Photoshop CC 2018 (and 2019) extremely slow

[mmackinven]

Hey guys,

I have a 2017 27" iMac, specs:

4.2 GHz Intel Core i7

40 GB 2400 MHz DDR4 RAM

Radeon Pro 580 8 GB Graphics

This machine shouldn't break a sweat with Photoshop, however Photoshop is performing the worst I've ever encountered this example is only a 350mb Photoshop file, with about 56 layers (most flattened with a mask) in 20 groups and 5200x3500px.

• When using a brush or eraser tool, it lags so much that it takes nearly a minute to complete the stroke – then doesn't even follow the stroke I made!

• Zooming in nearly crashes the file.

• After about 5 mins of trying, PS just stalls and wont do anything. Open Force Quit Apps and it doesn;t show PS as not responding either.

I've tried using it with the 'Use Graphics Processor' unticked and it runs even worse!

30gb of RAM alocated to PS.

Using default History & Cache

Scratch disk has 1.2tb spare

I never use flick panning or scrubby zoom, or any of those kind of features.

Would this benefit if I got an external SSD to use as a scratch disk?

What is going on here?

[andreascarlsson]

Same here. I am EXTREMELY disappointed!!!

[DedePR]

...and I thought it was my iMac....NOPE!
For the very first time in the last 28 years since I've been using Photoshop, this is where I question the company to its performance.  I finally upgraded to the latest version.  It takes more time for the software to open than when I turn on my computer.  I'm also disappointed with the Transform feature...what a mess!  I'm going back to the earlier version since I don't want to be late with any work I have to do for my clients, capice?

[JoannaOuellette]

I’m glad to know I’m not the only one... brand new imac and can only edit efficiently 4

photoshop images at a time. This has wasted way more of my limited time than I care to admit! Downgrading to cc 2017 asap!        

[JoannaOuellette]

Congratulations Adobe, 2 minutes to crop one image, a new record....................................,,,,,,,

[madnessgraphicspoland]

I just checked Photo Paint 2018 from Corel - the same PSD file - amazing what the difference in speed! Rather, I will stop prolonging the subscription of adobe, they totally stretch us, offer worse and worse products, focusing on some miracles, probably only for bloggers. Failure, after all these years.

[NewtonSystems]

I also have the iMac with the Radeon Pro 580 8GB Video card. Upon opening of Photoshop I got a popup stating that "Photoshop had encountered a problem with the display driver".

Since then the app runs extremely slow and the fans come on on full blast.

[decoderltd]

Having the same problem with Photoshop (20.0.2), it's taking ages to do the simplest of tasks. I'm running it on OS Mojave and an upgraded Mac Pro 5,1 - 2 x 3.46 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon / Radeon RX 580 8192 MB, so it should be speeding along but it the worst performance I've ever experienced.

Guess I'll trying installing the previous version, but this really isn't the kind of product we should be forced to work with. Many of us rely on these applications to make a living.

[mediaboy18]

I’m in the same boat! Photoshop CC on my 3.3ghz i7 with 16gb of ram iMac sucks!! It’s so laggy and takes minutes to even open.

[cyclopsdx]

Very impressed by Adobe's response to this thread, btw. Great to see my subscription dollars at work.

[NewtonSystems]

I now downgraded to version 18 (CC2017) on Illustrator and Photoshop and all is well. Until someone (Adobe!) finds a solution for this, this is the way to go about it unfortunately.

[cyclopsdx]

So if we've all been forced to uninstall the latest versions because they don't function properly and we're working with older versions of the software, why are we paying a subscription for software we currently cannot use?

[madnessgraphicspoland]

They should introduce a new subscription model, e.g. a 2017 subscription, which would be cheaper every year without access to newer versions. I would like to accept it.

[cyclopsdx]

I'd like to think we've already paid enough for previous versions through our monthly subscriptions - and we still are!

