FATAL fault - Catalog destroyed, thumbnails black, no editing possible
An "old problem", occurring after I exchanged my C: HDD with an SSD (cloned) and adding a new internal SATA HDD. NO other changes, no driver upgrades or downgrades - just changed the drive configuration.
Problem occurs with 3.0.1 AND 3.0.2!
Support was of NO help at all, just the typical hints like reinstalling, erasing the Catalog files, cleaning the registry. I did countless reinstalls, tried forced deinstalling, cleaned the registry, tried everything I can think of - and I am quite imaginative. Nothing helped.
Support asked again and again and again for a problem description, totally ignored all the detailled descriptions in the eMail thread, just a little below their own answers.
As I suspected a connection with Luminars way of determining the number of installations (as I did a hardware change) or Luminar storing the drive configuration at the time of it's initial installation (but never erasing or updating it), I asked for a new activation key for trying - ignored.
I also asked to forward the problem to some more tech-savvy staff - ignored.
There also another thread dealing with this problem: https://community.skylum.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360041095512-Luminar-3-0-2-Update-No-thumbnails-for-edited-images
But there's no response of the Luminar team.
So here we go again ...
Hint: For displaying the screenshots in full size, right-click the picture, then choose the option to display the image in the context menu popping up.
Clean start after reinstalling Luminar once again, new Catalog built, Catalog creation went quite fast.
Note the first picture (Huawei photo) displayed twice - while the tree structure shows just 1 picture in that folder. Plus, tree structure shows 61 pictures in two folders overall, but total photo count is 62.
Then I edited a picture, just removed a filter
Result:
All Catalog is black.
If I try to edit a picture, it opens but all controls are greyed out:
Note the film strip on the left side also showing all black.
Note: Screenshot taken after editing the second picture, thus three "edited" symbols (did I really edit THREE pictures? Not sure ...) at the filmstrip pictures - this is NO fault.
Restart.
Result:
The whole Catalog gets rebuild, far slower than after the initial start. Takes quite a while.
Finished - previously edited picture is black.
I try to edit another picture, return to the Catalog:
Same as after the first edit. All pitch black.
Restart:
Now even more pictures are black - not just the two photos I edited.
I edit a third picture, return to the Catalog:
ZERO photos, all gone.
Note Luminar shows the correct number of photos in the subfolder (60 + 1), but shows the wrong number (62) in the parent folder - and 0 photos in the Catalog panel.
Additional findings:
- It is not possible to remove edits previously done, by right-clicking the picture in the Catalog and choosing the option to remove all edits. Luminar just ignores that, picture remains in the "edited" state.
- In the Catalog, some pictures are blurred, while others display sharply.
- Some pictures open for editing, but are displayed with a low resolution - it's like Luminar opening the thumbnail for editing, not the picture file itself.
That's it.
I hoped for 3.0.2 solving that problem, unfortunately, it didn't.
Any idea, Skylum ?
And PLEASE don't point me to your support again - the guys don't know much, the guys are not willing to read the problem descriptions, ignore every suggestion to try.
As this fault renders Luminar completely useless (because I need to erase the full Catalog after editing just one single picture, losing all my edits), I slowly (but steadily) start getting mad. ;)
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And just in case you wish to know how that ugly red infrared pictures look like after a real quick editing with Luminar:
That's why I'd really love to use Luminar in the future.
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Hi Jörn,
you are onto something!
I think Luminar really tries to edit the thumbnail instead of the real pic.
I tried several things when I found a strange file in my catalogue - it was a .lmnr I exported into the folder using Luminar 2018 a few weeks back.
You know, .lmnr files are RAWs including the filters and data from Luminar 2018. To import them and having all the filters back as they had been made and changed and set the last time the pic had been edited.
Then suddenly that pic opened in Editor in Luminar 3 and I had a strange name for the file showing up in the upper right section of the screen (Bibliothek/Bearbeitung/Info) in the Editor/BearbeitungsModul - under the Histogramm.
