10 tips for improving the speed and performance of Lightroom software

After using the Lightroom for a period of time, feel more and more slowly, or because of a wide range of work, hoping to improve the efficiency of LR? Here are 10 tips from the founder of SLR Lounge, a foreign website, without installing programs that can directly enhance the speed and efficiency of LR software (for reading convenience, Order of Change slightly):

　　(i) Increased speed of pick-up (cache)

To edit–> preference, in the pop-up window select "file handling", and then modify the Camera Raw Cache settings, the theory of the more fast, you can store more preview, and in general, according to the level of your work to set it. Let's say you take 1000 photos a day, and the result is ten gigabytes per Mb, plus 25-30% for insurance, which is about GB.

　(ii) Change of cache position

The image above shows the preset position, but if you have other built-in hard drives, you can change the cache to the system hard drive. But be careful not to change to external USB drive, this will be counterproductive. But if there are no other built-in hard drives, it can be installed in the same one.

　(iii) Manage your catalogue (catalog)

Some people use Lightroom, never ignored catalog, in short, a Lightroom directly import photos, and then edit and output. But when your catalog accumulates too many photos, the LR speed drops.

For photographers who keep filming a lot of photos, there are more than 100,000 photos in the catalogue, which is not exaggerated, and the more reasonable way to manage it is to start the new catalog management according to the degree of your photography, which is file–> new catalog. For example, you have 2,000 photos a day, you can open a catalog for this activity, or if you have one months to 5,000, you can open (or even yearly), so you can keep LR speed. Unless you really need to assemble all the photos together so you can search or backup.

(iv) Optimization of cataloguing (catalog)

To file–> Optimize Catalog, especially if your Catalog already have a lot of photos (such as 10,000+)

(v) Fine-tuning settings when reading photos

When you use Import to read a photo, you usually use the "min (minimal)" As the algorithm (render preview), in fact, you can also choose other, such as 1:1, but if you want to read a lot of photos, choose the smallest will be relatively fast, and render 1:1 This step can be done later, a little follow-up talk.

Also recommended that you use the "Edit photo settings" (Develop settings), read directly to the basic photo editing, such as pushing the sharpness, brightness, and so on, if it is the same series, the difference is not a photo studio, you can apply presets once, read into the completion of fine-tuning can be.

　　(vi) Selection of the appropriate pre-view size

Enter edit–> Catalog Settings, you can choose a different preview size, depending on your own screen and personal needs, too large size will only slow down. Assuming you only have a 17-inch screen with 1280 x 1080 resolution, then 1440 pixels or even 1024 pixels of preview, and intermediate quality is enough.

　　(vii) If not necessary, no XMP

To continue just the Catalog Settings, this time choose Metadata, and then do not choose "automatically write changes into xmp", unless you really need, otherwise it will greatly increase the time you modify the photo. In fact, XMP is the modification of every photo, but in the case of good management Catalog, XMP is not necessary.

　　(eight) 1:1 for photographs

When you read and choose a photo and start editing the photo, you'll need to zoom in to 100%, but you'll find that each photo needs to be loading as shown below, and it's painful to wait, so you can do a render 1:1 at this stage.

The way is to go back to Library module, select your photos (for example, all read/tagged, and so on), and go to the library–> previews–> on the upper column to choose Render 1:1 previews. It takes a lot of time to do this once, but you can do it before you start your work, or at lunchtime, and you'll be more efficient than waiting for a sheet.

As to why it is render 1:1 to start reading, it is because you can quickly screen the photos after reading, after all, Render takes quite a long time.

(ix) Reconfiguration of the disk

If you are using Windows, start –> search "Disk defrag" to select the disk Reorganization tool, which will help improve performance, and Apple says that OS X does not need to do so. But be careful not to reorganize the SSD drive, this will shorten its life expectancy, but also has no effect.

　(10) Increase the hard disk space

This is a very traditional way to keep at least 25% of the vacancy, to keep the system running smoothly, and to back up the files you don't need at the moment.