Graphics processor (GPU) FAQ | Lightroom Classic

You can use a compatible graphics processor (also called a graphics card, video card, or GPU) in Lightroom Classic to speed up the task of adjusting images in the Develop module. If you run Lightroom Classic on a Windows computer, using a compatible graphics processor accelerates rendering of images in the Library module's Grid view, Loupe view, and Filmstrip. Enhance Details feature in Lightroom Classic is also accelerated by GPU. Using a compatible graphics processor can also provide a significant speed improvement on high-resolution displays, such as 4K and 5K monitors.

Starting from August 2019 (version 8.4) release of Lightroom Classic, you can enable GPU for image processing on supported computers to accelerate image editing. You can find this option when you choose Custom in Use Graphics Processor under Performance tab of Lightroom Classic Preferences.

Windows

• Windows 7 or Windows 10 Anniversary Update (version 1607) or later
• GPU with support for DirectX 12 or for some GPUs, OpenGL 3.3 or later
• AMD GPUs:
  • On OpenGL (Win 7) systems, the following cards are not supported:
    • AMD FirePro cards
    • AMD Radeon HD 5670
    • AMD Radeon HD 6450
• Intel GPUs:
  • DirectX 12 support is required (which means Windows 10 is required)
  • Skylake GPU or later is required

macOS

GPU with Metal support or support for OpenGL 3.3 and later. To find out if your computer supports Metal, see this Apple documentation.

For OpenGL, the following GPUs are not supported:

• Ensure all of GPU for display system requirements are met
• For Windows:
  • GPU with DirectX 12 support (implies Windows 10 or later)
  • Intel:  Skylake GPU or later (Kaby Lake, Coffee Lake, etc.)
• For macOS:  
  • AMD GPU with Metal support, or Intel Skylake+ GPU (Kaby Lake, Coffee Lake, etc.)
  • macOS 10.14 or later (macOS 10.14.5 or later is recommended)
• Minimum 2 GB of GPU RAM is recommended

• 64-bit Windows and macOS versions only.
• 1 GB of VRAM (Video RAM, or RAM on the video adapter). 2 GB of dedicated VRAM is suggested for large, high-resolution (such as 4K and 5K) monitors.
• OpenGL 3.3 (or later) -capable video adapter for GPU-related functionality.  If you're not sure if your card fully supports OpenGL 3.3, contact the card manufacturer.
  
  • (Win) GPU Drivers must support DirectX 12 or OpenGL 3.3 and Intel drivers must have been released in 2015 or later. Otherwise, disable the graphics processor in Lightroom Classic's performance preferences.
  • (Mac) GPU Drivers should have Metal or OpenGL 3.3 support. Otherwise, disable the graphics processor in Lightroom Classic's performance preferences.

For additional details, see System requirements | Lightroom Classic.

Graphics cards released in the year 2014 or afterwards that meet the minimum system requirements (listed above) should work.

• AMD: For AMD cards, consider using the Radeon R9 series of cards, such as the R9 270 through 290.
• NVIDIA: For NVIDIA cards, consider using a card from the GeForce GTX 760+ line (760, 770, 780, or later) or from the GeForce GTX 900 series.
• Intel: For Intel cards, Intel HD Graphics 4400+, 5000+, 510+, P530, P630, Iris Pro Graphics 5200, 6100+, P6300, P580 or later are required.
  

Don't see your card in the list?

If your card is not listed above, but meets the following requirements, it should work with the latest version of Lightroom Classic:

• The card was released in the year 2014 or afterwards.
• It has the minimum amount of graphics processor VRAM required for Lightroom Classic (1 GB). 2 GB or more of VRAM is recommended, though.

When Lightroom Classic is able to use the GPU, you'll find that the Use Graphics Processor check box is selected in Preferences.

• (macOS) Lightroom Classic > Preferences > Performance
• (Windows) Edit > Preferences > Performance

In preferences, the name of the GPU available to Lightroom Classic and its available video memory is displayed. If no information is displayed, then you may need to install a new driver for your GPU, or your hardware or operating system does not meet the minimum system requirements.

Introduced in Lightroom Classic 8.4 (August 2019 release)

In Lightroom Classic, the current status of GPU acceleration is displayed just below the GPU name. Your system may automatically support basic or full acceleration. If your system automatically supports basic acceleration, you can enable full acceleration using the Custom option.

Acceleration may also be turned off automatically if your system does not support it or due to an error. If acceleration is turned off and an error message appears, it could be due to GPU hardware, driver version, or operating system not meeting the system requirements.

You can select one of the following options from the Use Graphics Processor drop-down to turn the GPU acceleration on/off.

To determine your graphics card make and model, launch Lightroom Classic and choose Help > System Info to view the information for your graphics processor.

Lightroom Classic currently don't take advantage of more than one graphics processor. Using two graphics cards does not enhance Lightroom Classic's performance.

Multiple graphics cards with conflicting drivers can cause problems with graphics processor accelerated features in Lightroom Classic.

For best results, connect two (or more) monitors into one graphics card.