Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: I just figured out my lightroom speed problem  (Read 9548 times)

theophilus

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 155
I just figured out my lightroom speed problem
« on: October 23, 2006, 09:01:48 pm »

OK, here is the fix for MY particular system:

In the import dialog, under file handling, I tried selecting "Render Standard Previews" instead of "Use Embedded and Sidecar Previews" and it really sped up the program.  I reference the files at their existing location.

When I used to select Develop on one picture it would take 20-30 seconds to bring it up, now it takes about 5 seconds.  I deleted all the files in my library and I'm re-importing them.

I'm sure there is a way to get the previews rendered without re-importing but I hadn't done much work in Lightroom precisely because of the speed issue.  So I think the bottleneck for me was Lightroom rendering previews in the background or something.

By the way, my PC is not very fast, it is an Athlon 3500 single core with 768 mb of RAM.  I'm interested in trying it on my dual core laptop with 1 gig to see how much faster it is there.

I'd be interested if this helps anyone else.
Logged

theophilus

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 155
I just figured out my lightroom speed problem
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2006, 09:05:54 pm »

Also, importing takes significantly longer, I am guessing about 10 minutes or more for a directory of 250 5D raw images.

In that import I can easily adjust the curves and see the results with very little lag at all, something I could never do before.
Logged

ranjans

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 76
I just figured out my lightroom speed problem
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2006, 11:40:58 pm »

Quote
OK, here is the fix for MY particular system:

In the import dialog, under file handling, I tried selecting "Render Standard Previews" instead of "Use Embedded and Sidecar Previews" and it really sped up the program.  I reference the files at their existing location.

Interisting, I need to try this as I have this problem, but I thought that Standard previews will take more ofresources thats why its the 2nd option.
Logged

theophilus

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 155
I just figured out my lightroom speed problem
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2006, 09:39:19 am »

I believe it takes up quite a bit more disk space, but there is a setting somewhere to set the length of time that Lightroom keeps the previews around.  If that time expires you'll have to re-render them.
Logged

jani

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1624
    • Øyet
I just figured out my lightroom speed problem
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2006, 10:37:00 am »

Quote
I believe it takes up quite a bit more disk space, but there is a setting somewhere to set the length of time that Lightroom keeps the previews around.  If that time expires you'll have to re-render them.
That's the 1:1 previews, not previes of different sizes, though I'm not quite sure how Lightroom handles those.
Logged
Jan

Ian Lyons

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 127
I just figured out my lightroom speed problem
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2006, 02:18:39 pm »

Quote
That's the 1:1 previews, not previes of different sizes, though I'm not quite sure how Lightroom handles those.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=81983\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


The "embedded sidecar previews" are the low grade thumbs embedded in the image and are really only suitable for Grid view, hence Lightroom begins dispensing with them almost as soon as the import has completed. If you leave it alone long enough Lightroom will render out the "Standard Previews" (screen res). The idea behind the sidecar previews is that you get the images onto your disk as quickly as possible thus allowing you to begin the rating, culling etc process. If this was  all that you were doing, then there's a chance Lightroom will stay ahead of you. However, every time you zoom into an image Lightroom automatically renders the full 1:1 preview and it is this that starts to eat up CPU cycles and slows down the background rendering of Standard Previews. The more images you start to zoom into and/or "edit" the more cycles get diverted from rendering the "Standard Previews". It's not for everyone, but I tend to build out ALL of the 1:1 previews before doing anything. That way I get all the kicking and swearing out of the way before I get to work on the images ;-)
Logged

32BT

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3095
    • Pictures
I just figured out my lightroom speed problem
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2006, 02:55:32 pm »

Quote
However, every time you zoom into an image Lightroom automatically renders the full 1:1 preview and it is this that starts to eat up CPU cycles and slows down the background rendering of Standard Previews.

Note that Adobe Bridge seems to do this just fine. At least on a mac. I get near instant but small previews, it then builds the larger previews in the background, and when I open some image in ACR within Bridge, it doesn't particularly seem hampered by the previews still building in the background. I presume the Bridge team and the Lightroom team are separate entities, so I suggest they should share a lunchroom sometime...
Logged
Regards,
~ O ~
If you can stomach it: pictures

Ian Lyons

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 127
I just figured out my lightroom speed problem
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2006, 03:06:32 pm »

Quote
Note that Adobe Bridge seems to do this just fine. At least on a mac. I get near instant but small previews, it then builds the larger previews in the background, and when I open some image in ACR within Bridge, it doesn't particularly seem hampered by the previews still building in the background. I presume the Bridge team and the Lightroom team are separate entities, so I suggest they should share a lunchroom sometime...
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=82029\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

If ACR is opened into Bridge then Bridge will STOP processing the previews in the background. However, if ACR is opened into Photoshop then Bridge will continue to process the previews in the background. Either way, ACR will still take time ( a few seconds) to render out the full preview in its own editing window (denoted by yellow exclamation mark in top right corner). So, in this respect Lightroom is not a lot different to Bride/ACR, nor most of the alternatives for that matter.

BTW: Bridge team is based in San Jose whereas a good percentage of the Lightroom team are up in Minnesota.
Logged

32BT

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3095
    • Pictures
I just figured out my lightroom speed problem
« Reply #8 on: October 24, 2006, 03:43:15 pm »

Quote
If ACR is opened into Bridge then Bridge will STOP processing the previews in the background.

Goes to show that, in user experience at least, this strategy doesn't hamper productivity... And the exclamation mark shows anyway because ACR always needs to build its preview.

Quote
BTW: Bridge team is based in San Jose whereas a good percentage of the Lightroom team are up in Minnesota.

That's what I figured as much.
Logged
Regards,
~ O ~
If you can stomach it: pictures

inthelight

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1
I just figured out my lightroom speed problem
« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2006, 06:06:44 pm »

From what I've heard on the Lightroom podcasts, the speed issue is part of the whole 'beta' aspect of the program. Speed optimisations haven't been done yet. There's a podcast where Thomas Knoll is chiding the other developers that Lightroom doesn't work as fast as ACR, and that Lightroom is calculating way too much information all the time...

It should be much faster in final release. At least I hope so!
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up