Troubleshooting

Fixes for the problems people actually run into with Bitgrain: browser support for MP4 export, HEIC and RAW files that will not open, very large images, exports that fall back to a smaller size, sign-in trouble, payments that do not seem to apply, and projects that seem to have disappeared.

If your problem is not here, check the FAQ, then raise a ticket. Include your browser, your operating system and, if you can, the file you were using.

Start here

Most odd behaviour goes away with one of these:

Reload the page.
Update your browser to the latest version. Bitgrain uses recent browser features for decoding and exporting.
Try a Chromium browser such as Chrome or Edge. It supports every export path, including MP4.
Turn off browser extensions for the site, especially ones that block scripts, storage or cookies.
Close other heavy tabs if you are working with large images or long videos.

Browser support

Feature	What it needs	If it is missing
Everything in the editor and studio	A current desktop or mobile browser	Update the browser
MP4 video export	WebCodecs (`VideoEncoder` and `AudioEncoder`) and `OfflineAudioContext`	The MP4 H.264 option is greyed out. Export WebM instead.
WebM video export	`MediaRecorder`	Available almost everywhere
Animate a still	WebCodecs for MP4	Falls back to WebM automatically
Viewing HDR exports	An HDR display, and Chrome or Safari	The file is fine, but it looks flat on a standard screen
Video editor	A screen at least 768 pixels wide	On a phone, `/video` shows "Video editor needs a bigger screen"

The MP4 option is greyed out

Your browser does not support WebCodecs, the feature Bitgrain uses to encode video frame by frame. Recent versions of Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers do. You have two options:

Switch the Format to WebM in the export panel. It works in almost every browser.
Open the same project in Chrome or Edge and export MP4 there. On Pro, your project syncs to that browser automatically, but you will need to import the media files again. See what cloud sync stores for video.

My animated still downloaded as WebM, not MP4

animate in the editor encodes MP4 when your browser supports WebCodecs and falls back to WebM when it does not. Use Chrome or Edge if you need MP4.

HEIC and RAW files will not open

When you open a HEIC, TIFF or RAW file, a small panel shows "Converting HEIC image", "Converting TIFF image" or "Converting RAW image". If it disappears and no image appears, the file could not be decoded.

Things to try, in order:

Wait on the first RAW file. The RAW decoder is downloaded the first time you use it, so the first file takes longer.
Check the extension. Only the extensions listed in supported files are treated as RAW. A file renamed to the wrong extension will not decode.
Try a newer camera workaround. Brand-new camera models sometimes write a RAW variant the decoder does not know yet. Export a JPEG or TIFF from your camera's software, or from your phone's photo app, and open that.
For HEIC, try another browser. HEIC is converted in the browser, and a damaged or unusual HEIC file can fail. Saving the photo as JPEG on the phone first always works.
Use the editor for RAW and TIFF. The studio's image upload does not accept RAW or TIFF. Open the file in the image editor, export a PNG or JPEG, and add that to your design.

Large images and memory

Bitgrain runs on your device, so very large files are limited by your browser's memory.

On the way in, images longer than 8192 pixels on the long edge are scaled down to 8192 pixels automatically. You do not need to resize them yourself.
While editing, a high Resolution setting on a big image makes effects slower. Lower it while you explore and raise it again before exporting. Adjustments explains the trade-off.
On export, the editor never produces an image longer than 16384 pixels, whatever the plan or scale.

My export came out smaller than I asked for

There are two possible reasons:

Cause	How to tell	What to do
The free plan's 1500 pixel cap	The file is 1500 pixels on its long edge and has a watermark	Expected on free. See plans and pricing.
The 16384 pixel ceiling	You asked for `4×` on a large image	Use `2×` or `1×`

My export looks softer or plainer than usual

If the full-quality render fails, usually because the browser ran out of memory, the editor does not give up. It takes the preview you see on screen and scales that up to the size you asked for, so you still get a file. Fine detail can come out blockier, and the print finish pass is skipped. To get a proper render, close other tabs, choose a lower scale, or lower the resolution slightly, then export again.

