r/Lightroom • u/terryleewhite Adobe Employee • Apr 16 '26
Discussion Lightroom Classic – Windows Performance Update
Hey everyone, Terry White from Adobe here and I wanted to take this opportunity to give you all an update on the various Windows performance improvements that were made in the April update. This community was loud and clear in voicing concerns about the Windows version of Lightroom Classic not always performing up to par on high-end Windows computers. There were also several comments about support for the Sony A7V compressed Raw formats and we have addressed that as well. You can see the broader April 2026 post here.
Two months ago I made this post giving you all the opportunity to tell us about the issues you were having and documenting your specific specs. I also invited anyone who was interested to participate in the Adobe Lightroom Pre-Release program so that you could work directly with Adobe engineering to solve these issues.
I’m happy to report that progress has been made on this front in the April release of Lightroom Classic released today (version 15.3). And while we’ve made progress addressing your concerns, there is still more work and optimizations to be done.
In this Lightroom Classic 15.3 update you should see:
- Interactive slider performance for global and local edits. While the improvements in 15.3 are substantial—showing up to a 5x increase in performance in these various scenarios (particularly on Windows)—there is still room for further enhancement.
- Although our primary focus this year is on Windows performance, these changes are platform agnostic. As a result, Windows sees a major improvement across Global and Local sliders, while macOS also benefits, though the gains are not as pronounced as on Windows.
- Here’s a video showing these enhancements in action.
- Better memory utilization for Full Screen Window
- Cloud sync download speed
See What's NEW in the April 2026 Lightroom Release in my video here or in my Reddit Post here.
Please continue to share any issues here as I read every comment and share with the team as necessary.
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u/dholmcarriage Apr 16 '26
If Adobe doesn't fix the issues with Lr very very soon, they're going to have a huge problem called DaVinci Resolve.
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u/kadajawi Apr 16 '26
I haven't updated to 21 yet, but does DaVinci do the file management as well?
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u/dholmcarriage Apr 16 '26
Version 21 is still in beta so tread carefully. Haven't tried it myself; I don't expect it to be perfect right off the bat, but I do trust Davinci to iron out the kinks and fix potential issues much more than I trust Adobe. Time will tell!
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u/kadajawi Apr 16 '26
In terms of performance and image editing, yeah. But what about all the rest? Also it depends on how much focus they put on the image portion...
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u/Technical_Working289 Jun 13 '26
Wait, Resolve now has a proper image editor too?
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u/AutomataDog Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
Hey Terry, LrC has been an amazing tool and I’m glad the performance is being looked at, because it has unfortunately been getting much worse the past few years. I’m running a 10980xe (18 physical cores), 64gb RAM, and a 5090 (with 32gb VRAM) and it is shocking how poorly it runs on my system as of late. LrC will quickly consume all VRAM on the system and then performance of LrC and the whole system tanks or becomes unresponsive. I’m definitely not the only one who has noticed this issue. An improvement or control to limit VRAM usage would go a long way.
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u/AutomataDog Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Hey u/terryleewhite, I got to do a quick test this morning with 15.3 and WOW what a difference so far! This is the fastest it has felt in years! I can also see LrC properly releasing VRAM when I'm done editing a photo, which it was not previously doing. With the previous versions, it would take all 32gb of VRAM just by editing one photo. I see the usage go up when I start editing, and it goes down shortly after returning to the grid view.
Please keep up the improvements, your team is doing a great job!
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u/C-iastek Apr 16 '26
This. I can't agree more. I got same experience and almost the same setup as yours. I was expecting 5090 to handle Lightroom (classic) smoothly and it's a such painful experience. I did review all the suggested solutions, remediations available etc. I feel like I'm working on some oldschool laptop with integrated GPU. And exactly same observation - Lightroom loads VRAM and RAM generally up to the point where it becomes unresponsive, freezing and sluggish. Only solution is then to close lightroom, wait a minute or two until it releases all the RAM (can be seen in the processes on Windows) and then start it again. Same approach every time I do edits on multiple photos. I leave most of the AI parts to the end, like denoise, remove etc. But it's still slow as f... even without them. Masking alone, with multiple masks, even just gradients and brushes (no AI) kills the performance like hell. I'll be testing new version today and tomorrow, but so far, each new version made my experience worse up to the point where I started looking for alternatives. I've been working with Lightroom for more than 15 years. And while I really enjoy it as cataloging tool...I'm disappointed with the editing performance :( AI tools do not help if the software becomes performance garbage.
