Brian

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I can't afford a new computer right now. Any ideas of a work-around or how to fix this?

The truthful answer is,

"...it depends."

The first thing that I recommend is checking whether or not your computer is using the correct Video Card. Many Laptops have two Video Cards, one meant for General Computing and one meant for more Performance / Gaming. Why do the Manufacturers install two Video Cards? Battery Life. The Beefier / Faster the Video Card, the more Power they require, which drains Battery Life. People want their Laptops to last more than an hour when working away from a Power Source and you can't change the laws of Physics when it comes to batteries, so they are forced to install two video card GPUs. One meant for General Computing and Battery Life & the one for Performance.

Unfortunately, most are not aware of this, and you can't force Photoshop to use one over the other one, since the Windows OS makes that decision. Adobe has created a Document with a few steps that you can take to address this issue. The short version is, you need to Disable the lower-end Video Card, make sure you are using the correct video port on your Desktop Computer if needed, reboot...try Photoshop again using the "Better" Video Card and hope for the best.

If that doesn't work, then we 1st need to figure out what Video Card you are using and to see if there are any Video Driver Updates are available. Keep in mind, that the Windows Drivers DO. NOT. COUNT! So if all you have ever done is use Windows Update to keep things current, this is the most likely source of your problems; meaning a trip to the Manufacture's Website may be in order. OR! A visit to your Computer Manufacturer's Website, (e.g. Dell, etc.) to get the updated Drivers. Sometimes, the OEM Manufacture's Drivers and the 'Dell's Version of the Video Card' use their own Drivers and you could make things not work installing the wrong drivers. Your Mileage May Vary and there isn't a hard-and-fast-rule. Basically you try something and find out. Then you figure out how to un-do things, if you screw up, and try again. I've done this professionally for the last 30+ years. It's mostly dumb-luck when it comes to updating Drivers and to stop fixing things when they start working.  

Sometimes, people have the wrong Video Drivers installed. The default drivers can either be Microsoft-based Drivers or Graphics Card Drivers that are meant for playing Video Games. NVIDIA has a set of Drivers called "Studio Drivers" that are meant to be used with programs like Lightroom, Photoshop and even software from Topaz! From NVIDIA's website:

For the Macintosh folks, the Video Drivers are part of the MacOS. Current Mac Computers can't be upgraded, so if you didn't opt for the more advanced Video Card at the time of purchase, you are buying a new Mac. Sometimes, you can update the MacOS and it works temporarily, but in reality...you are on borrowed time and I'd start saving for a new Mac. Like now.

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"Graphics processor acceleration is currently disabled. Please be aware that Camera Raw will soon require GPU Support to edit photos. You can manage GPU settings in the Performance section of the Preferences dialog."

This error message has been more frequent with the latest versions/updates of Adobe Photoshop CC & the Adobe Camera Raw Plug-in, or ACR, which has resulted in an up-tick with questions similar to these or variations of them:
 

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• I've been getting this error message since updating to the latest version of Photoshop CC. Any ideas?
• Since upgrading to the latest version of PS, my fans are really kicking on and the computer sounds like it’s going to catch on fire.
• I get a message that something is disabled when I load Photoshop after it updated. What gives?
• So with the new Photoshop update, my graphics card is no longer compatible, what can I do?
• My _______ Tool is really lagging after updating, why?
• After updating, all sorts of weird things are happening; I have Gray/Black Boxes appearing and things are locking up. Any ideas?

Eeek!!! The "Dreaded Graphics Processor Acceleration Error Message!" Sometimes an error message of "Your Graphics Processor is incompatible." will appear in its place.  

So what does this actually mean?

Bad News, I'm afraid...

What Photoshop is telling you, is that your Video Card or Video Card's Graphics Drivers no longer meet the minimum Hardware Requirements for use in Photoshop. The Drivers could also be incompatible and simply need to be upgraded/replaced. It is also very likely your Video Card itself needs to be replaced with a newer model due to lack of Processing Power and/or lack of Video Memory. If your editing computer is a Laptop, that means you are buying a new Laptop since the Video Card is integrated to the Motherboard and can't be replaced. See why I use the term, "Dreaded?"

