[Bug] .ass styles are not applied and editor fields reset in the latest beta

[Hunique]

Hi,

I'm testing the latest beta (beta 22) and ran into an issue regarding .ass subtitle styles.

When I create a custom style (e.g., changing the font to Alverata Informal, adding an opaque background box), save it to "Styles saved", and click "Apply", the changes are simply not applied to the subtitles. As you can see in the attached screenshot, the video preview still shows the default Arial font without any background, despite the custom style being selected and applied.

Additionally, when I close and reopen the Styles window, the saved profile is still present in the storage list, but the editor fields completely reset to the default values instead of loading the settings of the saved style.

Could you please take a look at this? Thank you!

Regards,

Hunique

[niksedk]

Seems to work fine here, could you write steps + screenshots for easy re-creation?

[hisui3393]

I have been using Subtitle Edit for ASS subtitle work for a long time, and after adjusting some settings, I am now generally able to work comfortably in SE5 as well.

There are still a few areas that feel different from SE4, but overall I can see the effort being put into improving the new UI and workflow, which I appreciate very much.

Thank you for your continued work on Subtitle Edit.

[Hunique]

Hi Nikolaj,

I recorded a short video showing the exact steps. It is unlisted on YouTube, you can watch it here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5YKca4_CK4
As you can see in the video, I have saved profiles with a specific font, size, and an opaque background box. One of them is selected as the default profile. However, even though it is the default, and no matter if I select it again or set a different saved profile as the default, it just doesn't apply to the subtitles. Additionally, whenever I reopen the .ass style editor, the settings always reset back to Arial.
Also, it just occurred to me that this might be a font-specific issue, as I had a similar problem with another bug report in the past. The font I am trying to use here is "Alverata Informal Lt". Could it be that the bug only happens with certain non-standard fonts?
Here's the Alverata font family, if you want to give it a try:
https://fileport.io/qVxZTpW7KN85

[hisui3393]

Interesting issue.

I have been using several custom fonts modified in FontForge for ASS work in SE5 without problems, so this may indeed be related to how certain font families or internal font names are handled rather than custom fonts in general.

The "Lt" naming or style-family linkage might be confusing something internally.

[Hunique]

Quick update: I just tested it with a standard built-in system font (Times New Roman), and the exact same issue occurs.

Even when I create a profile with Times New Roman, set it as default (True), and click Apply, the video preview still shows the default Arial, and the active style in the file doesn't update (as you can see in the newly attached screenshot). Also, reopening the Styles window still resets everything back to Arial.

So it seems this isn't related to custom/external fonts, but rather a core issue with how saved .ass styles are applied to the active file and loaded in this beta.

One more thought: could this issue be related to accented characters? The Hungarian language uses a lot of them in the subtitles, and I'm wondering if some kind of character encoding bug might be breaking the process when the software tries to apply or load the styles.

[Hunique]

@hisui3393 That was my initial thought too! But to test this theory, I just tried it with a standard built-in system font (Times New Roman), and the exact same issue occurs.

Even when I create a profile with Times New Roman, set it as default (True), and click Apply, the video preview still shows the default Arial, and the active style in the file doesn't update (as you can see in the newly attached screenshot). Also, reopening the Styles window still resets everything back to Arial.

So it seems this isn't exclusively related to custom fonts or "Lt" naming, but rather a core issue with how saved .ass styles are applied and loaded in this beta.

[hisui3393]

Thanks for the detailed test — that’s really helpful.

At this point, it does seem like this is not a font-related issue anymore, but more likely something around the core handling of .ass style state — possibly a combination of SE’s internal behavior, Avalonia integration side effects, and how style updates are being applied or persisted.

Anyway,
Let’s hope SE continues to improve and evolve.

[GrampaWildWilly]

What happens if you fool around with this part of the SE settings:

Maybe these settings are overriding whatever it is that you're doing. I don't have any experience with .ass subtitles so I'm just throwing this out as an idea.

[Hunique]

@GrampaWildWilly Thanks for the idea! I just tested it. It turns out those global settings only affect loaded .srt files (and only if I explicitly click 'Apply' in that settings window). As soon as I switch the format to .ass, those settings have no effect and everything resets. So it doesn't seem to be an override issue. The problem is definitely within the .ass style editor itself failing to apply the saved profiles.

[GrampaWildWilly]

Well, I can tell you from personal experience that those settings also affect vtt subtitles. I wonder exactly which subtitle types those settings cover. Clearly, not ass. They don't cover . . . no, I can't say it. Anyway, I do hope Nik gets to the bottom of this. Bottom. Oh no . . . STOP IT!