Heavily pixelated clouds in previews

[worndown]

This is happening for quite some time. Looks like a regression that was introduces in one of the recent versions. When in library mode, clouds in previews are pixelated. Clicking and zooming in loads the photo updates the preview but it is annoying zooming in and out every time. I noticed that this is happening with clouds only - the rest of image looks more or less normal. Does anybody experience the same and how to handle it?

[JP Hess]

What type of camera took the image? What is the pixel size of the image? Raw or JPEG? What version of Lightroom?

[worndown]

Canon 5D Mark III, 5760x3840, raw. I have latest LR version 7.5.

[JP Hess]

Since it's that large of an image, it doesn't appear to me that it's in focus or properly exposed. Probably handheld. That appears to be a lot of color noise in the clouds. Perhaps a tripod would have helped. I know, I'm not being much help here.

[worndown]

The color noise you're referring to is the exact problem I am complaining about. This is how LR generates preview. Nothing to do with tripod and the quality of the photo itself. Here's what clouds look like when LR actually regenerates the preview (after I click zoom in and zoom out):

[JP Hess]

I don't have a solution for that. All I can tell you is that I don't use the library module that much. I spent most of my time in the Develop module, and in that module Lightroom creates its own previews and I don't encounter that problem.

[Rafael Aviles]

I am seeing the same problem as you. I shoot with a Nikon D850 and the Library previews sometimes (not always) show pixellation in the skies/clouds. Changing zoom values usually clears the problem. Very annoying. I think I started seeing this problem when I upgraded my macOS to Mojave, but I am not 100% sure.

[worndown]

The only variable in my case is LR - I am on the same Windows version for a few years already. I see this artifact rather consistently - one photo or another but it is almost always there. Just opened LR and photo that was shown yesterday without pixelation has it now. I was wondering if Adobe support (or developers themselves) monitoring this forum - I tend to think it is a bug on their side.

[SeanMcCormack]

All I can suggest is to generate 1:1: previews on Import.

[Jao vdL]

Those are jpeg artifacts on the previews generated automatically. The solution if you care about these is to generate higher quality standard previews. This is done in catalog settings -> File handling. 1:1 previews can help when you are looking at 1:1 but the zoomed-out preview you see here is from the smaller previews whose quality is controlled by the setting mentioned above.

[worndown]

Thanks everybody for the suggestions. I have quality of standard previews set to high. My screen resolution is 2560x1600 so whatever is shown in LR is smaller than that:

I will experiment with these and other preview settings and see if it helps. I see new LR update is available this morning - will start with it

[mikeh40859238]

Hi Rafael. I am having same problem. Pixelation in the skies.... only in develope mode and as you said zooming 1:1 clears the problem untill go back into the file later... Did you solve it ??

[Rafael Aviles]

I have not noticed the problem lately, I am not sure why. Sorry I can’t offer a solution.