Opening past .mlt files with updated Shotcut version

[RickS]

I have an on going project that I last opened about a year ago, so it was created with something like the 19.12.6 release. I need to make some changes to that project and export it again. Now that we’re on 21.1.29, what happens to previous features that have been removed/changed/deprecated in that span of time? I just need to swap out a couple of clips and hope that I don’t have to make many changes beyond that. Thanks.

[shotcut]

This is a very timely question considering the forthcoming major changes in version 21.04 for time remapping. For the time period you mentioned and even older, the affected features are related to HTML-based filters, which was more than simply Text: HTML. Some of these are converted with full fidelity, others are converted without much fidelity, and others are simply broken/not-shown: Rutt-Etra-Izer, Swirl, and Text: 3D. Details are in

https://shotcut.org/blog/new-release-200913/

It says “The deprecated HTML-based filters are still included in this version, but now they are hidden.” but those filters were fully removed in the following version 20.10

https://shotcut.org/blog/new-release-201031/

Version 21.04 is going to have changes to the project file that is not compatible with older versions, but there is version information stored in the project file. The next version 21.02 will the ability to open future version 21.04 files by converting it (shows as “repaired”). Clips will be retained, but all Time Remap effects removed (not Properties > Speed, Time Remap is separate). It should also be able to do this for many versions to follow, but we will increase the project file version when that is no longer the case. I also added a warning dialog if you try to open a project version greater than next: incompatible, cannot be opened, and which version of Shotcut created it. So, there is some forward compatibility built into the next version, but only for the foreseeable future (the time period of “foreseeable” is unknown, but I suspect through at least 2021).

[RickS]

That’s good info to have. Once 21.04 is out, I guess I’ll just reload those same clips and start the project over, rather than trying to patch up edits from an earlier version.