Here is how it looked - in fact it is the name of a thumbnail but decoded with drive ID as it looks:
full name - 0434c8fa-9f89-4da7-82ca-eb3dc99.DNG
original name is : IMG0694FULL.LMNR (in the catalogue and in my folder)
As it seems Luminar 3 takes some "special" pics (like.lmnr, JPEG etc.) and due to a bug uses the thumbnail instead of the original file. I got all the things including graing out of the filter section. I could reverse that by going back to the library and using another pic. Going back then I got edit the first one without problems.
All the best,
Robin
All the best,
Robin
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Jörn,
here´s another thing to do, if you need to.
You can reset your license by yourself (hopefully deleting all the stuff on any server/cloud management).
Go to your Skylum account. Meine Konto -> Meine Software -> Manage my license -> Reset all licenses.
All licenses will be reset and you have to reactivate your Luminar 3 on all of your PCs with your activation code you got from Skylum. Just type in your EMail and your code when Luminar 3 (Luminar 2018) starts up and job done.
That gives you the chance to run a fresh Luminar 3 with your catalogue. I hope it helps but it makes sense if Skylum really decodes drive and catalogue and stores numbers or/and IDs on their servers.
All the best,
Robin
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Same problem for me - guess we will all just have to wait a few months for a "fix" then :(.
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Rob: Unfortunately your're wrong. ;)
At present, I am using an ancient AMD A10-5800 for Luminar, will build a new AMD Ryzen 7 system over the weekend. Just waiting for the new PC case to arrive.
Problem came up after exchanging a HDD with an SSD and adding a new HDD to the system.
Before, Luminar worked fine so far.
I read Luminar uses the hardware IDs for identifying drives. Looks like L3 stores the present configuration at the time of it's very first installation, then keeps this data forever. Thus it wreaks havoc if the initial drive configuration is changed.
At least that's what I guess.
Remedy would be fully erasing the previously stored drives configuration. That's what I asked the "support" for, also asked for a new activation key for solving that problem.I got fully ignored. And obviously the whole problem got ignored with the 3.0.2 bug fix.
Doesn't surprise me if the problem is caused by the senseless way of recognizing drives using their hardware IDs, would mean rebuilding that "DAM" toy from scratch. - Which I don't regards as the worst idea ever if they wish to turn a "DAM" toy into a DAM.
Only explanation of Skylum totally ignoring the problem. -
Found an "easy" fix: I just built a new PC system with a Ryzen 7 for about 1000 Euros, bought Windows 10, set up the system, then installed Luminar 3.
Tried four photos - thumbnails still displayed. Hooray!
One remaining bug instantly spotted: If I remove the edits from a photo, L3 still displays the "edited" symbol in the toy catalog, which obviously still is made for those with a good sense of humor.It's that easy, guys.
Skylum: Don't forget to add this stunningly simple and budget-priced solution to your troubleshooting list.
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Tach, Robin ! ;)
Thank you very much for your commitment.
I just reset my licences, did a full clean reinstall, also removed the settings under App Data/Roaming and the Catalog.
Launched Luminar, pointed to a folder in the local pictures folder on drive C: containing just a few JPGs, watched Luminar creating the Catalog quite fast, edited a JPG (just removed one of the AI filters), closed Luminar, restarted - and watched Luminar creating the Catalog again, far slower this time. And saw the same black gaps again.
After editing the second picture, I again got ALL BLACK thumbnails, just the "edited" indicators visible.
Oh happy day. :D
Addition: If I point to a folder residing on a drive which got added after Luminar 3s initial, very first installation, Luminar shows the number of pictures in that folder, but does not even read the files into it's Catalog.
If I then do a restart, I get this:
All black, as usual.
