P: Black Screen in Lightroom Classic Develop Module on Windows 10

[barrys35932590]

I'm new to LR.  When I installed it and imported some images into LR I can see them in the Library module.  When I select an image in the Library module and hit D or go to the Develop module, all I get is a black (not blank) screen.

I'm sure I switched some setting somewhere, but I don't know which one.

I'm using Windows 10, 64 bit.

Lightroom moderator (or anyone else), please help.

{Moderator note: Edited the thread title}

[JohnPlevritis]

I just finished installing the latest video driver 17.7.2 for the AMD Radeon R9 200 series.

Restarted Win7 64 bit,

Restarted LR...changed Preference settings and activated GPU Processor.

Shut down and restarted LR....Everything works.

LR runs much slower than before and there appears to be a response lag. I think that this version is utilizing much more CPU/ RAM resources than the previous version of LR.

Will continue working with LR and post any other bugs that I may encounter.

[Kiranphotography]

The Disabling of the graphics processor fixes the missing image problem, but then creates the new problem of the image taking forever to render when zooming in. The image is all pixelated when you zoom in to it to work. Is there an actual fix for this problem that doesn't create that new problem?

Also using the recommended AMD Radeon R9 2000

[Invitado]

Had the same issue and solved it by enabling GPU Scaling.

As my AMD utilities are in German I'm not sure my translation of their settings is correct:

Open AMD Settings, navigate to "Monitor" ("Anzeige" in German) and enable "GPU-Scaling".

Normally this setting should not be required but it seems it solves the issue.

My Develop module does not show black screens anymore and it is much faster than disabling hw acceleration in LR.

[thomasd83375104]

UPDATE: Turns ou this doesn't work either, I just worked for a short moment after a restart but then the problem return.

Thank you, you should send your bill to adobe for providing this sollution!

AMD Calalyst Control Center => My digital monitors => properties (Digital monitor) => Preferences for image scaling => enable GPU upscaling

ADOBE STILL NEEDS TO FIX THIS THEMSELVES

It's a joke now, having to disable GPU to use develop module in lightroom.

[Arnie47]

unfortunately the hint "Open AMD Settings, navigate to "Monitor" ("Anzeige" in German) and enable "GPU-Scaling"." doesn't solve the problem (at least not at my system).

[Nem01]

But that's not a fix!

You're disabling the GPU card and Lightroom will be even slower than normally is.

[johnrellis]

But that's not a fix! You're disabling the GPU card and Lightroom will be even slower than normally is.

As wobertc explained above, the GPU usually provides little benefit unless you have a 4K or 5K monitor, and it can slow things down for smaller displays. In addition to the reference he posted, see here: https://www.lightroomqueen.com/lightroom-performance-debunking-myths/

[Nem01]

The blog post states that the benefits are higher with 4k displays but also with smaller screens the gpu can speed up things. That's exactly my experience, if I turn it off after a while the develop module just freezes and go unresponsive, if I turn it on after a while the develop screen will go black.

Let's say the sheer truth, lightroom (classico cc) is a buggy mess and we are calling "fixes" deperate workarounds

[gendokun]

I have the same issue...

Just updated to 17.11.4 with a Radeon RX480. Is there already a Bug ID for Adobe ?

I do not have this issue with the Lightroom before "Classic" ...

Easy to replicate - Develop module, Open picture in photoshop , develop module shows a black picture...

[andrearman]

I have the same problem. My GPU is ATI HD6970 and it had "passed" status in information inside Lightroom. But, if I change modul from Library to Develop, the picture is blank or black and the tools is still there. If I uncheck the GPU accelerator magically the image is show up.

The question, is it performance get slow if I disable the GPU accelerator?

With Lightroom 2017 (6) I'm able to use GPU, then which one is faster as performance 2018 (7) GPU disable or enable 2017 (6).

Will Adobe release the update to fix it or we have to upgrade a new graphic card?