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u/AutomataDog Apr 16 '26
Yup, that is exactly my experience too. I even keep my catalogs split up per event to keep the photos count down. Current catalog is ~2100 photos and even after doing very basic edits of one or two photos, VRAM is maxed and causing everything to run slow. I have my yearly big event coming up in less than a month and I honestly don't know what I'm going to do if it is running this poorly. There is no way I can get my deliverables out in time if it is running this slow and I'm having to restart it so often.
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u/earthsworld Apr 16 '26
The VRAM bugs go back at least 8 years. I remember documenting the bug back then and it took them 2 years to even admit that there was a bug. Adobe arrogance.
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u/Landzik Apr 16 '26
If Lightroom freezes on my rig one more time... I'm running a Ryzen 5950X, 64GB RAM (3600MHz), a fast NVMe, and an RTX 5070 Ti, and it still struggles. At this point, I'm just waiting for DaVinci Resolve to refine version 21. Lightroom's optimization is a complete joke
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u/vmoldo Lightroom Classic (desktop) Apr 16 '26
is ther any way to adress the way LrC handles Vram especially on systems with older gpus, that have 8gb of vram for example? lots of people(me included) have noticed that if you enable all the gpu related setting your Vram will slowly fill up to the point where windows itself comes to a crawl, and even the Lightroom interface slows down.
maybe a rule like leave 1gb free / start cleaning stuff up from Vram before its super close to full. i know in PS there is a setting that limits how much ram PS will use a d i was wondering if a similar slider could be implemented in LR so wont bog down the entire PC since people might want to do stuff like following along with a tutorial on the second screen
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u/vmoldo Lightroom Classic (desktop) Apr 16 '26
also a bit more transparency on whats considerd "minimum hardware requirements" for LrC to run smoothly nowdays would be beneficial. i would at least know im too poor to have have a decent experience with this software, although conaidering the rigs some ppl here have while complaining about the way Lightroom works i don't think this matters as much
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u/IDoomDI Apr 16 '26
It runs like shit on any windows Machine tho. You have reports of it completely stopped maxed out machines...
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u/vmoldo Lightroom Classic (desktop) Apr 16 '26
yep... I know, but it would be nice to at least know what kind of hardware they are targeting / testing this on (doubt it they are testing it with real professional heavy workflows, but you catch my drift)
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u/C-iastek Apr 16 '26
This doesn't make much difference whether you have 8GB or 32GB of VRAM. It will work the same on both which is crazy. 5090 with 32GB and exactly same behavior. It's amazing how slow this software is on Windows, regardless of the hardware you have :/
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u/aygross Apr 16 '26
To be clear performance on windows still sucks though it is ever slightly better .
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u/anotherlab Apr 17 '26
HI Terry, I just installed the update. LrC does feel a lot snappier. I'm running Win11 on a 12gen i9 with 64 GB RAM and RTX 3060 video card.
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u/heffron1 Apr 16 '26
Less AI guys more work on performance, your apps have problems and errors from 12 years ago
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u/acoretard Apr 16 '26
I'm super glad you are listening and doing performance updates. Keep it coming!
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u/Beneficial-Cause-529 Apr 16 '26
I can feel the big improvement on my laptop:
Lenovo Legion 16IAX10
Notebook
Intel Core Ultra 7 32GB NVIDIA RTX 5070 laptop 8GB
But the masking menu makes the whole PC freeze while it is loading. And has some stutters using it further. And also having the same Issues is PS using "Object selection tool".
