Panorama stitching freeze in Lightroom Classic on macOS Mojave 10.14.6

[Your_huckleberry]

Two days ago, randomly, Lightroom Classic started freezing every time I want to stitch a panorama together. I had finished a large photo export, left it for the evening to finish the export and the next day the application will freeze instead of stitching panoramas (both regular and HDR panoramas). Everything else seems to be working properly. Sometimes it will freeze in creating the preview and other times it will freeze while stitching in the background. I have no other applications running at the time. Lightroom never crashes, it just freezes. other applications do continue to work if I open them while Lightroom is frozen.

The only hitch I saw before the freezing stared was I tried to stack a large number of photos together, the ones I exported the night prior. It stacked them, but the number of photos stacked never appeared on the preview. I tried to unstack them, but Lightroom told me there was no stack. I hit undo and the photos reappeared, stacked them again and it worked that time.

I have tried:

1) Uninstalling and re-installing classic

2) Creating a new catalog, importing new photos, trying again

3) HDR and regular panoramas both freeze

4) I have edited, exported single images successfully

5) Creating a HDR works

6) My computer has plenty of space

OS: Mac, Mojave, 10.14.6

[Discussion moved from Adobe Creative Cloud to Lightroom Classic — The desktop-focused app]

Message was edited by: Sahil Chawla

[GoldingD]

First up some clarity on version, etc

In LR click on Help, then System Information, then Copy. Paste into a reply.

Photo Merge has had some reliability improvements, and early implementations had issues. Perhaps at v8.1: https://www.lightroomqueen.com/whats-new-in-lightroom-classic-81/

Oh, and apparently way back at v7, stacking was an issue. Lightroom Classic Stacking Issue, cannot stack more than two photos

[Your_huckleberry]

Lightroom Classic version: 8.3.1 [ 201905241238-dcd7e2de ]

License: Creative Cloud

Language setting: en-US

Operating system: Mac OS 10

Version: 10.14.6 [18G87]

Application architecture: x64

Logical processor count: 8

Processor speed: 3.1 GHz

Built-in memory: 16,384.0 MB

Real memory available to Lightroom: 16,384.0 MB

Real memory used by Lightroom: 993.1 MB (6.0%)

Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 2,390.6 MB

Memory cache size: 29.4MB

Internal Camera Raw version: 11.3 [ 197 ]

Maximum thread count used by Camera Raw: 5

Camera Raw SIMD optimization: SSE2,AVX,AVX2

Camera Raw virtual memory: 87MB / 8191MB (1%)

Camera Raw real memory: 88MB / 16384MB (0%)

Displays: 1) 3360x2100

Graphics Processor Info:

Metal: AMD Radeon Pro 560

[Sahil.Chawla]

Hi there,

That shouldn't be happening, let us help make this right.

Could you please let us know the exact version of Lightroom Classic you're working with?

Could you please have a look at this thread and let us know if it helps?

Lightroom CC 2015.8: Crashes when attempting to create a panorama | Photoshop Family Customer Commun...

Regards,
Sahil

[GoldingD]

So, in the System Info, nothing pops up as suspect

[GoldingD]

One variable that I have not seen documented, is just what bit of hard drive space Photo Merge uses. Now it is in the Develop Module, so I assume the Camera RAW CACHE is involved, but I do not know that for a fact, nor do I know if other bits of hard drive space get used. Like a Paging File (OK WIN term, MAC similar?), a TEMP directory, some other CACHE folder

Fairly sure it is not all RAM

Now one thing in your control, how large do you allow the Camera RAW CACHE to get? (fairly sure that is not indicated in sys info)

Have you tried increasing that?

update/watched my Camera RAW CACHE folder while accomplishing a Photo Merge to HDR, and it is used, do not know what over folders are used.

oh, and a small bit of space on TEMP directory, and a small bit in the library previews, but nothing significant.

[Your_huckleberry]

I tried giving it up to 40GB of cache space, purging the cache, and turning off the GPU. Still freezes. I am able to poke around Lightroom while it attempts to create the panorama without a crash. I can open settings, preferences, etc. I can preview other photos, but trying to edit another photo causes a program crash.

I have also tried opening up a stack of photos into Photoshop and using Camera Raw 11.3.1 to try to create a panorama in there. It has stalled at about 50-60% completion every time.

I have also now uninstalled every program I have under Adobe cloud and reinstalled. No effect.

I didn't say this earlier, but I was merging panoramas just the other day. It was working perfectly.

