Is there a way to speed up "Import and Preview Rendering" Times?

[Marko_py]

Hi there forum..

I want to know if there is a way to speed up Import and Preview Rendering times? it is slow as hell...

Background:

I often work with thousand of raw images, and I like to render Standart preview before I start the selecting process. And the rendering of the standar previews size (1024px) takes a lot of time, almost 1 second per image. 3.600 raws takes 1 hour to render, and I often shoot more than that.

There is a way to speed that up? Im losing hours only to render previews...

Also Auto Import from lightroom is painfully slow... doesnt use Lexar HR1 multi card Reader simultaneous download...

Obs:

- Lightroom Standart Previews is setup as 1024px - Medium Size

- LR cache is 40gbs on an SSD

- Auto XMP is turn off

- GPU Aceleration is ON

- Catalog with 70.000 images - 1.7gbs Size.

The PC setup that I use:
- Windows 10 - (up to date)
- Intel Core i7 5820K - 6 cores 3.30Ghz
- 32 Gbs of Ram DDR4 2000mhz
- Nvida GTX 1060 4gbs VRAM
- SSD 250gbs Samsung EVO 850 PRO - SATA EXPRESS (OS, Lightroom Software, LR Catalog + Cache)
- 1TB WD Black 7200RPM for RAW Storage - SATA EXPRESS

- Lexar Workflow HR1 with 4 SR1 Bays (Card Reader)

- CR2. raws - Canon 5DmkIV and Canon 6D often.

Thanks for your time in advance.

Marko Nara.

[Moved from the Lounge (which is where you can "connect with your peers" from across all of Adobe's products for conversations that don't directly relate to help and support) to a product-specific support forum - moderator]

[dj_paige]

Get a faster CPU.

Or don't generate standard previews, just generate the minimal previews (but there is a tradeoff, this will make other operations in Lightroom slower).

[Marko_py]

Lightroom uses only 9% or less of the CPU while Rendering Standar Previews, and also I need the Standar Previews to "see" what Im selecting.

[dj_paige]

The % of CPU used isn't really the issue. The CPU can only go so fast ... it can't go faster ... so your photos will take a certain time to render previews with your CPU, and a faster CPU will do the job in less time.

[tow_de]

Hello

i have a new i7 CPU, 32GB RAM 

To import approx 7.000 RAW pictures from Canon EOS 80D and Nikon P1000 it takes 2-3 days !!!

And the CPU is approx 10-30% in usage 

The performance of the PC is not the Issue !!!

its a import problem - even I copy it to my standard folder and then "synchronize" my catalogue is even faster then the import ...

you HAVE to fix that Issue immediately !

[KR Seals · Accepted solution]

If you are importing thousands of images into LR and then culling out many of them before processing the keepers, you can greatly speed up that process by culling with Photo Mechanic prior to the LR import. Photo Mechanic instantly loads each image for evaluation without the lag of scrolling through images in loupe view in LR library module. Also Photo Mechanic will simultaneously copy as many card readers as you have on your machine to the drive and folder you specify,

In my work shooting long music shows, I usually come back to the studio with around 4,000 shots. I can cull those down to about 600 candidates in Photo Mechanic both saving import/preview rendering time and the laborious culling process in LR. My Win 10 computer is very similar to yours in specs,

If you need to actually import and keep all of the thousands of images in the LR previews and catalog, then my recommendation ref Photo Mechanic won't help.

[Marko_py]

So KR_Seals you use Photo Mecanic to import and Select your files them you import those to Lightroom to do the Develop?

I dont need to keep all the files, just to find my keepers (flagged).

My workflows goes like this:- Import with Lexar HR Workflow Multi card Reader - At minimun 2 cards each time.

- Files located to an specific Hard Drive (WB BLACK 1TB - Inbox Drive) Raid 0 Config.
- Build Standar Previews of all the Raws for selecting purposes.
- Once Selected, I move the selected files to a new sub-folder called "OK"
- Normalization - Speed run Leveling of Exposure and Whitebalance with Quick Develop (autosync) in Library and then I make Crop ajustements in Develop Module.
- Auto-Sync Develop (Curves, Split Tonning, Color Corrections)
- Rebuild- Standar Previews to search for bad or inconsistent results
- Correction of the bad images.
- Sharpeness and Noise Reductions Masks.
- Export developed Files.
- Delete all non-selected files.

Whats funny, its that all the process takes only minutes... But importing and rendering previews takes hours! Also, it takes far less time to Export full sizes JPGS with all the ajustments than building Standar Previews.. that makes no sense whatsoever.

[KR Seals]

Yes, that is my procedure:

1. get home from shoot

2. Ingest (PM term for copy) all cards to designated folder on photos hard drive. I have three card readers with a total of 5 slots. PM will copy all slots simultaneously to the designated drive/folder.

3. Back up the new folder of new images to local file server,

4. Create PM"contact sheet"(looks similar to grid view in LR)

5. Preview images in PM. Preview is like loupe view in LR - full screen view

6. Scroll through images in Preview and Tag ("T" key short cut) those I want to bring into LR.

7. Filter PM contact sheet to show only those un-tagged images,

8. Quickly scroll through un-tagged images for any potentially missed good ones.

9. Select all un-tagged images and delete to Win 10 recycle bin,

10. Import tagged images to LR.

11. Take quick break while LR imports and creates previews and smart previews.

12. Use LR star ratings to narrow down number of images to process,

The rest of my work flow is similar to yours, but I've never felt the need to rebuild previews,

Note: I find that marking rejects in LR and then Picking for processing to be wasted effort. I just pick and go from there,

Also, when I shoot in low concert lighting, I use the same ISO all images from all cameras so I can sharpen, set noise reduction and vibrance for one image, then sync those to the rest of the finished shots.

[Marko_py]

I will make some ajustments to my curret Workflow in order to fit PM as a culling tool. Thanks Again KR Seals

[Marko_py]

I just installed Photo Mechanics Trial version in my computer... Holy Shit it is Fast! Previews are build almost instantly, and there is no need to import files. This will cut my work times by a lot. Thank You KR Seals.

Its a shame that we need to use 2 programs to do the job, its more complex but its way faster.

Adobe Lightroom team If you guys are reading this... take a look to Photomechanics Engine, its blazing fast and put us to Shame. Lightroom could use some of that speed in the Libary Module.

[Marko_py]

So the Core i7 5820K that is faster than the average (non-xeon) CPUs found on the high end laptops isnt enough for Lightroom to render Standar Size previews...

At this CPU point it will be far cheaper to switch Software... the next Cpu price tags are 600-1200USD... no way this is the right answer...