# "Preparing to export" Hangup



## lge501 (Feb 22, 2020)

Since the laitiest update of Lightroom Classic, version 12.2.  I am having consistant issues upon exporting multiple file types. Example. I will choose to export Tiff and Jpeg. The "preparing to export" pops up in the center of my screen.  The progress bar moves acrost the pop up and the process starts. At this point I am unable to do ANYTHING while this is happening because the popup box NEVER goes away. Even after the exporting is complete, this box remains.  

This error is happening on multiple computers. I have deleted the software and reinstalled it with the same issue. I have called Adobe in the past about this over 4 months ago and after wasting on hold for over two hours and talking on the phone for an hour. I was out of time. His resolve was to just deal with it.  But just dealing with it stops me from doing other tasks while the export is in progress. If I click "cancel" in the dialog box, my export cancels.  

Has anyone else noticed the decline in Adobe?  I not only have issues with the new Lightroom but Photoshop as well. I have tonight been on hold now for over 3 hours after the automated voice said the wait time was 11 minutes. Listening to this crappy music wasting more of my time on this very expensive software that is geting worse with every update. 

Any help would be GREAT!!  This is holding up two computers.


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## Johan Elzenga (Feb 22, 2020)

Lightroom version 12.2?... I have never seen a modal dialog on export. I only see the progress bar in the upper left corner.


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## Jim Wilde (Feb 22, 2020)

It does appear whenever I'm doing a large export. Managed to screengrab it:


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## lge501 (Feb 24, 2020)

That is exactly what I was referring too. On two separate machines after the update. It does not go away and pressing cancel stops the export. Even after the export is completed it remains. While that pop up is there, you are unable to operate Lightroom.  It locks you out,  so I have to sit and wait for the export to compete. Loosing time that I could be working on something else.


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## clee01l (Feb 24, 2020)

lge501 said:


> That is exactly what I was referring too. On two separate machines after the update. It does not go away and pressing cancel stops the export. Even after the export is completed it remains. While that pop up is there, you are unable to operate Lightroom. It locks you out, so I have to sit and wait for the export to compete. Loosing time that I could be working on something else.



In order for LR to prepare the files for export, it need to create temporary files in the working storage (i.e. the freespace on your primary disc. If there is not enough freespace for all of the files that you wish to export, you may run out of room on thois drive and Lightroom will really slow trying to find enough free solace top create the necessary files.

You should try to keep ~100GB free for Lightroom and all of the other apps running to have enough room to work.

You say this happens on several computers. Could all of then be short on disk space? Once you are certain that you have enough freespace to work, try exporting 10 files and see if the process is speedier. Gradually increase the number of files in the export process until you start to see the dialog posted above. This should give you some guidelines on a reasonable number of files that can be exported using your hardware .


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## lge501 (Feb 25, 2020)

Thanks for the reply and the info.  No, they have ample disc space. My office computer has over a terabyte of free space and my macbook pro over 200gig.  It only happens when I export multipule file types like a Tiff and Jpeg.


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## clee01l (Feb 25, 2020)

Part 2 of my earlier response: “Once you are certain that you have enough freespace to work, try exporting 10 files and see if the process is speedier. Gradually increase the number of files in the export process until you start to see the dialog posted above. This should give you some guidelines on a reasonable number of files that can be exported using your hardware”
Does it work faster if you try a smaller number of files? Most of us never see that “preparing to Export” dialog




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## lge501 (Feb 25, 2020)

Thanks again for the reply. This was never a problem until the update. I had this issue before so I backed down to the previous version and bam, problem solved. This is a new problem that only comes with the new version of lightroom. My computers are both new and upgraded.  The 27" imac is less than a year old with 16 gig of ram and the fastest i7 processor. I had to order the computer with the upgraded configuration.  My Macbook pro is the same, it as well was custom ordered with the max ram and fastest processor.  Since I don't have issues with the previous version of lightroom, this tells me that it's not my system. It only happens with the latest version of lightoom that inlcdes the option to select multipule file exports at a time.  I have seen the "preparing to export" box on many exports and it normally only shows up for a split second. On larger exports maybe 3-4 seconds. But now with this new version, it just never goes away even after all export is complete.


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## lge501 (Feb 25, 2020)

*I have just exported over 200 files for an event shoot. The same shoot that I was experiencing these issues. If I export one file type, allow it to start i can immidiatly start a second file time wihtout an iussie. In short i'm processing over 400 files and my system is running great but if I tell it to process the same 400 files by selecting multipule file types like Jpeg and low res Jpeg. I receive the error. It seems to be an issue when exporting multipule file types by checking them at the same time on one export. Even though I can exprot multipule file types at the same time by going to export, jpeg. then doind it again one after the other. The error is when multipule file types are checked at the same time. This is only an option with the new lightroom, that is why the error. *


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## Victoria Bampton (Feb 26, 2020)

lge501 said:


> *The error is when multipule file types are checked at the same time. *


Well done for narrowing it down. Here’s instructions on how to report it to Adobe: How do I send a bug report or feature request to Adobe? | The Lightroom Queen


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