I've written an article, "Buying a Windows Computer in 2023," and the Macintosh equivalent, "Buying a Macintosh Computer in 2023," but I'm thinking a refresh for the Fall of 2023 might become a reality. What Adobe is doing, is adding A LOT of new features, including AI Modules to their software which requires a higher-end Video Processor called a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and having "enough" dedicated Video Memory, known as VRAM, in order to function. Which in 2023 and beyond is at least 8GB of Dedicated Video Memory at a minimum, more if you can swing-it, like 12GB+.

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"Huh?" I thought I had a good computer! It has a really fast CPU, lots of RAM and a big HD!

My Computer is only TWO YEARS OLD! What do you mean I need a new one?!?

If your computer is fairly new, the problem is you didn't buy the "wrong" one or a "bad" model, the main issue is you didn't buy "Enough." As in you purchased a 3 Door Hatchback, but need to go off-roading in the Mountains and drive through Rivers & Mud, which requires a Beefy Raised 4-Wheel Drive Vehicle of some sort. You can drive to the Grocery Store in either Vehicle, but the 4x4 Model is better suited to off-roading or driving through difficult Terrain. 

See where I'm coming from?

Rather than buying what you could afford, your purchase should have been based on what you NEEDED, and those are two completely different things that usually require bigger budgets for the latter. A "Computer that's Good for Photo Editing" will set you back around $2000 -- $2500, depending on features in 2023. Windows Laptops, a bit more...and I'd budget for at least $2500+. Macs are over the $4000 price-point, either with a Desktop or Laptop Model. Of course, you can always find deals, and I encourage people to find them / prove me wrong, as I hate wasting money on this Sh*t.

The thinking of having a "Fast CPU" was correct 20-30+ years ago. Hell, it even applied 7 years ago. Where you would purchase a 486DX-2 66MHz over a 486DX 33MHz because it was "Better" or "Faster." Graphics Cards weren't a big deal until CD Media came on the scene in the late 1980's / early 1990's. Then Games became much more robust so you needed a better Graphics Card in addition to a fast CPU. But when it came to Adobe Photoshop, it wasn't coded to take advantage of a fast Graphics Card, so you didn't have to worry about it. All you needed to be concerned with is having enough "Horsepower" from the CPU, having enough RAM to work with and Hard Drive space to store your images. 

Fast-forward to the 2020's. Video Games have become so advanced that the cut-scenes look like Movies, and the overall play-through tends to be immersive. Which requires a Video Card to support these games. Since a Video Card only has to worry about producing Video, and it has a different and more efficient architecture than a CPU, it becomes an ideal candidate to help boost a software's performance. The CPU on the other hand, has to worry about what the Motherboard is doing, what's stored in RAM, getting the data from the Hard Drives to the RAM, etc., etc. It has a lot on its proverbial 'plate' during normal operation.  Video GPUs do not. They just have to worry about producing an image on a monitor. This is why Crypto-mining uses fancy video cards instead of CPUs to crunch data, same concept.

OK, so let's get back to Photoshop and why it's giving you this error message.

Adobe in 2023, and going forward, has opted to encode their software, like Photoshop CC and ACR, to use this untapped resource (the Video GPU) to make things more efficient and to make their new fancy AI Modules, along with the ACR Plug-in, to physically operate! You almost have to think of your Video Card as a "Computer within your Computer" and it needs to be powerful enough for not only the current versions of Photoshop, but for future versions going forward. This in turn, increases your minimum hardware requirements when you purchase a new computer, which then increases the cost...AND! put's you in the Market sooner, rather than later. To further illustrate just how much Video Cards have become their own computers, take a look at this YouTube Channel -- NorthWestRepair. This Person does component level repairs to the Video Cards that I'm talking about and in the video, you can see how physically large these new devices are when you hold them.

Please keep in mind, the days of blindly updating to the latest version of Photoshop CC are OVER!

For Mac Users that are reading this Article, upgrading your macOS could also cause you issues!

