P: AI Masks Require updating and/or disappear

[Shelemiah]

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!

[johnrellis]

@Seelenblickfotografie, a fair number of people have reported these symptoms in LR 14. Try this workaround, which helps many but not all:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/p-ai-masks-need-updating-constantly-eve...

[johnrellis]

Moderators, @Rikk Flohr: Photography, please merge with this thread:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/p-ai-masks-need-updating-constantly-eve...

[KristiHowell70]

I'm having this problem currently. Every time I edit they don't save and I have to redo every AI edit. I have spent so much time on just one wedding and still they don't publish with the edits. What is wrong with this?

[johnrellis]

@KristiHowell70: "Every time I edit they don't save and I have to redo every AI edit."

Have you tried these steps, which help many but not all with these symptoms:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/masks-in-lrc-need-constant-updating/m-p...

[johnrellis]

@Rikk Flohr: Photography, please merge this with the main current thread on this topic:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/p-ai-masks-need-updating-constantly-eve...

(or lock this thread to prevent further posting here).

[maeganlutz]

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]

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.

[michelleg7073996]

Lightroom Classic 14.4  - Denoise efficiency problem

I am having to do this update on every photo.  Between this and having to change the Denoise % every single time after it does 50%, so much wasted time.  What am I doing wrong?  How can I change my process to make denoising better?

[Noel Orridge]

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.

[johnrellis]

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.

Note that this will generate new variants for Generative AI Removes, and you'll have to review them individually to make sure they're acceptable.

[johnrellis]

Moderators, @Rikk Flohr: Photography, please merge with:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/p-ai-masks-need-updating-constantly-eve...

[johnrellis]

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.

[johnrellis]

Moderators, @Rikk Flohr: Photography, please merge with:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/p-ai-masks-need-updating-constantly-eve...

[johnrellis]

Moderators, @Rikk Flohr: Photography, please merge with:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/p-ai-masks-need-updating-constantly-eve...

[michelleg7073996]

I don't understand the instructions. I keep my catalog files on my D drive in a dedicated folder for a reason. What does moving it to the desktop do? All of my photos have now been updated painstakingly by me earlier, so I don't have any more to do. I just want to understand what is happening. I do use subject or radial masks, but regardless, almost every time acter using denoise, i first change it to 35. Then this shows up and I update that.

M


Sent from my Galaxy

[johnrellis]

@michelleg7073996: "What does moving [the <catalog>.lrcat-data file] to the desktop do?"

Moving the <catalog>.lrcat-data file that's inside the catalog folder to the Desktop is just a convenient way of moving that file out of the catalog folder so that the next time LR starts, it will rebuild a new one. You could delete it to the Trash / Recycle Bin, but sometimes that confuses people if they want to move it back.

Note that you're not moving anything else inside the catalog folder, including the <catalog>.lrcat file.

[michelleg7073996]

I don't want a new catalog. Why would that even help? I am clearly missing something. But since my topic is merged I will go take a look at the other thread i guess.


Sent from my Galaxy

[johnrellis]

@michelleg7073996: "I don't want a new catalog."

Why do you think those steps give you a new catalog? As mentioned before, they delete the previously computed AI data, forcing LR to recompute it. That is time consuming, but you won't lose your edits.

Again, there are two files in the catalog folder:

<catalog>.lrcat is the main database storing all your metadata and Develop settings.

<catalog>.lrcat-data stores the computed AI data for masks, AI remove, denoise, raw details, super resolution, and lens blur. That's the file that can get corrupted.  By moving it out of the catalog folder or deleting it entirely, that forces LR to rebuild it using all the settings stored in the <catalog>.lrcat file.

[michelleg7073996]

The previous instructions said that moving the catalog file to desktop would mean it wasn't in my catalog location and would create a new catalog. I just said I don't want a new catalog. Nor do i want to recompute everything again. Something is lost in translation. I simply asked why i was having to do that update task every time i used denoise.



Sent from my Galaxy

[johnrellis]

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@michelleg7073996: "The previous instructions said that moving the catalog file to desktop would mean it wasn't in my catalog location and would create a new catalog."

The instructions most certainly did not say that. They said:

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.

Following those instructions, here's what you'll see at step 2, in Mac Finder:

Windows File Explorer looks similar.

[michelleg7073996]

From previous reply:


[Adobe Product Community] Adobe Product Community


johnrellis (LEGEND) mentioned you in a post! Join the conversation below:

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[Lightroom Classic Discussions]<> Re: Why am I having to update each photo every time I denoise? What am I doing wrong?<>

@michelleg7073996<>: "What does moving [the .lrcat-data file] to the desktop do?"

Moving the .lrcat-data file that's inside the catalog folder to the Desktop is just a convenient way of moving that file out of the catalog folder so that the next time LR starts, it will rebuild a new one. You could delete it to the Trash / Recycle Bin, but sometimes that confuses people if they want to move it back.

Note that you're not moving anything else inside the catalog folder, including the .lrcat file.


Sent from my Galaxy

[johnrellis]

Precisely right -- I repeatedly referred to the .lrcat-data file inside the catalog folder, which stores computed AI settings.   Nowhere did I call it "the catalog" and nowhere did I say "the catalog" would be rebuilt.

[LindseyS918]

@Aleke I am having the same issues as the people above with using LrC starting yesterday. I all of a sudden need to regenerate all masks in each photo then they disappear when you move to next photo and try to come back. Do you have a solution for this? Unable to work because of it, big problem. Thank you

[Yosomono]

From my experience i would say hat problem occure when the .lrcat-data folder reach 7 Go. It would means that you can only have a limited amount of files edited with IA. I am really impressed by the IA noise reduction but for now it is not usable as a main traitement for all your pictures. Especially when you think that you have to save as well the .lrcat-data when you back up your catalogue. .lrcat-data should have been treated like the other previews folder. I cross the finger one day they will change the .lrcat-data folder that way.

[bastien_nicolas0900]

Même problème de mon côté. Seul solution : mettre à jour les paramètres AI et enregistrer les photos une par une. En pleine saison des mariage je suis ravi... J'ai déjà dû annoncer du retard sur mes prochaines livraisons.