks away from a photo, they need to be recomputed, obliterating the user's previous Al edits.  Can this be addressed? It has been happening for months, and creating a new catalog partially addresses the issue.  PLEASE note that selecting all of the images and recomputing AI edits is NOT helpful as it yields random results that do not resemble the previous edits, especially for skin.  Also, please note that this is not an isolated issue.  It is happening to other photographers. Thanks.

        L
        luzye_photo
        Participating Frequently
        June 16, 2025

        From a Facebook group:

        "PLEASE HELP. I spend countless hours editing a wedding and have used the lightroom ai remove tool on SO MANY photos, yet none of it saved during export! Did I just waste all of that time?? Has anyone had this happen?? I am crying, I am leaving on a trip and I NEED this wedding to be finished this weekend like what on earth??"

        C
        Christina A24239111s52s
        Participant
        June 6, 2025

        We are having this same issue suddenly/out of no where and it is a killer for workflow when editing 1000 images for a wedding. Hoping to find an answer here too! 

        johnrellis
        johnrellis
        Legend
        May 30, 2025

        These symptoms can occur when LR can't write the .lrcat-data file for some reason, either because LR has corrupted it or there is a permissions issue. LR stores computed masks in that file.

         

        Try these steps, which have helped many with these symptoms (but not all):

        1. Do the menu command Help > System Info. If you're not on the latest version (currently 14.3.1), do Help > Updates.

        2. In LR, do Edit > Catalog Settings > General > Show. That will open Windows File Explorer / Mac Finder on the current catalog folder.

        3. Exit LR.

        4. Move the file <catalog>.lrcat-data to the Desktop.

        5. Start LR.

        6. In Library Grid view (not Loupe view), select all photos and do Photo > Develop Settings > Update AI Settings. That will recompute all the AI masks, which could take a while.

          S
          ShelemiahAuthor
          Known Participant
          May 30, 2025

          Hi John,

          Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I have already removed that .lrcat file multiple times, rebuilt AI settings multiple times, and even created a new catalogue with an Adobe rep and nothing has seemed to fix this. 

          I have lots of client work and even if that worked the masks and generative fill isn't always a good fit the first time so batching the updating AI settings is not ideal because then you still have to go through all the photos and make sure you don't miss something weird. 

          Lightroom and my macOS are fully updated, I tried reverting back a couple versions with the rep with no luck.  

          I'm at a loss for what to do as it really kills my workflow to have this issue. Not to mention being a huge time waster. 

          johnrellis
          johnrellis
          Legend
          May 30, 2025

          That's unfortunate -- you're one of the unlucky ones for whom that magic spell doesn't work.  I don't have any other suggestions.

          M
          marion25155790ji34
          Participant
          April 29, 2025

          Bonjour à toutes et à tous,

          Depuis plusieurs semaines, je rencontre un gros souci en mode développement sur Lightroom Classic.
          Quand je retouche mes photos avec les outils IA de suppression et/ou de masquage, tout fonctionne au début, mais dès que je reviens sur une image, un message s’affiche : "Certains paramètres de suppression doivent être mis à jour"

          Un petit point rouge apparaît sous "Masquage" ou "Suppression", et Lightroom me demande de mettre à jour les paramètres IA.
          Je clique donc sur le bouton de mise à jour, je continue à avancer sur mes photos… mais le problème revient sans cesse sur les précédentes.

          C’est juste ingérable, surtout en pleine saison de mariages, car je dois mettre à jour chaque photo une par une, ce qui bloque complètement mon flux de travail.

          J’ai déjà testé plusieurs choses avec le support Adobe :

          • Création d’un nouveau catalogue

          • Mises à jour du logiciel Lightroom et de mon Mac

          • Création d’un nouveau dossier dans le catalogue (ancien et nouveau)

          • Renommage et déplacement des images

          Mais rien n’y fait…

          Si quelqu’un a déjà rencontré ce bug ou connaît une solution, je lui serais vraiment infiniment reconnaissante 

          Merci d’avance pour votre aide !
          Marion

            A
            Community Manager
            AlekeCommunity Manager
            Community Manager
            April 29, 2025

            Hi @marion25155790ji34! Welcome to the community, and sorry you're experiencing this frustrating issue.

             

            Lightroom Classic stores AI masks in the 'Catalogname.lrcat-data' file. Sometimes, this file can get corrupted or have incorrect preferences, causing masks to need constant updates.

             

            To test this, move the file out of your catalog folder and start Lightroom Classic. You'll see a dialog about the missing data; just click 'Continue'. Lightroom Classic will recreate the file. Now, try updating one of the masks and see if it sticks this time. If it does, you'll need to update all your masks, but hopefully only this one last time.

             

            Good luck! Let me know if this helps.

            Alek

            *(If you mention me with an @, like @Aleke, I’ll get a notification and can respond faster.)*
            CMass
            Community Manager
            CMassCommunity Manager
            Community Manager
            May 28, 2025

            Hey @marion25155790ji34, 

            Just checking in to see if what @Aleke suggested helped. Let us know. 🙂

            ^CM

              Show more replies
              Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
              Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices