Remove Tool AI Edits Keep Reverting — Constant ‘Update AI Settings’ in v14.3.1

[Lindsey271270385fgr]

Hi there, I’ve been struggling with a recurring bug in Lightroom Classic (v14.3.1) related to the AI-based Remove tool and the “Update AI Settings” prompt.

Here’s what’s happening:

• I’ll use the Remove tool on an image and allow it to finish processing.
• I’ll then move to another image and continue editing.
• When I return to the original image a few minutes later, the removed object has reappeared.
• A triangle with an exclamation point shows up, prompting me to “Update AI Settings” — even though I’ve already done this previously.
• This cycle keeps repeating, and edits don’t stick.

What I’ve tried (and confirmed):

• I’m running Lightroom Classic v14.3.1 on Windows 11.
• GPU settings are set to “Auto”, but I also tried manually enabling full GPU acceleration.
• I’ve restarted Lightroom, reinstalled Lightroom, and even paused cloud syncing.
• I’ve waited for the AI edit to finish before moving to another image.
• I cleared the masking cache by deleting the Helper.lrdata file in the catalog folder.
• My catalog is optimized and functioning normally otherwise.
• This issue happens with multiple catalogs and image types (RAW and JPEG).
• I’m not using any third-party plugins during this process.

System Details:

• OS: Windows 11
• Lightroom Classic version: 14.3.1
• GPU: [Insert your GPU model if you know it; optional]
• Catalog size: ~[Insert estimate if you want; optional]

I’d really appreciate help resolving this—especially if there’s a fix or known workaround. It’s impacting my ability to complete editing projects efficiently. Happy to provide more logs or run tests if needed.

Thank you!

[Aleke]

Hi @Lindsey271270385fgr! Welcome to the community!

Thanks for the thorough description on your issue. Lightroom Classic stores AI masks and Generative Remove patches 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.

Let me know if this helps. 😊

Alek

[kristin_6303]

@Aleke Can you walk me through this process? Mine is doing the same thing 😞

[Aleke · Accepted solution]

Hi @kristin_6303! Welcome to the community!

If you're running into the same issue as @Lindsey271270385fgr, we can definitely try the solution I shared earlier.

Lightroom Classic stores AI masks and Generative Remove edits in a file called .lrcat-data, which lives in the same folder as your catalog file. To find that folder, go to Edit > Catalog Settings (on Windows) or Lightroom > Catalog Settings (on macOS), then click the “Show” button next to the catalog location.

If that .lrcat-data file has become corrupted — which can happen if you're constantly being asked to recompute masks — a good troubleshooting step is to move it out of the folder. Lightroom only reads that file from the catalog folder, so when you reopen the app, it’ll prompt you to recreate it.

Once that’s done, try clicking the button to recompute the masks again. If everything works as expected, you’ll just need to update your masks one last time — and then you should be good to go!

Hope this helps, and let me know how it goes!
Alek