Remember how I stated above that 20+ years ago Photoshop just used the CPU, RAM and HD? Well now you have to worry about getting a Big & Powerful Video Card to go along with it. In addition, fancy Video Cards require more Wattage to work, so if you have an older computer, you might be forced to upgrade your Power Supply in addition to the Video Card! Even then there is no guarantees that everything will be fine. Your Motherboard may not be powerful enough to fully support the new Video Card and-and-and...

...you can see how quickly and expensively things can get out of hand. Remember, at this point, I'm just talking about a Windows Desktop Computer, not a Laptop. Laptops have less choices than Desktops, they always have. So if you get this message and are running on a laptop, it's time for a new one. Yes...even if you just bought it 2 years ago! Again, the problem is that your Desktop Computer/Laptop wasn't a 'bad' choice, you just didn't buy "Enough."

To answer your question, the most important choice going forward when it comes to Adobe's Products is the Choice of Video Card!! Believe it or not, it is NOW MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE CHOICE OF CPU!!

For heavy duty things like Panos or Image Stacking, the more RAM you have, the better, (at LEAST 64GB.) The higher-end the Video Card, the better. At least a NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti with 8GB Dedicated Video RAM. Hell, the 4000 Series is looking better going into 2024. I'd have at least 1TB-2TB of space available for the Scratch Disk as well, so either your Main HD needs to increase in capacity, or I'd recommend having a dedicated drive just for Photoshop. Also, your power supply needs to be able to support the high-end video card, and I'd recommend around 850 Watts in 2023.

What Video Card do you have? 232GB Free is microscopic for resolutions of what you are trying to do. I'd honestly have at least a 1TB or larger HD that's dedicated for your Scratch Disk if you are going to be doing things like this. 64GB of RAM (or more) is also a good thing.

I have dealt with file sizes in resolution like that with my Nikon D850. The solution is to upgrade your hardware, what you have is not enough. Hell, 64GB just barely keeps up with my Mac. My new computer will have more RAM!

In the short term, try doing 1/3 of the images at a time, then combine the three main images. That's what I'm doing now with my large Panoramas. Trying to do everything at once makes my computer cry.

Yeah...it tears me up inside having to recommend a stupid $1600 Display! It really does. That sucker is overpriced for what it is. The up-side is you can purchase a Mac like a Mac Mini or Mac Studio a few times using that same Display. So it's more of an "investment," (and I use that term loosely,) meaning it's very much like buying a Pro-Grade Lens that you will use for 10-20 years and just replace bodies as needed. In addition, a new Mac Laptop that's "Good for Photo Editing" will set you back $4600. So $1600 doesn't seem so bad now, does it? Then when it comes time, you can replace that Mac Laptop with a tricked out Mac Mini that will not only be cheaper, but run MUCH FASTER than that Laptop.  

Apple wants you to "Go Big or Go Home."

Keep saving, otherwise you are WASTING money, no matter what you tell yourself.  

Apple purposely designs their products that only Apple Computers will perform at their best with Apple Displays. Here is a comment from someone who had a "High-End" BenQ Display and finally broke down and bought the Apple Studio Display:

 

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I finally got sick of my Benq displays. I have two rather high end ones. The scaling and calibration results have always been just 'ok'. Actually the scaling is rather awful to tell the truth. The calibration results have always looked on the warm and 'muddy' side. I've TRIED to be a champion for them for many years, because they have a lot of features and good bang for the buck. Even before I got a Mac I had BenQ displays. BUT.... lately I've gotten curious about this 'full on Mac experience' with the Apple Studio Display, and for once had some cash to blow on myself. I got it yesterday. So far, not one bit sorry about it. LOL Turned off True Tone and auto brightness, cranked the brightness way down, calibrated it in two minutes with no muss, no fuss last night. So far, text and images scale so much better and crisper, and the colours are fantastic and rich. I'm using the newer Benq (4K with Thunderbolt 3) as a secondary to it now in a daisy chain config, and it's looking a little sad next to it. Haha Donating my Benq 2K SW2700PT to my husband for his audio studio. He doesn't care what they look like. LOL The price kept me from getting one for the past year, but finally just decided to check out the difference figuring I'd return it if I didn't like it. It's not going back. The mic and speakers are fantastic, and being able to take a call on it while working is amazing. Anyway, that's my experience for what it's worth. Haha

 

Here is my response:

 

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Your experience mirrors other's. That's why I recommend the Apple Studio Display. Sure you can use other displays, and they are "OK." Or the other phrase is, "I got a _______ Display, I wish I just got the Apple one..." or "I wasted $1200 on the LG, and should have spent $300 more..." 