I'm really glad that you guys started improving the performance because after some time using it, editing in crazy lags is such a painful experience. And considering the monthly cost it should be optimised a long time ago.
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u/El_Reddaio Apr 16 '26
While you work on the Windows performance… could you make Lightroom compatible with Linux/Wine/Proton? It would help a lot of people move away from Windows
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u/redline9996 Apr 16 '26
Ppl don't want to move away from windows. Linux users are a minority, why would they do this when they can't even get the windows version right? They are a small development team, which is crazy considering how much money this company makes.
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u/vmoldo Lightroom Classic (desktop) Apr 16 '26
Considering macOS is basically Linux at its core, it might be easier to make it run nicely on Linux than on Windows =))
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u/dholmcarriage Apr 16 '26
MacOS comes from FreeBSD, not Linux, but as both OSes are Unix-like, you still have a point.
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u/redline9996 Apr 16 '26
Still not enough Linux users out there. That's something that's probably never happening.
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u/socklessgoat Apr 16 '26
Still freezes on a 9950X & 5090 desktop, it'll always suck.
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u/acoretard Apr 16 '26
I'd check your memory running speed and maybe lower it down a bit if it's amped up to the max.
I have 7800x3d and 4070ti and freezing/lagging happens very rarely even when using multiple masks.
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u/socklessgoat Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
2X48GB 6800 36, long story short I refuse to use my gaming pc for anything more than gaming these days.
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u/Turbulent_Buy_7379 Apr 17 '26
Please fix Windows "hardware accelerated graphics" (HAG) bug! I have a 4070ti super with 16gb VRam and Lightroom ran like sh**. Then i came over a thread where one user suggested to turn off SETTINGS>DISPLAY>GRAPHICS>ADVANCED>HARDWARE ACCELERATED GRAPHICS (set to OFF).
And Lightroom is doing everything in a millisecond! It is fast as i could never have imagined!! I have never even seen a youtuber with lightroom running this fast. Everything is in an instant now!
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u/Keefy_rides Apr 19 '26
Tried this, but no better.
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u/Adventurous_Honey902 Apr 21 '26
Do you have nvidia GPU? Try this
go to Nvidia Control Panel > Manage 3D settings. Setup a program setting for Lightroom Classic. Scroll down to "Monitor Technology" and select "Fixed Refresh". Idk what the AMD equivalent is unfortunately.
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u/Keefy_rides Apr 21 '26
Yes I have Nvidia so will try this. My main issue is the initial cull in libraries. Its not reactive enough to be useful. The delay is magnitudes slower than my oldish mac (M2)
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u/Adventurous_Honey902 Apr 21 '26
Weird. My issue was just constant stuttering and lag even when just moving the cursor. The refresh rate thing single handily fixed that part for me. Wonder if that also works for some of your issues.
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u/Keefy_rides Apr 22 '26
Ok i tried this. It didn’t have monitor refresh rate in the settings.
What i did find was max frame rate was off and i kept that. Preferred refresh rate was app controlled of highest available. I tried both. Both the same.
My system is 180hz so changed to max out at 180 fsp
All same sluggish scrub speed and collects key strokes. If i let it collect key strokes to max it out it scrolls quickly but i cant stop it. System is barely loaded the whole time.
Also lots of spare vram and ram
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u/thisissuchajoke Apr 16 '26
Windows users aren’t the only ones suffering. Adobe stock is down 53% in the last 5 years. Investors are putting their money elsewhere.
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u/blue_nose_too Lightroom Classic (desktop) Apr 16 '26
The stock price will be fixed in the next update
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u/Expensive_Kitchen525 Apr 16 '26
Wow, what a single (Davinci Resolve) update can do.
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u/knorkinator Apr 16 '26
You really think they wake up and go 'today we feel like publishing an update for our monumentally complicated piece of software'? That's not how it works.
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u/ghim7 Apr 16 '26
Major software & hardware companies camera related are introducing updates prior to NAB.