Plus, a warning triangle showing at the folders residing on the drive which got added after Luminar 3s initial installation.Plus: An "edited" symbol at one of the invisible pictures. It's an LMNR file I saved with Luminar 2018. Oh, how I wished I could "save" my edits that way with Luminar 3. That option is BADLY, BADLY missing.
SKYLUM: Speechless ?
For more than a month I ask your "support" how to clear ALL data Luminar stored at the time of it's initial installation. Because I guess this could solve the problem. I also asked for a new activation key, for the same reason. In addition, I asked to forward that problem to someone with some deeper knowledge about Luminar 3s internals.
Just nothing happened.
I don't expect a software being bug-free. I know the saying: "How do you call a software running perfectly? - Outdated."
But I do expect not getting ignored if a serious problem comes up (while I am not the only one "enjoying" that faults), and I do expect the support guys escalating a problem to someone a bit more at home with the matter instead of just happily asking me to explain the problem again. Then again. Then again. - While a detailled problem description is included in the eMail thread, just a few lines below the agent's answer.
Just for keeping me occupied till I give up. All happy except the customer, case closed. -
I am experiencing almost the same errors with my version of Luminar 3.
Sadly the support has no clue whats going on too. I had Luminar 3 working for like a few weeks in 2018 and then with no changes it stops working. I won't load thumbnails, images or let me edit anything.
My contact with the support was pretty bad too, since i got asked the same questions over and over again. I had to provide screens and videos of my problem multiple times to different support members. And none of them had ideas i didn't try out myself. So that is why i assume they don't know what causes this problem yet. I just hope they figure it out and it will be hotfixed soon.
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Yip!!! What an epic fail for such a promising piece of edit software. I emailed support asking I am unable to update to 3.2 as I live in Canada and received the email on Friday.
Response from support ‘will be released in 3 days’
I don’t even think they read the support emails sent in their entirety!!!!
If they did that would not make the response I received make any sense.
For the record LOVE editing in Luminar3 when it works.
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@Blair
Skylum backed off and pulled the update - they found 4 essential bugs, 3 solved already.
Update is now officially delayed for 2-3 more days but will be available this week. I guess it will be Friday or Saturday then - 15th or 16th.
Hope they kill the last bug fast and the new update runs smooth and solving all the probs left (thumbnails and editing bug).
Speed is greatly enhanced by now.
All the best,
Robin
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So Skylum announces via email the new version for Australia and Canada.
How did you hear about being pulled? So they launch with an email and then they pull without an email updating this fact to Australians and Canadians.
Mismanagement on epic scale. Considering I have received emails from support from the same individual stating
1 use a VPN
2 don’t use a VPN
3 try a different internet connection
4 will be out in 3/4 daysEpic fail that is quickly deteriorating user confidence and destroys any credibility they have on a daily basis.
Done venting. My apologies.
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No need to apologize.
https://community.skylum.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360041722852/comments/360004420172
All the best,
Robin
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Thank you very much for the heads-up, Dmytro B. :)
Previous 3.0.2 bug fix did not solve that problem, so I hope it gets addressed this time.Has an upside and a downside.
Upside is, I might be able to work with Luminar 3, finally.
Downside is, community will now blame any delay on me. ;)
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@Jörn
We never would do that, Jörn.
Blame it on you - how could we?
Yes, but THANK YOU for the delay xD
Jokes aside and kidding as well, it is a very good thing pulling bugs as soon as they show up even if that means holding back or pulling an update as you know.
I didn´t have/had serious problems so I can make jokes but I know how frustrating it can be sometimes( being part of the WIN Insider program) running into massive problems - up to not being able using a program at all.
I asked @Skylum for becoming a Beta Tester - I am still curious about that free up RAM bug
All the best,
Robin
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Urgs, Robin ! :D
It also could be quite helpful if there was a way of bypassing the regular support, which seems to used to dealing with world-shaking issues like why luminar works better with the computer switched on.For instance, I also found a possible fault in RAW development (could be due to DCP file handling, support of my very camera model (Fuji X-T20, such a cute little all-round expert), not sure about that). Needless to ask the support guys for ... hmmm ... support.