Apple does this on purpose. They want you at 5K using their display. Things just don't look their best on a Mac with a Generic / Windows-based 4K Display...it just doesn't scale right. ESPECIALLY THE TEXT. Sure, you can use whatever Display you choose, but to get that full "Apple Experience," you need to fork out the stupid $1600 for it.
 

Which sucks.

The good news is, you are not locked into your Display as you would with a iMac. So when the time comes, you can get another Mac Mini or upgrade to a Mac Studio. In essence, you spend more money on the front end, but save it on the back-end. Very much like buying a Super Fancy Pro-Grade Lens, Camera Bodies can be replaced, but the Fancy Pro-Grade Stuff should last you at least 10-20 years, provided the Manufactures don't change the lens mount.

56 minutes ago, Diane20 said:

 Is the Dell U2722D still my best option?

Nope.

No to Viewsonic.

For home use, I prefer a B&W Laser Printer, since the cost per page is so low. Toner does not dry out and you can get 1000-1500 pages (or more, depending on the Toner Cartridge Capacity.) In fact, I have replaced my Toner twice since 2005. I can give a recommendation AND instruct you on how to set it up so that everyone in your household can print, even from their Smart Phones if you did decide to go with a B&W Laser.

To print photos at home? That's going to be either a Canon or Xerox Ink Jet type of printer. Just make sure whichever printer you choose, you do not want one that REQUIRES internet access in order to use it. Manufacturers like data-mining and having the ability to monitor when you need to replace your ink cartridges. Usually the cheaper ones from HP do this sort of thing, so be sure to read the fine-print or check with me 1st.

Oh, you will also need to budget for a different type of calibrator, one that calibrates your printer and display to your personal printer. I can't stress enough that it's stupidly expensive to print your own photos. I'd rather have you buy cheap .37 cent 4x6 prints and wait a day or two instead of forking out $500 for a calibrator, then the money for the printer, then the money for the photo paper and finally, the $150 worth of Ink Cartridges you will need to buy.

Even if you went with a inexpensive Color Laser Printer, the cost per page is stupidly insane, because there are four $150 Color Toner Cartridges, a Transfer Belt and Fuser that are all considered to be consumables.

For me, if I absolutely needed a photo, I'd go to my local Camera Store and print it there. Or hit up Staples if I needed a color document.

SKIP IT!

It's not a IPS-Based Display Panel, which is a must if you are editing photos. Spend an extra $40 and buy this one instead:

Dell UltraSharp U2722D 27" IPS Display

Notice how the advertisement goes out of their way to tell you it's a IPS Display? (In-Plane Switching) For example:

Yeah, since you are going for the M-Disc Media, definitely something like that drive.

In fact, BUY IT! (OWC makes decent case stuff and they are using a LG Drive.)

Plus, with a Drive like you just linked to, it's WAAAAAAY more sturdier than a flimsy external drive. You are going for Archival Grade, so you want "Beefy."

2 hours ago, jamieray said:

Is it possible to purchase Photoshop without doing the subscription?

NOPE.

If you want to "Purchase" Photoshop, you are buying Photoshop Elements. You can thank the software pirates for that one. Photoshop was THE MOST PIRATED SOFTWARE IN THE WORLD AT SOME POINT. In fact, I took a look at the Torrents years ago and calculated that Adobe was losing about 2 Million Dollars just between three Photoshop Torrent Threads. I'm sure there was a lot more being lost.

