Slideshow Module won't Play or Preview

[idwilson]

I've used the LR slideshow module ever since it was introduced, and it has worked flawlessly until I upgraded my laptop recently.  It's a Dell XPS 13 with a UHD (3840x2160) screen running Windows 10, plus Intel Graphics 620 (driver version 23.30.16.5018).  Slideshows are always run on an external projector (Canon WUX500 running at either 1920x1080 or 1600x1200), and when I first tried this back in August (7.3 or 7.4, not sure which) I discovered that everything worked fine providing I hadn't over-ridden the "high-DPI scaling" settings for the application.  I tried the slideshow module again after version 8.0 was released, just to see whether the high-DPI issue had been fixed, and discovered something much more alarming: neither the Play nor the Preview button were functioning.  Before anyone presents me with a raft of "have you tried xxx?" questions, I ought to point out that I'm a software engineer myself with more than 40 years experience.  So far I have experimented with the following, all to no avail:

• Disabled GPU support
• Tried different Slideshow quality settings
• Tried dual- and single-monitor setups, with LR running on both high-DPI and normal monitors
• Deleted both Preferences files
• Deleted the Previews.lrdata and Helper.lrdata folders
• Created a completely clean catalogue (should be the same as the previous option)
• Cleared both the Image and Video caches
• Tried all possible high-DPI work-around options, including none
• Reverted to LR version 7.4
• Reverted to LR version 7.3
• Completely uninstalled and then re-installed LR 8.0
• Uninstalled up-to-date Quicktime (7.7.6) and re-installed older version (7.6) instead

None of these changes made any difference whatsoever!  I'm guessing this might be a QT problem, as all other Slideshow options work fine (for example, I can export a slideshow to either a MOV or a PDF).  The functions which aren't working for me are:

• Preview button
• Play button
• Improptu Slideshow button

To be clear, the buttons are not greyed out, and the UI does seem to respond to mouse clicks by showing the buttons as "pressed".  I don't see any "Creating Preview" messages, no matter what I do, and the "other screens" do not blank, even when this option is selected.  The lights might be on, but there's certainly nobody at home!

As the projectionist for a camera club, the absence of a functioning Slideshow module is a real problem.  If anyone can shed light on what might be going on - or suggest experiments which I may have missed - I'd be hugely grateful.

Many thanks in advance,

Ian Wilson

Cambridge, UK

[cmgap]

A quick test in Lr Classic 8, I can reproduce (on a mac) the preview button is not working. This may be a bug and if so reporting it will be helpful: Feature Request/Bug Report Form

In the meanwhile you can view collections as a slide show via a web browser without a problem. If you are interested in testing this... create a small collection and sync it. Open the collection in a browser by creating a link via the Make Public button. Click on the url that Lr generates and it will open in a browser. There are three dots to the right side of the screen, click there and set slide show options.

Not sure if this will be adequate for your needs however I hope this will give you a temporary workaround.

[idwilson]

Thanks for your confirmation, and it could well be a bug in LR 8.0.  Having said that, it doesn't explain why reverting back to a previous version didn't fix things, unless the catalogue (or something associated with it) had been mangled as part of the upgrade process.  To be fair, I didn't create a new catalogue from scratch after going back to an earlier version, so perhaps this is significant?

As for using web synchronisation to view slideshows, unfortunately this wouldn't work for me because:

• I need to run the slideshows with music;
• for a Camera Club, I need full control over how the images are rendered (dimensions, colour management, compression, etc.);  and
• there's no Internet connection in the room where I need to operate (a bit of a show-stopper!).

If this is a simple bug in version 8.0 then I'll wait for it to be fixed.  If not, I need to find some way of going back to a previous version in order to restore the missing functionality.  When I get a moment I'll try reverting to 7.3 or 7.4 and starting with a completely fresh catalogue, just to see whether this makes a difference.

Ian.

[cmgap]

This may seem random but have you checked the version of you video card driver? If there is an update, try that and let me know if it makes a difference. A little bit of research indicated that updating the driver has helped others. Let us know.