Robin (or others) - If you wish to have a look: https://we.tl/t-m7qFakASDf
Also note the strange quality drop with exporting small crops.Informed the support, was asked to send files via WeTransfer, did that, never got any feedback.
Of course. Everything else would have risen legitimate suspicion.
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Dmytro: Might be the case because I never saw any ticket number. All eMail communication was handled without any ticket numbers to refer to.
Just search for the term "joern" and ".de" in the eMail addresses - this should do the trick and reveal a lot of redundant findings. Including a problem with the Raw development algorithms: https://we.tl/t-m7qFakASDf
By the way - like I wrote in my latest post above: It might be a good idea to be able to bypass the regular support for reporting real problems which support just cannot handle.
Thank you for keeping me up to date. :)
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Hi Anders,
If you haven't already, please download the most recent update (released yesterday). If you're still having trouble please contact us at www.skylum.com/support and we'll investigate the issue.
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@angela this was after the latest update from yesterday. At least stuff worked with 3.01 but painstakingly slow.
Already contacted support. But as I can see I am not the only one, I guess this is a general problem that we will have to wait until the next update to get a fix for.... -
@Muntasir
I am not Angela, obviously xD - sorry for that.
What you downloaded is an installer which loads down the installation of Luminar3 in it´s newest version 3.0.3.2186
Your Luminar 3 is up to date.
The strange thing for me is why do some PCs have the issues while others have not?
It seems more i7 users have problems than AMD users but maybe I am wrong and that is just a suggestion by me.
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@Angela
I don't mean to be rude, but contacting the support with this issue didn't help at all. All they asked me was providing screens of the error more than 6 times and in generell asking the same questions over and over again. So the support does either not read the conversation or it just has no clue and thats the reason it asks the same stuff over and over again without providing any solution or ideas that a normal person would not have tried before.
The lack of support and the lack of a working software made me stop promoting Skylum and now i am starting to look out for alternatives, eventhough i still hope you guys figure it out in the next few weeks. Sadly enough you just did not delay the first roadmap by a year, you also delay the new one already. I am losing faith that this company puts the money into development rather than advertising.
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Agreed. The only thing Skylum has demonstrated is their ability to advertise and try and make a buck!!! I have been on board for over 2 years and just about ready to jump ship.
CEO should be fired or at least respond!!!
Sad times for Skylum users. Even sadder for Skylums reputation.
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Ok, after another 3 hours in trying to make Luminar 3 work, with reinstalling it clean (deleting all traces and reg entries), it stoll won't work. That was the final straw to me. What disappoints me, is that this company instead of developing their software to be better, they kick out beta level programms like nothing. Why the hell would you work on softwares like Photolemur and the new drone software when Luminar is not working at all. Besides that i start to wonder how Aurora 2019 can win awards in 2017. To me Skylume starts to look like a huge scam company. I am really disappointed and if i could, i would want all my money back to purchase Capture One Pro 12.
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Changing hardware complete seem to be the key - yeah, cool fix.
That should be an easy fix for Skylum - just get away from that crazy idea using hardware coupled ID **** like Micro$oft does. It is a very bad way of making licenses bound to hardware/PCs or making up copy protections.
It is NOT user friendly in any way.
You just need to double check instead of using hardware bound encrypted licenses which can be cracked easily anyway.
@Jörn
Happy editing with a much faster system.
The Ryzen 7 is a RIPPER !
Robin
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Robin: Might be wise idea offering L3 customers a free replacement system as an extended bug fix.
OT: I built countless PC systems, also worked as a hardware specialist in a local company in Bochum ages ago.
Never bought a ready-made system, question of honor. :D
But with the Ryzen 7 I ran into problems I never imagined.