Believe it or not, Photoshop is CHEAPER today with the $9.99 Photography Plan vs if you purchased it outright. Back in the day, Photoshop ran you $699 or so and you were expected to purchase the upgrades every 2-3 years at $299. (Remember, Photoshop is a PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM, people often forget that.) So if you figure $700 and $300, plus Tax...puts it around $1060 at 6% Sales Tax. (Some places might be more, others less...so let's just go with $1060.)

Let's figure you will use Photoshop for about 7 years, sticking with the current version that you purchased. Like CS5. (We aren't talking about all of the CS6 or any other updates, just CS5 or CS 5.1, 5.2, etc., just that version.) At $1060.00 divided  over 7 years is $151.43. If you divide that payment by 12 months, you get $12.62. So that $9.99 plan plus local sales tax is CHEAPER than what you would have paid for that version of Photoshop for over 7 years! Plus!! With the Subscription Plan, you always get the latest version of Photoshop! If you were to upgrade your purchased copy of CS5 and got CS6, you'd be out another $1060-ish. See what I mean?

The problem is people buy a copy of software, like Photoshop, and expect it to run for YEARS. Companies can't make money that way, they need you in the Market sooner, rather than later. Now figure in all the Pirates who stole Photoshop because they didn't want to pay the $700. So I'm sorry to say, the Subscription Model is here to stay. Be sure to get the "Photography Plan" for $9.99 and do not pay for the "Cloud" versions that cost $19.99. Hell, the Photoshop Only plan is even more expensive.

Edit: I pay $10.59 each month for my Photoshop CC Subscription, after tax. So if we figure the above rate of $12.62 each month if I purchased PS outright, I pay $2.03 less each month by subscribing to Photoshop. So in the end, it's pretty much a wash if you think about it.

You can buy practically any external USB Blu-Ray Drive these days. The cheaper ones should be around $60-ish, but they can be limited, especially when it comes to archiving stuff. (This is an attempt to cut down on Piracy.) Personally, I bought this Internal Blu-Ray Drive and this External Case to convert it to an external. The reason is I was able to Downgrade the Firmware so I can create my own "Netflix/Cloud" service and have all of my movies on a Plex Media Server, which will be run from a NAS, so archiving is what I had in mind. Of course, I haven't gotten around to building one, but will eventually. (Waiting for the SD Media to get a little larger in capacity for a NAS.)

1 hour ago, Apprentice said:

M-DISC good for long-term data storage?

It should be. That said, Digital Rot is a very real thing. Supposedly, they are rated to last around 1000 years, but the technology is new and that has yet to be proven outside a lab environment.

I'd get the RTX 3080 or a 3070Ti with 8GB of Video RAM at a minimum at this point. The 3090 isn't worth it, not THAT much of a performance boost. Skip the 3060. Also, keep in mind you might have to upgrade the power supply to support this new video card. I usually recommend 850 Watt Power Supplies.

OH!! Be sure to download and install the NVIDIA STUDIO DRIVERS!! The Studio Drivers are meant for Programs like Photoshop and Lightroom. The standard drivers are meant for General Computing and Video Games. You want the Studio Drivers. 

Why spend the extra $400? Because of the AI Crap and all the other Bloatware, I mean, "Features," that Adobe is adding to Photoshop CC. Even though a 3060 would probably work "fine" for right now, I can't guarantee that will be the case 3-6 months from now. KWIM? Saving $400 could be worse than blowing the money on a 3060, only to upgrade things in 6 months.

Buy it Right - Buy it Once!!

I've been recommending the Dell U2722D 27" IPS Display. I would recommend using DisplayPort for the connection if you have one on your computer. Otherwise, HDMI is fine. This display is just under $335, which is reasonable. I'd buy this one if it were me. Hell, I'd buy two of them and put them on Monitor Arms for a Dual-Monitor setup.

Here are the specs, and what I look for when choosing a Monitor for Photo Editing:

• 27" IPS LCD
• 2560 x 1440 Resolution
• Anti-Glare / Matte Screen
• 95% or better sRGB. (100% sRGB is even better.)
• DisplayPort and/or HDMI.