[idwilson]

Not random at all - indeed, checking that my system was up-to-date (especially the graphics drivers) was one of the first things I did, but I simply forgot to put this step on my list!  I've just checked again, and the graphics driver was last updated on 24th July.  Everything is up-to-date, in other words.

Ian.

[cmgap]

I was able to get mine to work after I turned on Use Graphics Processor in Preferences/Performance. I ticked the box to turn it on, quit and once I repopened it Preview worked. Again this is a macbook pro so you may not have the same results. What I thought initially may have been a bug however is not accurate as I was able to get it to work as it always has.

[idwilson]

Oh well - thanks for trying.  I'm glad that your slideshows are now working again, but it's patently wrong that LR does nothing (as opposed to displaying a warning message) if the GPU is disabled. 

I guess this leaves me back at square one...  😞

Ian.

[cmgap]

Sorry about that Ian. There must be a bug on the windows side then.

[Bob Somrak]

cmgap  wrote

I was able to get mine to work after I turned on Use Graphics Processor in Preferences/Performance. I ticked the box to turn it on, quit and once I repopened it Preview worked. Again this is a macbook pro so you may not have the same results. What I thought initially may have been a bug however is not accurate as I was able to get it to work as it always has.

Both the Preview and Play buttons work for for me on the Mac with Use Graphics Processor on or off.   Lr 8.0.  Osx 10.13.6

[idwilson]

Now on LR Classic CC 8.1, and still no sign of a working Slideshow module (well, Preview and Play anyway, as Export works just fine).  This is very soon going to become a critical problem, so I need to get it sorted.  To that end I attempted to contact Adobe Support, but the only option I'm being given is this forum - no "phone" or "chat", despite being an Adobe user for 15 years and subscribing to CC since it was introduced.

Come on, Adobe - how am I supposed to get this fixed without support?  Please could someone from your so-called Customer Care department contact me so we can get the problem sorted?  There was a time when you actually cared about your customers...

Ian.

[idwilson]

OK, so - as expected - I have heard absolutely nothing from Adobe.  How can they keep taking money for a product, month after month, and yet not provide any support for it.  The Forum is the only support option I'm being offered, and yet nobody appears to be reading it.  There doesn't appear to be a way to find a Chat or Phone option, unless I want to spend yet more money or have a download or activation problem.  This is very poor show, and needs to be addressed.

Going back to the original problem of the slideshow module being broken, I decided to try an experiment.  I uninstalled the latest version of LR (Classic CC 8.1) and then removed all references to Lightroom in "Program Files", "Program Data", "AppData" and the Registry.  In other words, I put my laptop back into the state before LR was ever installed on it.  I then downloaded the earliest version available (the original CC, which corresponds to 6.0), and - guess what - the slideshow module works as before.  Not only that, but this version plays AAC (M4A) audio files without crashing - another bug which was introduced in later versions.  Since I've effectively stopped using Lightroom anyway (in favour of Capture One, which handles my Fuji RAW files far better), sticking with 6.0 is OK in the short term as a work-around for my immediate problem - the need to build a slideshow with music for a forthcoming photographic exhibition.  It's a poor solution to the problem, though, but - until someone from Adobe pulls their finger out and helps me - there's not a lot I can do.

Ian.

[charlesc3183991]

I'm a non technical person and have the Slideshow Greyed out problem.  Could someone please tell me if the issue is that my laptop is not powerful enough:

Many thanks in advance.

Charles

[Nosey_P]

People who meet problems and go on and on trying to resolve them admire me. I'm not like that and I gave up on Lightroom finally, switched to another photo editor, and also got a everything works, converts, you can set a slide duration, add your own music, and so on.

[EKAH-SBP]

I am having the same issue! I am on an IMAC 2018. LR CC. 

[Bob Somrak]

Slideshow Preview and Play buttons are working for me on Lr9 and macOS 10.14.6 on a 2015 Imac.

[larrym10118262]

I found that I need to select the first picture in the slideshow for it to start at the beginning. I think if nothing is selected, then nothing is played.

[GeoffSchiff]

I have not been able to get it to work for years.  I thought it was my Surface book.  i have a new mac studio ultra and still the same problems. "building slide 2 or maybe 3 and never any further.