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Ballonseide
Inspiring
October 28, 2025
Answered

P: Denoise fails in 15.0 (and all versions since 14.1.1)

  • October 28, 2025
  • 5 replies
  • 2333 views

I updated Lightroom from 14.1.1 to 15.0 and AI Denoise has completely stopped working.

 

I have previously had Denoise failures with all other Lightroom versions higher than 14.1.1 that I have tried, which is why I've been using that version. Reverting to 14.1.1 always restores normal AI Denoise operation. I suspect there was a change to the Denoise implementation in 14.2 that causes it to consistently fail on my machine.

 

The exact problem as I'm experiencing it with 15.0 is as follows:

 

  • Clicking on "Denoise" for the first time for a raw file causes the "Applying Denoise" progress popup to appear, but it disappears when progress is only about half-way through, and afterwards Denoise remains disabled (as does Raw Details).
  • This repeats if I then click on "Denoise" again, but with the popup being visible for just a fraction of a second, if at all, and Denoise continues to be disabled afterwards.
  • If I then click on "Raw Details", Raw Details are immediately applied without any issues.

 

(It seems to me the only thing actually being computed in these steps is Raw Details, not Denoise.)

 

  • With Raw Details enabled, if I click on "Denoise" again, the Denoise progress popup will again very briefly appear and Denoise will then be enabled... but the image is not denoised, rather it shows as completely un-denoised, with massive chroma noise in high-ISO images that even classic noise reduction deals with easily. (It's exactly what I see in the 14.1.1 Denoise implementation, in the little preview window, as the "Without Enhance" comparison.)
  • In this state, the Denoise slider starts out at its default 50 and is responsive, but doesn't cause any change in the image.

 

I've already tried creating a new catalog (same behavior, so not likely to be catalog corruption) and deleting Lightroom's "Camera Raw GPU Config.txt" file (no change). My GPU is properly recognized and utilized in all other GPU-related operations.

 

This issue occurs with all my raw files, e.g. with 14-bit losslessly compressed NEF files from a Nikon Z6. It's 100 % reproducible. I can provide a screen recording if it helps.

 

System Info

 

    Correct answer Ballonseide

    Thanks. If you are not using the Photoshop and the ACR plug-in, then delete "/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/ModelZoo" and everything underneath it. Note this this the system shared location, not the user specific one. Namely, delete everything under

     

    1. Upgrade to LrC v15.0 (this should uninstall the previous version)
    2. Delete  /Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/ModelZoo/ and everything underneath it.
    3. Delete  ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/ModelZoo/ and everything underneath it.
    4. Try  launching LrC v15.0 and check if denoise works.

     


    Thank you, deleting the ModelZoo folder in both the user and system library finally restored normal Denoise function. Appreciate the help!

     

    For anyone else with the same problem who already has LrC v15.0 installed: it is not necessary to upgrade/install/uninstall anything, just delete the folders while Lightroom is not running, then launch it again.

    5 replies

    A
    alee88
    Participant
    October 31, 2025

    Experiencing the same behavior, very frustrating!!

      Sameer K
      Community Manager
      Sameer KCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      October 31, 2025

      Hey, @alee88. Thanks for the comment. If Denoise does not work, at all - Check the pinned comment from @Simon S Chen. 

       

      If it is slow, or does not produce expected results, please feel free to start a new conversation with pertinent information such as the System info from Lightroom Classic and details about what you see. 

       

      Thanks!
      Sameer K
      (Type '@' and type my name to mention me when you reply)

      Srishti Bali
      Community Manager
      Srishti BaliCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      October 29, 2025

      @Ballonseide Thanks for sharing the details, and @MOR10s Images — we understand how frustrating this might be. In this scenario, I’d suggest completely uninstalling Lightroom Classic from your machine and then reinstalling it via the Creative Cloud desktop app. This can often help resolve installation-related issues that occur during updates.

      B
      BallonseideAuthor
      Inspiring
      October 29, 2025

      Is that advice meant for me? If so, what did you see (or not see) in the file listings I provided? And would the Cleaner Tool delete app settings as well? Plugin settings? Presets etc. pp.?

      MOR10s Images
      MOR10s Images
      Participating Frequently
      October 29, 2025

      On my Windows PC it works in version 15, but what used to take 25 seconds now take 5 minutes, on the same hardware.

      S
      Adobe Employee
      Simon S Chen
      Adobe Employee
      October 30, 2025

      The slowdown could be due to a GPU driver update recently?

        Srishti Bali
        Community Manager
        Srishti BaliCommunity Manager
        Community Manager
        October 29, 2025

        Hi @Ballonseide 

         

        Really sorry to hear about the trouble you’re facing with the Denoise feature and thanks for sharing the details. Let’s get this sorted out together. Could you please share the ACR log files from the following locations:

        • ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/Logs

        • ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/lrc_console.log

        Once we have these, we’ll be able to check what’s causing this and suggest the next steps.

         

        Regards,

        Srishti

         

        B
        BallonseideAuthor
        Inspiring
        October 29, 2025

        Thanks for pointing me to the logs, I've attached them.

         

        The issue is obviously a missing model, and lrc_console.log rightly complained about lack of write permissions for ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/Modules – it was set to owner root and group wheel and it was empty.

         

        However, I've since corrected the ownership issue, and the complaint in lrc_console.log has disappeared, but my issue still persists and the ACR logs report the exact same errors as before (including "missing model directory"). So, how do I get the folder recognized and those models installed, now that the folder is writable?

        B
        BallonseideAuthor
        Inspiring
        November 16, 2025

        Unfortunately, I did not find Library folder under /Users/[my username]/... . There is a Library folder under /System/Library, but no Application support, Adobe, Camera Raw or ModelZoo folders underneath it.


        The user library folder is hidden in normal Finder windows. You can get there by opening Finder and choosing  Go > Library in the menu bar. Then you can navigate to the target folder in the usual way.

         

        Alternatively, you can jump directly to the target folder by choosing "Go to Folder..." in the Go menu, then typing or pasting the full path ("~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/ModelZoo", without the quotes) and hitting Enter.

        B
        BallonseideAuthor
        Inspiring
        October 28, 2025

        The title should have been "... all versions after 14.1.1", not "since". 14.1.1 is the last version in which Denoise is working normally for me.

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