[madnessgraphicspoland]

Yes, we let ourselves be caught on a dishonest play on the part of Adobe. Unfortunately, They know and we know that we have no choice. Just like with psd files, I would still be able to use Corel's products, so indd is not. In addition, after effects, etc. They focus on young, new users, lure them with new products that result in instability. They ignore those who have been with them for several years. Unfortunately, they focus only on the expressed profit.

[PECourtejoie]

Hello

For the users with the CC 2019 version, I encourage to update to 20.0.2, as I heard that other users with speed issues said that their problems were gone.

[madnessgraphicspoland]

I counted on it, unfortunately in my case nothing changed it. Just renew subscribtion for next year, and working on old software. (win10, 64bit, 24GB RAM, RAID, GTX1080, windows and drivers updated)

[PECourtejoie]

madnessgraphics, could you make videos and time similar operations on similar files?

Which operation is slower? Is it on GPU accelerated stuff or other functions?

Making sure that settings are the same.

[madnessgraphicspoland]

I'll try, but CC2019 is not stable, crashes a lot with no reason.

[PECourtejoie]

What else is installed on your machine? We would see many similar threads if everyone was affected.

I'm wondering if I should rename the thread, or split it for CC2018 and CC2019.

[PECourtejoie]

Also, once one has reproducible steps, please create a descriptive thread (I.E. text, crop,etc. Slow on CC 2018 and 2019) on the https://feedback.photoshop.com site, that is the best venue to elevate problems, this very site here is more geared towards users helping each others.

[Martin-dualpixel]

same here. very slow on mac os (with the latest update)!

application-reset brings no improvement.

[jmvdigital]

Really really frustrated with Photoshop. I'm on CC 20.0.02 on Mac Mojave 10.14.2. Photoshop was running great all morning, I was totally shocked. Then without warning it went to total garbage. Ten second slow downs on every brush stroke, not responding to key commands, 15 seconds to hide/show a single layer... then it crashed. I ran Cocktail, restarted my machine... same performance. Total crap.

Something caused it to run great for most of the day though. I wish I knew what. Nothing changed on my end when the performance changed. No other apps taking up resources (CPU or RAM).

[lorenzosantilli]

CC 2019 takes 12 seconds to open a 15.1 MB PSD file.  CC 2018 requires 6 seconds for the same file and the performance only improves as you go back to earlier, now outdated versions of Photoshop.

To quote Marcellus Wallace, Pulp Fiction:

"It's a fact of life this app is gonna have to get realistic about. See, this business is filled to the brim with unrealistic apps. Software manufacturers who thought their apps would age like wine. If you mean it turns to vinegar, it does. If you mean the app gets better with age and future releases, it don't."

Hardware:

13 Radeon Pro 570 4096 MB graphic

[THinOmaha]

I feel your pain, mainly the pain in the wallet.  For the fifteen years I have been a Photoshop user (5,7,CS, CS2, CS4) I have read these same complaints.  So many of us fell for the siren song of a better program when in truth the term "upgrade" means buckle up since you're in for a ride to Brokesville at the end of Frustration Lane.  One poor guy lamented how, after spending a fortune on buggy CS5, he wished he would have given his kids a better Christmas instead.

I just tried Photoshop CC after a decade on CS4, and I was impressed... at first.  But it didn't take long to see the sluggish performance in the simplest of tasks.  After a few days with the trial, I uninstalled it and went running back to my peppy CS4 - no CC for me, thank you.

We need to guard against that affliction which affects most of us - update-itus - and quit thinking that just because something is newer means that it's better, while we spend our hard-earned money to be little more than beta testers for companies who then take our input, fix the bugs (or not), and sell it back to us as a new version.

[twinbrush]

THinOmaha  wrote

while we spend our hard-earned money to be little more than beta testers for companies who then take our input, fix the bugs (or not), and sell it back to us as a new version.

Couldn't have said it better, that's exactly all we are.  Its obvious there's a growing discontent among Adobe users over the past few years and with a few companies creating alternatives, there might be a very hefty fall from grace coming....not that they care after all the money they've taken from us gullible bunch