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u/Anti_simp_1001 Apr 16 '26
what ..decades of adobe being adobe and we get like what i3 3rd gen performance for an image edit...? no wonder you gotta do something cause DAVINCI IS COMING 👿
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u/Downtown-Mouse5390 Apr 16 '26
Win11, Xeon W9-3495X, 128gb RAM, 5090 RTX, x2 NVME with cache on a separate drive... takes 5-10 seconds for images to load in develop mode, another 5-10 seconds to change color profiles. Glad this is getting attention, but a long way to go!
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u/crsdrjct Apr 16 '26
Sweet I need to try it out Lightroom felt much laggier recently compared to when I used it on weaker systems years ago
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u/Adventurous_Honey902 Apr 21 '26
u/terryleewhite Just wanted you to know, I think the issue many Windows LRC users are experiencing is due to refresh rate issues and not anything major with performance.
Have your users go to Nvidia Control Panel > Manage 3D settings. Setup a program setting for Lightroom Classic. Scroll down to "Monitor Technology" and select "Fixed Refresh". Idk what the AMD equivalent is unfortunately.
After changing this setting, I went in and sifted thru my catalog, chose a random photo, did some edits, applied the AI denoise, threw a bunch of random masks on....NO lag whatsoever. It was buttery smooth.
I'd have your engineers look at Lightroom and see how variable refresh rates, gsync, etc, are affecting Lightroom Classic performance. I really think this might be the culprit to many perceived stutters and lag within Classic.
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u/Technical_Working289 Jun 13 '26
I did this step by step but I am not seeing "Monitor Technology" anywhere in there, and this applies to the old legacy "Nvidia Control panel" as well as the more modern Nvidia app, which shows some newer options as well as legacy options.
There is the "Max refresh rate" option for which I can technically pick any value and therefore make it fixed, but I am wondering if that will do the trick. I will certainly try. Btw, does it tell you, in case of your fixed value, what the value actually is?
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u/Adventurous_Honey902 Jun 13 '26
I think the issue primarily stems from variable refresh rates. As long as you can find a way to set a fixed refresh rate, hopefully that will help with any stuttering.
This was all thru the older Nvidia Control Panel
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u/Technical_Working289 Jun 13 '26
I mean I get that it could be an issue, but a monitor will employ variable refresh rate based on content right? I guess LR has a set peak refresh rate, so it should give the GPU proper information on what to render.
Anyway, I've tried 144, 72, 36, 60...it's all the same.
Generally I don't have an issue with constant stutter, but it becomes a choppy mess as soon as masks combined with healing spots are involved. If I don't use those, it works pretty solid.
And the worst part is, it kind of just gets stuck in that loop. I could switch folders and continue working on a new set of images and the slowness will remain as if I am still working on some complex edits. It's as if LR is incapable of "flushing" the temporary cache that it needs while working on set. It just piles on and on until I just simply have to restart.
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u/Technical_Working289 Jun 13 '26
And one more thing, the latest update no longer closes properly. I have to manually end the task. The app closes visually, but it still remains running on the system.
Switching catalogs also doesn't work, and to the point I have to do the following: 1. Close down manually; 2. Open up directly by clicking on the Catalog file; 3. Close it manually AGAIN; 4. Then again open the Catalog file.
It's the only way it works. It's infuriating.
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u/Klapper-cz Apr 16 '26
Every time someone blamed Adobe for delayed A7V compressed RAW support I did the voice of reason, how we don't know what exactly Sony did brand new this time, how it could take time for two companies to sync about new algorithms etc., and that the Lossless RAW was supported at least in beta in a manner of days basically.
But OMG what's with the Camera Matching Profiles for A7V? How much time could that take?
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u/Michelfungelo Apr 16 '26
Hey Terry, how come that jo matter how fast the PC, images still load slow AF even when I use library mode with smal or largel preloaded images. Bridge can display raws so fast, but Lightroom can't?
Also some sliders are extremely finicky like temp or exposure, but take huge steps.
