Saving and opening projects (.smp)

A project is all of your work in a single file: fixtures, the patch, scenes, chases, playlists, groups and the stage size. The project file has the .smp extension.

📍 Where: the program’s top menu → File.

Command	Keys	What it does
New project	Ctrl+N	Creates an empty project
Open…	Ctrl+O	Opens an `.smp` file
Recent projects	—	A list of up to 10 recently opened files — open one with a single click
Save	Ctrl+S	Saves the project to a file
Save as…	Ctrl+Shift+S	Saves to a new file

💡 The name of the open project is shown on the right in the menu bar and in the program window title. Until the project has been saved or opened from a file, it has no name.

How to save:

File → Save (or Ctrl+S).
Choose a name and location — you’ll get an .smp file.

💡 Tip: save often, especially before a show. And in case you forget, the program keeps an auto-backup.

The project file is self-contained. Every fixture stores its own profile (channels, shape, gobo wheels) inside the .smp. That means you can open the project on another computer or send it to support, and everything will open correctly — there’s no need to attach separate profile files.

⚠️ Note: Open and New project replace the entire current project. If you have unsaved work, save it first. And if you do replace it by accident, Restore from auto-backup will save the day.

Importing projects from other applications

The File menu includes QLC+ project import (.qxw) and experimental FreeStyler backup import (.fbf). FreeStyler import transfers the current fixts.fsd patch — fixtures, names, DMX addresses and embedded profiles; one-step CHS files become scenes and multi-step files become chases.

Palettes become presets — in FreeStyler and in QLC+ alike. In both programs a button often records only part of the light: “PAR RED” sets the colour while brightness lives in a separate “PAR FULL” button, and both are pressed together. Such a look (no brightness recorded) is imported into the Presets tab: a preset merges over the current look, exactly as it did in the original program. Looks that do record brightness become ordinary scenes. Chases are unaffected — their steps carry their own snapshots. The import window shows how many of each were created.

The shutter opens itself on import. On many fixtures DMX zero on the shutter channel means “closed”, so an imported fixture is parked in the “open” band — otherwise it would silently stay dark however far you push the brightness. A value you set yourself is never overwritten. FreeStyler profiles do not describe the channel bands, so the shutter position is taken from the show’s own recordings, and the fixtures that could not be verified are listed in the import report: if such a fixture starts flashing by itself, adjust its shutter fader.

⚠️ The first version supports FreeStyler 4.1.x. Extract ZIP files first. Cue lists, submasters, saved locations and FreeStyler 3.x are not transferred; chase timing and Fade/Snap modes are converted approximately. Verify the result with DMX disconnected. Fixtures remain dark after import, and the program creates a safety backup before replacement.

Individual FreeStyler/QLC+ fixture profiles are handled through profile import.

Fig. 12.01.1 — The File menu: saving and opening

Cloud storage for projects (PRO)

A project can live not only on your disk but also in the cloud, so you can open it on any of your computers. This is part of the PRO add-on.

📍 Where: File → Cloud → Save or Load. The menu item is visible to everyone, but without the PRO add-on it stays inactive and carries a PRO badge, so the reason is obvious.

The “Cloud projects” window shows everything at once: the list of stored projects with date and size, a bar with the space used, and the Open and Delete buttons.

To save: type a name (the current file name is filled in for you) and press Save. If a project with that name is already in the cloud, the program asks first and then replaces it.

To open on another computer: sign in to your account, choose File → Cloud → Load and press Open next to the project you need.

Every PRO owner gets 50 MB. That is enough for hundreds of projects: each one is compressed about tenfold before it is sent.

⚠️ Music is not uploaded. A project contains fixtures, scenes, chases, playlists and your own gobo images, but not the audio files themselves — on the new computer you point to the playlist tracks again.

⚠️ The cloud is a convenience, not a replacement for backups. Projects are kept while the PRO add-on is active and for 30 days after it ends. Keep your ordinary copies on disk and the auto-backup as usual.