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I am getting severe image artifacts mostly in the sky in the library module of Lightroom Classic. I am using version 13.2 but this is not the first time I have seen this. It goes away in the develop module or if I view at 100%. After viewing the image at 100% looks OK when fit to screen. It also looks OK if I build 1:1 previews. When I import I only build smart previews. This is extremely annoying and is occurring on multiple RAW images. Once I export to a jpg it looks OK. The attached image was taken with a screen capture program. As you can see it is really bad. I see other post about this subject but the are all old back in 2018. I have been using LR Classic for many years and this only showed up reciently. I am on Windows 10 64 bit.
"When I import I only build smart previews."
Others have reported artifacts and banding in smooth-gradient skies with both Library standard previews and in smart previews (both of which are 8 bits/channel), with the artifacts and banding disappearing when you export to 8-bit JPEGs. LR is using an inferior algorithm for generating these 8-bit previews.
For example, see this bug report:
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Please include your screen capture by clicking on the "Insert Photos" icon. Many people (including me) will not download attachments.
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First, try disabling GPU in the preferences (Preformance tab). Any better?
If not, recalibrate and build a new ICC display profile, the old one might be corrupted.
If you are using software/hardware for this task, be sure the software is set to build a matrix not LUT profile, Version 2 not Version 4 profile.
If turning OFF GPU works, it's a GPU bug and you need to contact the manufacturer or find out if there's an updated driver for it.
Also see: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/acr-gpu-faq.html
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"When I import I only build smart previews."
Others have reported artifacts and banding in smooth-gradient skies with both Library standard previews and in smart previews (both of which are 8 bits/channel), with the artifacts and banding disappearing when you export to 8-bit JPEGs. LR is using an inferior algorithm for generating these 8-bit previews.
For example, see this bug report:
Experimenting with the sample DNG in that bug report, I see the sky banding in both Library standard previews and smart previews.
I think your only workaround is to generate 1:1 previews on import. Consider setting Catalog Settings > Automatically Discard 1:1 Previews: After One Week or Day if the disk size of the preview cache is a concern.
Please add your constructive opinion to the bug report, and be sure to click Like and Follow at the bottom of the first post. That will make it a little more likely that Adobe will prioritize a fix, and you'll be notified when the bug's status changes. Product developers rarely participate in this forum and won't see your feedback. Be sure to upload an original sample photo to Dropbox or similar and include the sharing link in that bug report.
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A couple notes. I do not use smart previews I use "Embedded & sidecar". Not sure if that makes any difference. Thanks you for the comment on building 1:1 and deleting after a week. Building 1:1 does work but the previews I am using was working just fine in the past. I will also create a bug report. I am seeing this on complete different computers with different videos cards. All video cards have latest drivers. These are very high end computer built specifically for photo editing. Apparently others have seen this in the past with older versions of LR Classic but I have rarely seen it before just recently.
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"I do not use smart previews I use "Embedded & sidecar". "
OK, just for our better understanding, what did you mean when you said, "When I import I only build smart previews."?
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It was a mistake when I said I use "smart previews" when I import. When I import I use "Embedded & Sidecar Previews". I do NOT check Build Smart Previews. I had smart previews on my mind when I wrote this because I recently had issues with smart previews when syncing with the cloud. I guess I will switch to "standard previews". I built some 1:1 previews and it took a long time. My camera takes 45MP pictures. I take a lot of pictures and only keep about 10-20% of the good ones so it does not makes sense to build 1:1 for everything I import. I can build 1:1 on demand if I need them. Note again that I have been using LR Classic for years and this is a recent problem for me. My previews have always looked good enough. However I have not always used "Embedded & Sidecar Previews". Someone said that was a good compromise so I started using it. Sorry for the confusion.
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"I use "Embedded & Sidecar Previews"."
With this option, LR uses unmodified the JPEG previews embedded in the raw by the camera. So if you're seeing artifacts and banding, they were created by the camera.
"I guess I will switch to "standard previews"."
Let us know if you still see artifacts with standard previews. With the example in the bug report I linked to above, I see banding in the sky with standard previews on my calibrated Eizo display but not on my Macbook Pro's screen.