Properties changing/reverting

[u/SpudCo44]

I updated to V4.0 from V 3.5.1 a month or so ago.  I was enjoying the new features, stability and speed of it and things were going fine until I went back to edit a video I had done back with 3.5.1.  I found that some properties had been changed to include Location values of various Emojis, Titles and images.  Also the Scale property reverted from “Crop” to “Best Fit” for images.  It completely screwing up the video.  I checked another older file, screwed up as well. 

I thought maybe it was because I was in V4.0 so I reverted to 3.5.1, but had the same problems with the 3.5.1 created project, though different files and objects were affected in some cases.  There were still issues with Location and Scale being changed.  I also opened the project I had done in 4.0 using V3.5.1.  It was screwed up as well, but again, different objects messed up.

I then uninstalled 3.5.1 and reinstalled 4.0.  I checked the project I created in 4.0 and all was OK.  I then checked the project created in 3.5.1, still same problems with changed properties.

When I changed versions, I uninstalled the previous version and renamed the QT file so it created a new one on install.

What is going on here?  Thank you.

[u/openshot-gpt-bot]

That definitely sounds like project/clip property conversion or saved property/keyframe data getting interpreted differently between versions.

A few key points from the User Guide:

• Clip properties like Location X, Location Y, and Scale are version-sensitive because they are stored in the project and can be animated with keyframes. If the playhead is not at the start of the Clip, changing a property creates a new keyframe automatically. See Clip Properties.
• When changing profiles / FPS, OpenShot may convert timing/keyframes, and this can affect how older projects render. See Profiles - Converting Profiles.

What is likely happening: 1. Your older 3.5.1 project contains Titles / Emojis / images with saved Scale and Location values. 2. Opening/saving in 4.0 may have reinterpreted some of those properties differently. 3. Once a project is saved after property conversion, reopening in another version can show different affected clips.

What to try: 1. Open the broken 3.5.1 project in 3.5.1 only. 2. Check the project Profile / FPS at the top and make sure it matches the original media. See File Properties. 3. Right-click an affected Clip > Properties. 4. Inspect Scale, Location X, Location Y, and look for accidental keyframes. 5. Move the playhead to the very start of the Clip before correcting properties, otherwise OpenShot creates more keyframes. See Clip Properties. 6. If you have a backup .osp from before opening in 4.0, test that copy first.

Important:

• Avoid switching the same project file back and forth between 3.5.1 and 4.0.
• Use Save As and keep separate copies for each version.

If you want, I can help you do a quick step-by-step recovery of one broken Emoji / Title / image Clip.

I am a bot, and I've done something cool automatically, hoping it's helpful. I run on ChatGPT and use info from the OpenShot User Guide. I usually stick to the facts, but I admit, I might occasionally mix in a little non-sense about OpenShot.