Fix Autopano Giga Crashes on Windows 11 & macOS

Autopano Giga 4.4.2 is legacy software. While powerful, it often conflicts with modern operating systems. This guide provides verified fixes for the “Silent Crash” on Windows and “Installation Failed” on Mac.

Windows 11/10 Startup Crash (The “Silent Crash”)

The Symptoms:

You double-click the Autopano Giga desktop icon. The blue Windows loading circle appears next to your cursor for a second, and then disappears. The application never opens, no interface appears, and absolutely no error message is shown. It feels like the computer ignored your click.

The Technical Cause:

Autopano Giga (v4.4.2) ships with an ancient version of the OpenSSL library file named libeay32.dll inside its installation folder. This outdated file is incompatible with the modern network stack found in Windows 10 (version 21H2 and later) and Windows 11. The conflict causes the process to terminate instantly.

Step-by-Step Solution

  1. Right-click your Autopano Giga shortcut on the desktop or Start Menu.
  2. Select “Open File Location”. (If it takes you to another shortcut, right-click that one and select “Open File Location” again).
  3. You should now be in the main installation folder. The default path is usually:
    C:\Program Files\Kolor\Autopano Giga 4.4
  4. Scroll down and find the file named libeay32.dll.
  5. Rename this file to libeay32.dll.old (or right-click and delete it).
  6. Success! Launch the program again. By removing the local file, Autopano is forced to use the modern OpenSSL library already present in your Windows System32 folder, which works perfectly.

By deleting the local DLL file, you force Autopano to look for a newer version of the OpenSSL library in your Windows System folder, which is compatible with the OS.

macOS “Installation Failed” (M1/M2/M3)

The Symptoms:

You run the installer on macOS Sonoma, Ventura, or Sequoia. It progresses normally until the very last second, where it abruptly stops and displays a generic red error message: “The installation failed. The installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail.”

The Technical Cause:

The legacy installer script attempts to copy plugin files into Adobe’s system folders (for Lightroom CS6 and Bridge). On modern macOS versions, these folder paths have changed or are restricted by System Integrity Protection (SIP), causing the script to crash when it cannot find them.

The Solution: Uncheck the Plugins

To fix this, we simply need to tell the installer to skip the plugin installation step. The main application will still install perfectly.

  1. Double-click the .dmg file to mount the installer.
  2. Double-click the package icon to start the process. Click “Continue” through the License Agreement.
  3. Crucial Step: When you reach the screen titled “Installation Type”, look for the Customize button in the bottom-left corner. Click it.
  4. A list of components will appear. Uncheck (Deselect) the following:
    • Bridge Plugin
    • Lightroom Plugin
    • Picasa Plugin
  5. Ensure that only “Autopano Giga 4.4” remains checked.
  6. Click Install. The process will now complete without errors.

Note for Rosetta 2: Autopano Giga is an Intel x86 app. On M1/M2/M3 Macs, macOS will automatically ask you to install Rosetta 2 the first time you run it. Say “Yes”. Performance remains excellent.

Random Crashes While Rendering (High-End PCs)

The Problem:

The software launches fine, allowing you to import photos and edit control points. However, when you click “Render” to export a large gigapixel panorama, the progress bar moves partway, and then the application freezes or closes unexpectedly. This typically happens on CPUs with more than 8 physical cores (e.g., Intel Core i9, AMD Ryzen 9).

The Technical Cause:

Autopano’s multi-threading engine (built in 2018) has a bug when managing thread pools on modern high-core-count processors. When it tries to utilize all available threads (e.g., 24 or 32 threads) for the rendering pipeline, it encounters a race condition that causes a crash.

The Fix: Limit CPU Cores Manually

  • Open Autopano Giga.
  • Navigate to the top menu: Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Autopano > Preferences (Mac).
  • Click on the General tab (usually the first one).
  • Find the slider labeled “CPUs used” or “Detected CPUs”.
  • Do not leave it at Maximum/Auto. Drag the slider down to limit usage to 6 or 8 cores.
  • Click OK and restart the application.

Result: Rendering might take 10-20% longer, but it will be 100% stable and will not crash.

Advanced: Where to Find Crash Logs?

If the solutions above didn’t fix your issue, checking the Autopano log file can help diagnose specific driver or plugin conflicts.

Windows Log Path

C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Kolor\Autopano Giga\AutopanoGiga_log.txt

macOS Log Path

~/Library/Application Support/Kolor/Autopano Giga/AutopanoGiga_log.txt

Tip: Open this file with Notepad (Win) or TextEdit (Mac) and scroll to the bottom to see the last recorded error before the crash.

Problem Solved?

Now that your system is ready, you can download the installer and get your official free license key.

Go to Download Page →