Thank you

[jeffstasney]

Having same issue.  Updated a week ago to LR Classic CC.  Had the issue before, and still have this issue. Screen goes black-cannot find tools etc.  Graphics Processor NOT checked.

If I hide LR in the dock (click the yellow button to hide) , and then click on it on it in the dock to bring it back,  everything appears for a moment as it should. However,  as soon as I click on the program to engage working on it, it goes black again.  Have to restart to get it to work.

[johnrellis]

Having same issue.  Updated a week ago to LR Classic CC.  Had the issue before, and still have this issue. Screen goes black-cannot find tools etc.  Graphics Processor NOT checked.

Make sure your graphics driver is up-to-date by going directly to the manufacturer's Web site (Windows) or running the latest version of MacOS: Adobe Lightroom GPU Troubleshooting and FAQ . There are many buggy drivers out there.

If you still experience these symptoms, you could try this workaround from Adobe: Lightroom Classic: Photos are not showing in loupe | Photoshop Family Customer Community .

(I'm not defending Adobe, just trying to help you get work done while you're waiting for a permanent fix.  Adobe product developers generally don't read these forums, so if you want them to see your feedback, post in the official Adobe feedback forum: Lightroom Classic CC | Photoshop Family Customer Community .)

[peterk18538216]

Having the same issue and this is not new, but it just got worse!  And I've tried the work around above and it doesn't work for me.  I have a Radeon RX 470.  See the following link:

Crash Camera Raw or Lightroom

17.2.1 used to work.  With the CC Classic they broke that!  I've tried the latest Radeon firmware (17.11.4) and it doesn't work. I ran the DDU utility to clean the video driver out completely and went back to 17.2.1 and what used to work still doesn't.  I AM BROKE!  I'm not sure at this point whether to trash Lightroom and go Macpham or something else, or trash Radeon.  There are a MILLION (only a slight exaggeration) posts out there of this same issue.  This should be a sev 1 issue for Adobe.  I have a Dell 30" monitor that runs 12bit internally.  I see a SIGNIFICANT performance degradation with the GPU disabled.

Sorry ... voicing my frustration at the lack of a fix.  This problem started back in April of this year and it just got worse.

[tomk3719107]

Same problem here.  I'm running Win 7 with a Radeon HD 6900 GPU.  It worked fine up to the LR Classic upgrade.  Maybe the "classic" means classic Adobe bugs?

Since I'm still on Win 7, I'm using the SysInternals "Desktops" utility to give desktop switching.  LR Classic now Blue Screens the PC unless it's running in Desktop 1.

[slselwyn]

If Lightroom Classic is opened in Develop mode with Use Graphic Processor turned on (leave it in Develop and restart), everything works fine and images load quickly. It's only after switching to Library mode and switching back that the picture is black which can then be solved by turning off the Graphic processor. This does not make sense - how does it work initially and what happens when switching to Library mode that stops it working?

This has to be a programming issue.

[DavidinAZ]

This has just started happening to me. I don't know if there was an automatic update of Lightroom Classic CC but I used it fine yesterday, and today it will not give me a preview unless I disable the GPU acceleration.

[Rob_Cullen]

an automatic update of Lightroom Classic CC

An update takes considerable time to install, so doubtful that it would have installed without you noticing.

From the Help Menu > System Info,  what version of Lightroom are you using? 

Automatic updates for Windows OS can possibly install (and change) Graphic Card Drivers.

Have you tried updating the card Driver direct from the OEM?

What pixel size screen do you have?  (Using the GPU acceleration may not be needed by your monitor)

[DavidinAZ]

This is not the graphics card driver. It's the latest one from nvidia and was not updated by Windows. This particular problem got cleared by a reboot though. And now it is working as it usually does with GPU acceleration enabled. I use a 2560x1440 resolution.

