diff --git a/ts/components/dialog/EditProfilePictureModal.tsx b/ts/components/dialog/EditProfilePictureModal.tsx
index 02146e031..a64983377 100644
--- a/ts/components/dialog/EditProfilePictureModal.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/dialog/EditProfilePictureModal.tsx
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ export const EditProfilePictureModal = ({ conversationId }: EditProfilePictureMo
   const ourAvatarIsUploading = useOurAvatarIsUploading();
   const ourAvatarUploadFailed = useOurAvatarUploadFailed();
   const sogsAvatarIsUploading = useAvatarOfRoomIsUploading(conversationId);
+  const [isProcessing, setIsProcessing] = useState(false);
 
   const [newAvatarObjectUrl, setNewAvatarObjectUrl] = useState<string | null>(avatarPath);
   const [isNewAvatarAnimated, setIsNewAvatarAnimated] = useState<boolean>(false);
@@ -169,7 +170,7 @@ export const EditProfilePictureModal = ({ conversationId }: EditProfilePictureMo
   const isPublic = useIsPublic(conversationId);
 
   const handleAvatarClick = async () => {
-    const res = await pickFileForAvatar();
+    const res = await pickFileForAvatar(setIsProcessing);
 
     if (!res) {
       window.log.error('Failed to pick avatar');
@@ -210,7 +211,8 @@ export const EditProfilePictureModal = ({ conversationId }: EditProfilePictureMo
     await triggerUploadProfileAvatar(newAvatarObjectUrl, conversationId, dispatch);
   };
 
-  const loading = ourAvatarIsUploading || groupAvatarChangePending || sogsAvatarIsUploading;
+  const loading =
+    ourAvatarIsUploading || groupAvatarChangePending || sogsAvatarIsUploading || isProcessing;
 
   const newAvatarLoaded = newAvatarObjectUrl !== avatarPath;
 
@@ -328,7 +330,7 @@ export const EditProfilePictureModal = ({ conversationId }: EditProfilePictureMo
       {loading ? (
         <>
           <SpacerSM />
-          {isMe ? <Localizer token="updating" /> : null}
+          {isMe && !isProcessing ? <Localizer token="updating" /> : null}
           <SessionSpinner loading={loading} height="30px" />
         </>
       ) : (
diff --git a/ts/types/attachments/VisualAttachment.ts b/ts/types/attachments/VisualAttachment.ts
index b641eca9f..ef58e5b41 100644
--- a/ts/types/attachments/VisualAttachment.ts
+++ b/ts/types/attachments/VisualAttachment.ts
@@ -227,10 +227,13 @@ async function pickFileForTestIntegration() {
 /**
  * Shows the system file picker for images, scale the image down for avatar/opengroup measurements and return the blob objectURL on success
  */
-export async function pickFileForAvatar(): Promise<ProcessedAvatarDataType | null> {
+export async function pickFileForAvatar(
+  processingCb: (isProcessing: boolean) => void
+): Promise<ProcessedAvatarDataType | null> {
   const file = isTestIntegration() ? await pickFileForTestIntegration() : await pickFileForReal();
 