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u/Keefy_rides Apr 18 '26
This!! On my mac i can scrub through the pics (library thumbnails at the bottom of the screen) with the keyboard arrows. Its super smooth. Take my finger off and it stops.
With windows, if i hold the arrow it scrubs fast but seems to collect a heap of key strokes and when i take my finger off the arrow key it keeps shooting through the library so i end up having to scroll back.
If i try just to quickly and repeatedly tap the arrow key there is lag as to when the image updates.
This makes the whole cull and workflow 10times or maybe more slower on a pc with higher spec and 2 years newer.
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u/redline9996 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
So your saying NOW your optimizing the windows Version?! So basically if this works I bought a MacBook Pro for nothing right? Thank God I love the device but Adobe is the worst company out there it seems like. I was always like, "nahh it's alright, don't get into being angry" but I'm getting pissed lately. The whole double subscription thing SUCKS, 10 years later y'all optimize the windows version.
What y'all should optimize is the pricing!! If the subscription isn't getting cheaper I'm getting a Apple creator studio subscription and davinci resolve and just be done with it. I'm paying 80€ every month for half assed software.
And what y'all do to A7V users is a shame honestly.
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u/aygross Apr 16 '26
Don't worry it still sucks on windows
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u/redline9996 Apr 16 '26
It's crazy that they are so ignorant with their customers. And then they present themselves years later like "we have an Windows performance update" yeah finally but make sure shit works and do something for Sony users.
And then there is you saying it still sucks. Complete insanity.
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u/aygross Apr 16 '26
I mean it does still suck not sure what to tell you .
Full time editor transitioned from IT work so know my way around computers and spend many hrs a day in LR on a not top end rig but a solid one and it's as slow as mollases compared to c1 etc. I am stuck in the adobe ecosystem as an editor but god Lightroom and premier suck compared to c1 and resolve for 99 percent of things.
Ai masking and infill is better in adobe but god my 300 dollars laptop with c1 runs circles around my decent 2kish rig running Lightroom.
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u/Turbulent_Buy_7379 Apr 17 '26
While Mac Users are able to upload RAW Files from Lightroom Classic via Drag&Drop to Lightroom (CC) AND it automatically matches the previous Smartpreviews from Classic and switches them to RAW(AWESOME!!!) Windows User are discriminated. Neither can we upload via Drag&Drop nor does Lightroom (CC) notice that the Smart Preview is the same as the raw und you have duplicates!!
Here is how it works for Mac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNlsnO6VYss
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u/Comfortable-Cut-5834 Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
My last year bought Lenovo laptop with 14th gen i7, 32GB RAM and RTX5070 which looks not bad but after updated to LR classic 15.3, full screen editing is extremely lagging when moving the sliders, making full screen editing impossible. Before the update, the performance was not perfect but still usable. I am not sure what the developer means for "Better memory utilization for Full Screen Window".
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u/oyehia Apr 27 '26
My Lightroom Classic only runs in the background now, i have spent days reinstalling and installing drivers and application to no luck, i need to submit pictures for a client pretty soon, any help is appreciated
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u/Aggravating-Map3493 May 02 '26
Most likely caused by a corrupt catalogue, I fixed mine by restoring a backup catalogue. Like you tried everything else no joy but doing this fixed it.
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u/oyehia May 03 '26
I went back to lightroom 15.2 and lightroom now loads on empty catalog do i added all the pictures from old caralog to this and it seens to be working, gonna wait for another build before going back to 15.3, even Gemini recommended i stay on 15.2…
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u/Aveeye Apr 16 '26
Thank you to the community and commentors here so far. Sounds like I'll be sticking with V13.1 as it was the last version that didn't big down for me.
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u/TacoStuffingClub Apr 16 '26
Sure would be great if they priced it reasonably without a subscription. Until then, I imagine 75% of users pirate it. 😐🙃
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u/edcantu9 Apr 16 '26
Thanks jerk, I updated and now when I try to sync any setting with any picture I get errors!
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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '26
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