[GoldingD]

Well, time to contact Adobe customer care. Be assertive with them, keep really good notes to share with us users.

[Your_huckleberry]

Problem with that is I am under an enterprise account, So my options given by Adobe are either ask the community or ask my Administrator, who I have no idea who that is (university).

[GoldingD]

Your_huckleberry  wrote

Problem with that is I am under an enterprise account, So my options given by Adobe are either ask the community or ask my Administrator, who I have no idea who that is (university).

Also, it is extremely likely, that you are not permitted to allow an Adobe tech accomplish anything remotely. Your Info Tech support staff would go ballistic on that. You would probably get a visit by your Info Tech Security Manager.

Hmmm, interesting that you were allowed to uninstall and reinstall software. Is this MAC School property or yours?

You will need to find out who manages Info Tech at the University.

[GoldingD]

Workaround, and making an assumption, accomplish the merge in Photoshop.

[Your_huckleberry]

The Mac is mine. Professors get access to Adobe suite at my university.

I tried using Photoshop earlier. I have also tried opening up a stack of photos into Photoshop and using Camera Raw 11.3.1 to try to create a panorama in there. It has stalled at about 50-60% completion every time.

I think I have narrowed the issue down to: issue with large file sizes, corruption within my image files (but I can still edit single photos), or sudden incompatibility with files. But Lightroom created a panorama yesterday with 21 50 megapixel images two days ago. Now it can't do a 3 image panorama.

I scrubbed every Adobe file off my computer, reinstalled everything, and loaded photos I haven't edited at all from a different camera. They merged into a panorama. Then I loaded a few photos that earlier failed to create a panorama. Lightroom froze.

The only difference between the files were size (one was 12MP, the other 50MP and the larger files were loaded into lightroom prior).

[GoldingD]

Camera make/model?

[Your_huckleberry]

Canon 5DSr

[GoldingD]

My bad, failed to inquire

How many frames in the failed Panoramic stitch? Lightroom apparently has an undocumented limit

And, if you try fewer does it work?

[Your_huckleberry]

In the past I have merged any number up to I think 30. Right now it fails to merge as little as 3. I have tired numbers from 3-21.

[GoldingD]

And, for the 50MP camera, the import, imported the RAW files as us, or created DNG files, should not be an issue, but some will ask. Specifically if copied as DNG, what if you worked with the original RAW?

[Your_huckleberry]

Normally I leave the CR2 file in folder as is and just add the RAW preview to lightroom. Just tried changing that to copying the file into Lightroom and tried creating DNGs. Still freezes, Good try though had not even though of file type or location.

I have also pulled some old 5DSr photos out, ones that haven't been on laptop since lightroom freezes. Tried creating pano, freeze.

Is there any other setting or anything that dictates memory usage, max file size, or anything for panoramas other than Raw Cache settings and maximum size?

[GoldingD]

Let me not assume

You do copy, either before or during import the RAW images to a folder on your hard drive. Correct?

[GoldingD]

And, i have been able to merge a good 90 frames at 24MP , so just 3 at 50 should not bend LR out of shape

[Your_huckleberry]

Uhhh...

So I load SD card, copy files to folder on HD.

Open lightroom -> Library -> drag photos over (it loads import screen) -> I pick "copy as DNG" add option (not copy or move)  build previews are set to standard with smart previews on. -> import

[GoldingD]

Yep, out of ideas, best expand your problem by adding it at Lightroom Classic | Photoshop Family Customer Community

[Your_huckleberry]

Thanks for hanging in there and helping!

[GoldingD]

Ok, probably best to go to:  Lightroom Classic | Photoshop Family Customer Community

and create your your own new “Problem”

perhaps call it LR Classic 8.3.1 Canon 5DSr Merge Photo Pano Fail

Start with your later comments as context, informing members another cameras images work, Canon 5DSr are now failing.

Include any history as to previously working, let them know it used to work, let them know it no longer works, even for a simple 3 frame merge

give the system information

include info on where your catalog is stored, how much space it takes, how much space is available

include info on where you keep the RAW images

etc

The web page linked above is the feedback page, Adobe techs monitor and interact in it

Oh, and if at all possible, perhaps in drop box, some example RAW files

[bartekh86]

Exact same issue for me.
It allows me to create preview but when pressing merge the progress bar is frozen in its half way. Lightroom is frozen.

2019 MacBook 13 with MacOS 10.14.6

Lightroom Classic 8.3.1 with Camera Raw 11.3

Most up to date versions.

Happens on both of my cameras: Canon 6D and Fujifilm X-E3