Version is Lightroom Classic version 7.0.1 [1142117]

I mentioned the update because when I started Lightroom, it notified me that an update was available, with improved camera and lens support yadda yadda yadda. I dismissed that, then later went into the Creative Cloud app to find the update, and there is none available for Lightroom Classic.

Strangely, it also had a link at the top left next to the logo that said "Get started with Lightroom Mobile". I'm not interested in LR mobile, and now that link is gone after the reboot, replaced by my name, as it normally is.

Definitely looks like there are some bugs out and about.

[Rob_Cullen]

cleared by a reboot

Lots of problems cured by a 'kick up the rear'

You are though a version behind-  7.1  [ 1148620 ]  is the current Classic version.

If the Creative Cloud Desktop App is indicating "none available" you should first try Signing-out of the Desktop App and then Signing-In.

Then also click the 3 vertical dots to the right of the face profile icon and choose [Check for App updates]

[DavidinAZ]

I actually had to sign in the first time. I just signed out and back in and it still thinks Lightroom Classic is up to date, even after clicking check for app updates.

[Rob_Cullen]

You be one of many that are experiencing the update problem, and (me) without an answer- sorry!

What is wrong with the Lightroom update process? | Photoshop Family Customer Community

You may have to contact Adobe Support.  (Be sure to backup catalog and the Presets folder first!)

And various forum answers may be successful-

Unable to update to Lightroom CC 2015.12

You could also try un-installing and re-installing the Adobe CC Desktop App which should be at Version 4.3.0.256  (Check by- 3 dots>Preferences>General Tab )

[DavidinAZ]

Alright, thank you for your help.

[ladislavm82202246]

Was there any fix for the original problem of the black screen in Develop module? Is there an official bug reported or official reply from Adobe?

I updated to Lightroom Classic quite soon after release and I regret ever since. It has a nice new feature for Adjustment brush but black screen bug is killing the SW for me. It was happening in 7.0, 7.1 and it is still happening in 7.2 - almost half an year after initial release. I have AMD Radeon HD 6970 with the latest (and last) version of drivers - 16.2.1.

Does it mean that my GPU is no longer supported? If yes, why is installation program not detecting such important detail? I disagree with proposed solution of disabling GPU acceleration. It brings significant performance hit but it can be considered as a workaround while waiting for a patch in future release but the right question after several months and couple releases is: Is the patch ever coming?

The most annoying part is that it is not just broken all the time so it does not look like the GPU is not supported. It works when Lightroom is started and you go straight to Develop module but don't you dare to switch to any other module and change photo there. When returning to Develop module, you will be welcomed with a black screen. If you use two screens, the preview on the second screen is still correctly rendered. If you try to crop, you will suddenly see image with the crop tool but as soon as you finish cropping, you will get the black screen again. Restarting the whole application resolves the problem until you need to switch modules again. It just looks like something is incorrectly reinitialized when going back to Develop module. This does not happen when using Camera Raw in Photoshop because it probably launches a fresh instance for each photo.

At this point, I call this a bug caused by insufficient QA because this is so easily reproducible and it is happening so often that there is no way how would good QA miss it.

[JohnPlevritis]

It's about time that Adobe engineers fix this problem.  We have been patient for almost 1 year and at least 3 LR updates.

Disabling the GPU is a half assed solution to a continuing problem. Getting a black screen when changing modules is a software issue that needs to be corrected. We are looking for a solution and not a Band-Aid.

Disabling the GPU slows down LR and is a counter-productive measure.

[dj_paige]

JohnPlevritis  wrote

It's about time that Adobe engineers fix this problem.  We have been patient for almost 1 year and at least 3 LR updates.

Disabling the GPU is a half assed solution to a continuing problem. Getting a black screen when changing modules is a software issue that needs to be corrected. We are looking for a solution and not a Band-Aid.

Disabling the GPU slows down LR and is a counter-productive measure.

You should probably contact Adobe about this, instead of complaining here in this forum of other SAS users, who cannot fix anything.
Lightroom Classic CC | Photoshop Family Customer Community