Exporting is slow or the page freezes

Big multi-page studio exports, 4× editor exports and long 4K videos take real time on a laptop. Let them finish.
Keep the tab in the foreground while exporting video. Browsers slow down background tabs.
In the video editor, Stop Render cancels an export cleanly.

Export results

My two exports are not pixel-identical

Every effect, including grain and noise, is seeded and renders identically. If two exports differ, check that the settings really match (a changed Seed, resolution or scale changes the pattern), and that you're comparing PNG files: JPEG and WebP are compressed by your browser, and text can rasterize slightly differently between operating systems. See where results can vary.

The SVG button opens checkout

vector SVG is a Pro feature. The editor's sample images can be exported as SVG on any plan so you can try it.

PDF is missing from the studio's export options

Single PDF is not offered while the format is set to HDR. Pick PNG, JPG or WEBP and the PDF option comes back.

The HDR file looks dull

HDR PNGs are made for HDR displays. On a standard screen, or in an app that does not understand HDR PNG, they look flat. View them in Chrome or Safari on an HDR-capable display.

Signing in

What you see	What it means	What to do
"this email is linked to a Google account, sign in with Google instead"	You signed up with Google	Use continue with google
"an account with this email already exists"	You already have an email account	Switch to sign in
"invalid email or password"	The email or password is wrong	Check both. The message is the same for either, on purpose.
"too many failed attempts, try again later"	Several failed attempts in a row	Wait a while, then try again
A password is refused at sign up	It is shorter than 8 characters, longer than 72, or appears in a known data breach	Choose a different password
Studio or video keeps sending you to sign in	Those workspaces need an account	Sign in. A free account is enough.
You are signed out every visit	Your browser is clearing cookies or site data for Bitgrain	Allow cookies for the site, or stop the extension that clears them

There is no self-service password reset yet. If you cannot get into an email account, contact support from that email address through the contact page.

Payments

I closed the Razorpay window

Nothing was charged. The pay button becomes clickable again after a few seconds so you can try again.

I cancelled on PayPal

You come back to the checkout with a note that says "You cancelled at PayPal and nothing was charged." Pick up where you left off.

PayPal said "We couldn't confirm it"

The return page could not confirm the payment with PayPal. If PayPal did charge you, the licence is still applied automatically within a few minutes, when PayPal notifies Bitgrain. If it has not appeared after that, email support with the reference shown on the page.

I paid but I still see the watermark

Reload the page, or sign out and back in, so the app picks up your new plan.
Check the account page. Your plan should read "Pro license, active until" with a date ten years out.
Make sure you are signed in with the same account you paid with.
If it still says Free, email support with your order or transaction ID. Charges that did not activate a licence are always refunded or fixed. See billing and refunds.

The trial will not start

The checkout shows "couldn't start your trial, you may have used it already." Each account gets one trial, ever, and it is only available on the free plan. If you have never used it and still see this, raise a ticket.

Lost projects

Where a project is saved decides where to look. See where your projects are saved for the full picture.

On the free plan

Free projects live in the browser you made them in. If they are missing:

Are you on the same device and browser? Projects do not follow you to another browser, another browser profile or another computer.
Were you in a private or incognito window? Those erase their storage when closed.
Did you clear browsing data, or does an extension clean it for you? That removes local projects. There is no way to recover them afterwards, apart from a .btg backup.

On Pro

Make sure you are signed in to the account that has the licence.
Projects made before you upgraded are copied to your account once per browser session. If some are missing from another device, open Bitgrain on the original device, reload, and give it a moment.
Video projects sync without their media. On a new device the timeline is there but clips show as missing until you import the same files again.

The studio lost my last few changes

Studio autosaves about a second after you stop editing, so this is rare. If you were working in an unsaved session at /studio/edit, reopening it shows a Recover session? prompt with Restore Work. See recovering an unsaved session.

Tip: Save a .btg copy of anything important from time to time. It is free, works offline, and does not depend on your browser or your plan. See backing up with .btg files.

Still stuck

Ask the help chat (the small button at the corner of most pages).
Raise a ticket with the steps to reproduce the problem.
Email the support address on the contact page.