   try {
+    processingCb(true);
     const arrayBuffer = await file.arrayBuffer();
     // pickFileForAvatar is only used for avatars we want to be able to reupload (ourselves or 03-groups)
     const processed = await processAvatarData(arrayBuffer, true);
@@ -244,5 +247,7 @@ export async function pickFileForAvatar(): Promise<ProcessedAvatarDataType | nul
     );
     window.log.error(e);
     return null;
+  } finally {
+    processingCb(false);
   }
 }
diff --git a/ts/webworker/workers/node/image_processor/image_processor.worker.ts b/ts/webworker/workers/node/image_processor/image_processor.worker.ts
index ed9ad0d63..e6126ebd6 100644
--- a/ts/webworker/workers/node/image_processor/image_processor.worker.ts
+++ b/ts/webworker/workers/node/image_processor/image_processor.worker.ts
@@ -127,19 +127,23 @@ function metadataToFrameHeight(metadata: sharp.Metadata) {
  *
  * Note: this will also orient a jpeg if needed. (i.e. calls rotate() through sharpFrom)
  * Note: metadata height will be set to the frame height, not the full height
- * of the canvas (as sharp.metadata does with animated webps)
+ * of the canvas (as sharp.metadata does with animated webp)
  */
 async function metadataFromBuffer(
   inputBuffer: ArrayBufferLike | Buffer,
+  rethrow = false,
   options?: sharp.SharpOptions
 ) {
+  // Note: this might throw and we want to allow the error to be forwarded to the user if that happens.
+  // A toast will display the error
   try {
     const metadata = await sharpFrom(inputBuffer, options).metadata();
     const frameHeight = metadataToFrameHeight(metadata);
-    // we do need the await above so the try/catch does its job
     return { ...metadata, height: frameHeight };
   } catch (e) {
-    console.info('metadataFromBuffer failed with', e.message);
+    if (rethrow) {
+      throw e;
+    }
     return null;
   }
 }
@@ -263,7 +267,7 @@ async function sleepFor(ms: number) {
 async function processPlanForReuploadAvatar({ inputBuffer }: { inputBuffer: ArrayBufferLike }) {
   const start = Date.now();
 
-  const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer, { animated: true });
+  const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer, true, { animated: true });
   if (!metadata) {
     return null;
   }
@@ -365,7 +369,10 @@ async function processPlanForReuploadAvatar({ inputBuffer }: { inputBuffer: Arra
     return null;
   }
 
-  const resizedMetadataSize = metadataSizeIsSetOrThrow(resizedMetadata, 'processPlanForReuploadAvatar');
+  const resizedMetadataSize = metadataSizeIsSetOrThrow(
+    resizedMetadata,
+    'processPlanForReuploadAvatar'
+  );
 
   logIfOn(
     `[imageProcessorWorker] processPlanForReuploadAvatar mainAvatar resize took ${Date.now() - start}ms for ${inputBuffer.byteLength} bytes`
@@ -398,7 +405,7 @@ async function processPlanForReuploadAvatar({ inputBuffer }: { inputBuffer: Arra
 async function processNoPlanForReuploadAvatar({ inputBuffer }: { inputBuffer: ArrayBufferLike }) {
   const start = Date.now();
   const sizeRequired = maxAvatarDetails.maxSideNoReuploadRequired;
-  const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer, { animated: true });
+  const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer, false, { animated: true });
 
   if (!metadata) {
     return null;
@@ -499,7 +506,7 @@ const workerActions: ImageProcessorWorkerActions = {
       throw new Error('imageMetadata: inputBuffer is required');
     }
 
-    const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer, { animated: true });
+    const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer, false, { animated: true });
 
     if (!metadata) {
       return null;
@@ -568,7 +575,7 @@ const workerActions: ImageProcessorWorkerActions = {
     }
 
     const parsed = sharpFrom(inputBuffer, { animated: false });
-    const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer, { animated: false });
+    const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer, false, { animated: false });
 
     if (!metadata) {
       return null;
@@ -609,7 +616,7 @@ const workerActions: ImageProcessorWorkerActions = {
     const parsed = sharpFrom(inputBuffer, { animated: false }).resize(
       centerCoverOpts({ maxSidePx, withoutEnlargement: false }) // We actually want to enlarge the image if required for a thumbnail in conversation
     );
-    const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer, { animated: false });
+    const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer, false, { animated: false });
 
     if (!metadata) {
       return null;
@@ -657,7 +664,7 @@ const workerActions: ImageProcessorWorkerActions = {
     }
     const lossyFormats = ['jpeg', 'webp', 'avif'];
     const start = Date.now();
-    const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer);
+    const metadata = await metadataFromBuffer(inputBuffer, false);
 
     if (
       !metadata ||
@@ -761,7 +768,7 @@ const workerActions: ImageProcessorWorkerActions = {
 
       if (buffer.length < maxSizeBytes) {
         // eslint-disable-next-line no-await-in-loop
-        const outputMetadata = await metadataFromBuffer(buffer);
+        const outputMetadata = await metadataFromBuffer(buffer, false);
 
         if (!outputMetadata) {
           return null;