I'm not worried about bit rate and all that. Unless you are doing your own printing and have your personal printer calibrated to your screen, do things like that matter. If you are a digital-only photographer, it really doesn't matter when it comes to the advanced stuff because your images will either be displayed on a Phone or crappy un-calibrated display.

Oh, and why only 95% (or better) instead of 100%? sRGB is 16.7 Million Colors. The average human eye only sees about 1 Million, give or take a few hundred thousand, depending on the person. So don't sweat the advanced stuff like 10-Bit vs 8-Bit. That's just Marketing trying to convince you to buy the more expensive model because it has "more" of something.

Damien and I have had good luck with Dell UltraSharps over the years and getting them calibrated. We have had more members just get frustrated with calibrating BenQ Displays, but some are pretty easy. It’s such a toss up and I can't give a straight answer.

You are falling for Marketing. Bigger Faster Better More!! I’m not even worried about 8 bit or 10 bit. I’m worried about how difficult BenQ Monitors are typically to get calibrated correctly against a set of physical prints. It can go easy or be a complete nightmare. Generally, I don’t like BenQ Displays, but people keep buying them and wanting them and I’m tired of arguing.

As for the anti-glare, I’m going by what I saw on B&H:

See the “Finish?” If a reseller doesn’t list it, in my personal experience it doesn’t have it. 

Because it’s the same physical area with more resolution. More stuff crammed into the same area which will make things look tiny; then you will need to go into Windows Settings and increase scaling to 125% or 150% to compensate so you can see things properly. 

12 hours ago, macuser2023 said:

Intel Iris Plus Graphics 1536 MB

THIS IS WHAT KILLED YOU!!!

That low-end "Wimpy" Video Card will not handle Photoshop well...AT ALL. Every other option in your MBP is "Fine" and would run the current version of Photoshop without issue, believe it or not. With today's modern Photoshop, the choice of Video Card / GPU is MORE important than CPU Choice!! Basically, you went fancy on the things you are used to, RAM, HD Capacity and CPU...but totally blew it on the Graphics Choice.

We will not repeat that mistake again.  

While it's great you have CleanMyMac X to use, it's not going to help you. Your video card is meant for "General Computing" and not Photoshop work. (Netflix, wasting time on Facebook, paying bills, answering e-mails, etc. etc.) The more fancy tools Adobe adds to their products, the more it relies on the Video GPU (Graphics Processor Unit) and dedicated Video Memory in not only to function, but as a performance boost. I know it sounds good that "I bought a MacBook Pro..." but it's like you bought a fancy car, but didn't add Air Conditioning & a Radio to the package. Oops. It's only money, right? LOL!!

Check out this article that I wrote and take a screenshot of the specs before you buy. About halfway down is the MacBook Pro Configuration that's "Good for Photo Editing." I will warn you, it's not cheap.

Cool Beans! Let me know when you are ready. I want to make sure they have the correct partition type, as one kind will only work with Time Machine.

Between the two, the BenQ PD2700U checks all the boxes. Here is a comparison between the two.

• IPS
• Anti-Glare Matte Screen
• 100 sRGB

Now there is only a $100 difference between the two. One is a 4K screen and one is the resolution that I like for 27" screens, 2560 x 1440. So it's really up to you. either is fine.

Short Answer: No.

Long Answer: What are the specs of your current MBP laptop? With it only being a few years old, and not up to the task with current software, I feel that you purchased something you could afford rather than what you needed. Apple Laptops are expensive, and while the MacBook Air just was updated with the M2 Chip, it still only goes up to 24GB of RAM, AND it's a 8-Core CPU and 10-Core GPU...which is fine for general computing; anything serious, it's still under-powered for the software you want to run. Not to mention all the stupid AI stuff that Adobe is putting into their products. So while a current MacBook Air will meet your needs now, AND run those current software packages NOW, you will be right back in the same situation in 2-3 years, forking out another $3000+. So why waste the money?

Fill this out and post the results in this thread: Details about your Computer's Health.

It's fine. Especially if it's a computer that was refurbished by Dell. Just be sure to purchase any extended warranties to cover your ass.