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!

[John T Smith]

You need to ask program questions in the forum for the program you are using
To ask in the forum for your program please start at https://community.adobe.com/
Moving from Using the Community (which is about the forums) to the correct forum

[kglad]

in the future, to find the best place to post your message, use the list here, https://community.adobe.com/

p.s. i don't think the adobe website, and forums in particular, are easy to navigate, so don't spend a lot of time searching that forum list. do your best and we'll move the post (like this one has already been moved) if it helps you get responses.

<"moved from using the community bugs">

[Sameer K]

Hey, @Alexandra_SERVAIS9885. Welcome to the Lightroom Community. I'll help you figure this out. 

Please update Lightroom to the latest version available via the Creative Cloud and check if the issue exists. If it does, please follow @Aleke's steps above and let us know how it goes. 

Thanks!

Sameer K

(Type '@' and type my name to mention me when you reply)

[Elisa_Alloa Casale4973]

Buongiorno, da un paio di settimane ho lo stesso problema e, nonostante abbia seguito la procedura consigliata da @Aleke , il problema persiste.

[Aleke]

Hi @Elisa_Alloa Casale4973! Welcome to the community—great to have you here!

Sorry to hear you're running into the same issue. Could you share a few more details, like which version of Lightroom Classic you're using? A screenshot of the issue would also be super helpful if you’re able to share one.

Thanks so much!
Alek

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Shelemiah,

Thanks again for continuing to engage and providing such detailed info throughout. We really appreciate it. I’m sorry to hear the issue has returned.

This is unusual behavior, and if the masks continue breaking repeatedly even after resets, the root cause may be more persistent, potentially a problem with your macOS user profile itself. Are you using Time Machine or iCloud backup for your Pictures folder or Lightroom catalog?

Also, try creating a completely fresh catalog and importing your current work into it:
 1. Launch Lightroom Classic and create a new catalog on your internal SSD.
 2. Go to File > Import From Another Catalog.
 3. Select your existing catalog (the one with the issue) and follow the prompts to merge/import everything into the new one.

This forces Lightroom to re-index and regenerate the database structure while preserving your edits and data, which may help resolve catalog corruption that’s not fixed by preference resets. You can follow this step-by-step with visuals using this guide: https://adobe.ly/3NTC9Rv

Let us know if this improves the stability of AI masks.

Best,
Anshul Saini

[Kelsey33039702axpj]

I've been having this issue too, which is very frustrating. I tried John's fix but was unsure about some things so I reached out to Adobe in the chat feature. Some things I'll note: 

-This may have been clear to others, but not me: You're not moving your actual catalog to the desktop. You're going into that folder to find the data file that ends in .lrcat-data. THAT is the file you move to your desktop.

-When you then attempt to open LrC, you'll get an error message because of the missing data file. Click continue.

-YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MANUALLY UPDATE EVERY PHOTO!!! Select all photos in the folder, click "Photo" from the top tab/panel, Select Develop Settings > Update AI Settings. 

[Miriam Kaulbarsch]

 (Beware: I am FRUSTRATED by this bug!)

Whenever I use generative remove or an AI mask the changes are NOT saved into the file and vanish when I switch to a new image or to the library module. I have to re-generate it each time.

I came across this when I tried to export directly into my online gallery and realised that my edits are not included.

I tried to delete cache catalogues etc. to no avail.

The only way to implement generative remove is to export directly after making the changes.

Plase fix this!

----

1. Version of the app: Adobe Lightroom Classic 14.4
2. Platform and OS version: Mac OS Sonoma 14.5 (23F79)
3. Basic steps to reproduce the problem: Use generative remove, leave the image, come back: it says it needs to re-generate EVERYTIME!
4. Expected result and actual result: Generative Remove should be fixed in place

[Elisa_Alloa Casale4973]

Certo @Aleke, ecco tutti gli screenshoot che possono essere utili!

E' un problema che sta divendando invalidante perchè rallenta notevolmente il mio workflow

[Miriam Kaulbarsch]

That does not work unfortunately.

[Aleke]

Hi @Elisa_Alloa Casale4973! Thanks so much for sharing the screenshots and extra details — super helpful.

Just to confirm, you mentioned you already tried the step I suggested earlier about moving the .lrcat-data file, right? If that didn’t do the trick, the next thing I’d recommend is resetting your preferences. This will return the app to its default settings, which can sometimes clear up any internal hiccups. Here’s how you can do that: https://adobe.ly/4lkLfEX

If that still doesn’t solve it, could you let me know a bit more? For example, did this start happening after a recent update? Is it affecting every mask on every photo? Any extra context like that would be great.

Thanks again!

Alek

[Pypphotography]

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

[Pypphotography]

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

[Pypphotography]

If anybody else is having this problem, let me know. I figure to work around around the masking, but it's really a pain in the ass because I literally have to do one mask at a time and then export that photo. I can't work on several photos and then export them all it's literally a single photo by photo

[Aleke]

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

[Cynthia38510193zeju]

A t-on une solution pour ce probleme? il m'arrive exactement la meme chose apres la mise a jour de lightroom et j'ai un reportage à livrer demain. C'est l'horreur!

[Alexandra_SERVAIS9885]

Après avoir tout essayé, mise à jour de Lightroom, déplacer le fichier 'Catalogname.lrcat-data' le problème revient toujours ! 

la solution a fonctionné quelques temps puis le problème est revenu !

C'est un enfer en pleine saison des mariages !!! j'espère que Adobe va trouver une solution fiable et durable !!!

[Pypphotography]

Thank you very much. I will try right now. The biggest error I'm having is the Denoise I can't use it at all. But I'm going to try this right now and then I will reply

[Pypphotography]

@Aleke  for some reason it's not showing them at all in my catalog. It's not showing anything in that catalog do I delete the catalogue completely and then do it again? And I have several like this? I've looked at all of them. I can't seem to find it in the data section.

[Pypphotography]

@Aleke hey I completely removed it and deleted it from my Mac Lightroom classic I mean, and then reinstalled it, and it said that I needed to upgrade my catalog the old catalog would be stored at  ...

then started importing everything again and everything seems to be working, including the denoise . I'll have to see if I mask several items though and see if I have to do it every time. Once I play around with this bit, I will let you know! thank you again

[annemarieh19966233]

Same issue and it happens with AI removals too. Have to export each image one by one after editing. Major PITA. 

[shaylatiare]

I have been having the same problem for maybe about 2 months now. SUPER PITA

Someone please help us! @Aleke 

[shaylatiare]

Wondering if it could have anything to do with me also using Imagine AI editing (with masks) and then adding my own on top of that. 

[Pascal_PB0163]

same problem, give it some news on this bug?

[Aleke]

Hi @Pypphotography! So glad to hear things are looking better after the reinstall. Keep us posted once you’ve had more time to test it out. Hopefully the issue stays away for good!

Hi @annemarieh19966233 and @shaylatiare, sorry you’re running into similar trouble. Could you share a bit more about what version of Lightroom Classic and OS you’re using? And have you had a chance to try the steps I mentioned earlier in the thread or anything else that might’ve helped?

Thanks so much!
Alek