I am working with a set of specialized tools for translators, quite old tools like Trados 2007, which worked well up to Windows 7. Thus I didn't dare to change the OS. So I tried to stick with Windows 7 - and couldn't.
Got my dusty but trusty Radeon 6950 from the spider-flooded basement, squeezed it in. No video signal. Because the outdated firmware doesn't support UEFI with the regular PCIE slots. Took quite a while to figure out. Only solution: Use a different PCIE slot, the lowest one. But the 6950 occupies two slots, doesn't fit. Bought a popelige used one-slot graphic adapter at the local village store. 10 Euros black money. Finally worked.
Crammed a Win 7 ISO into an USB stick.
Now MS wishes to force users into upgrading to 10, thus there was no boot from USB; because of "Secure Boot". Figured that out, took a while. Got setup running, then stalled. No USB support during setup, no keyboard, no mouse. Figured that out, took a while. Windows 7 launched. Hooray!
But no internet. Because there was no LAN driver for my Ryzen platform. Remembered that mainboard DVD I tossed away immediately as I didn't wish to use any optical drives with the new system. Makeshift SATA wiring, drivers installed. Reboot. No internet as no LAN drivers for Win 7. Not on the DVD, not on the net. Finally switched to Win 10, volume Pro licence, 14,80 €, an acceptable price. :D
Installed like a charme, reboot. My monitor went black, switched off. Win 10 recognized the ancient video card, chose the wrong driver, providing incompatible timings for my outdated spare LCD monitor. Had to switch to one of the main displays of my three-monitors setup. Finally got a Win 10 picture. Installing, swapping licences, more installing, praying.
All in one, it all took three full days
Now I am up and running.
Including L3. But in the meantime, I made friends with Affinity, bought it. Boy, you won't believe the wealth of options, this one is a real wolf in sheep's clothing, unbelievable mighty. But the learning curve is not steep, it's like a solid wall to collide with if you're used to other workflows. But I guess it's worth the effort.Long OT story.
But as Skylum erased my topic-centered post of yesterday for communicating ugly truths about their "support", I just felt free. ;)By the way: Built a silent system, causing a strange feeling: Now there's just birds chirping while I am working - no constant feel-like-home hum of fans and drives. Need to get used to it. :D
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Annika: Mit nem Frauennamen ist die Chance auf eine Antwort erstaunlicherweise immer recht hoch. :D
Experienced just the same: "Support" does not even read the eMails, just tries to keep you occupied by asking for problem descriptions again and again - which they also don't read. Or ask to send huge bulks of files via WeTransfer which they also ignore. As they ignore suggestions for solving the problem, as they ignore asking to forward the matter to one of the programmers which should be able to recognize the problem. Or come up with the same suggestions already proven to be not working at all. Do a reinstall, lose all your edits. Erase the Catalog, lose all your edits. Use CCleaner. Wait for the update which won't solve the problem. Send us your full Catalog or just flush it down the toilet, which might render better results.
They just ignore everything you throw a them. As said: They don't even read your eMails, that sadly is a proven fact.
Thus I cannot blame it on Skylum as a whole - I blame it on the "support" blokes which just don't do their job.
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@Jörn
Quite a journey you have been through building your new system. Absolute nightmare.
I like silent PCs and I am using using the Wraith cooler for my FX8350 - full load @42 Celsius and totally no noise - I half deaf anyway (loud guitar playing in my younger years - years of Marshall walls \m/) but it really feels strange with a noiseless system. The first time I checked the hardware if it doesn´t overheat etc. I fell into shocks whenever the PC decide to enter the energy sleep mode xD.
Good thing is now you can hear all the important things - yelling of the wife, neighbours cat and dog and not to forget the telephone and the door bell keeping you away from work or things you have to do on the computer.
But on the other side I think doing the Ryzen update on Luminar 3 is a great step resolving those issues xD.
Expensive? yes, but effective. It is only money in the end xD
Robin
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