diff --git a/apps/effectcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs b/apps/effectcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs
index f1d28c5e..1111db40 100644
--- a/apps/effectcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs
+++ b/apps/effectcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs
@@ -623,3 +623,47 @@ fn gpu_adapter_name_empty_is_unset() {
     let all = format!("{}{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout), String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr));
     assert!(!all.contains("WGPU_ADAPTER_NAME"), "{all}");
 }
+
+/// Renders two seconds of the demo at quarter resolution (long enough for several progress
+/// updates) and returns stderr, which `output()` reads through a pipe: not a terminal.
+fn render_demo_stderr(name: &str, extra: &[&str]) -> String {
+    let out = tmp(name);
+    let mut args = vec!["render", "--demo", "--format", "gif", "--start", "0", "--end", "2", "--resolution", "quarter", "--out", out.to_str().unwrap()];
+    args.extend_from_slice(extra);
+    let o = bin().args(&args).output().unwrap();
+    let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stderr).to_string();
+    assert!(o.status.success(), "{args:?}: {stderr}");
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_file(out);
+    stderr
+}
+
+/// `render --progress` with a piped stderr reports the render's frames as
+/// `progress <frames done> <frames total> <seconds elapsed> <seconds left|->` lines, one per
+/// change (#1778).
+#[test]
+fn render_progress_reports_frames_on_a_piped_stderr() {
+    let stderr = render_demo_stderr("progress.gif", &["--progress"]);
+    let mut last_done = None;
+    let mut totals = vec![];
+    for line in stderr.lines().filter(|l| l.starts_with("progress")) {
+        let fields: Vec<&str> = line.split(' ').collect();
+        assert_eq!(fields.len(), 5, "{line}");
+        let done: u64 = fields[1].parse().unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("{line}: frames done: {e}"));
+        let total: u64 = fields[2].parse().unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("{line}: frames total: {e}"));
+        let elapsed: f64 = fields[3].parse().unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("{line}: seconds elapsed: {e}"));
+        assert!(fields[4] == "-" || fields[4].parse::<f64>().is_ok_and(|left| left >= 0.0), "{line}: seconds left");
+        assert!(done <= total && total > 0 && elapsed >= 0.0, "{line}");
+        assert!(last_done.is_none_or(|last| done > last), "one line per change, and frames only go up: {stderr}");
+        last_done = Some(done);
+        totals.push(total);
+    }
+    assert!(!totals.is_empty(), "no progress line on a piped stderr: {stderr}");
+    assert!(totals.iter().all(|&t| t == totals[0]), "one render, one total: {stderr}");
+}
+
+/// Without `--progress`, the same render writes no progress lines to a piped stderr (#1778).
+#[test]
+fn render_without_progress_writes_no_progress_lines() {
+    let stderr = render_demo_stderr("no-progress.gif", &[]);
+    assert!(!stderr.lines().any(|l| l.starts_with("progress")), "{stderr}");
+}
diff --git a/apps/effectcraft-cli/tests/qa_template.rs b/apps/effectcraft-cli/tests/qa_template.rs
index 1dd5874c..8b877755 100644
--- a/apps/effectcraft-cli/tests/qa_template.rs
+++ b/apps/effectcraft-cli/tests/qa_template.rs
@@ -690,10 +690,11 @@ fn template_frame_output_cannot_alias_its_values_through_a_hard_link() {
     let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
 }
 
-#[test]
-fn template_values_fill_a_media_replacement_control_with_a_file_path() {
+/// A template whose `Clip` control is a Media Replacement showing `source.png` (blue), with
+/// `other.png` (red) beside it to replace it with, exported as `lt.ectemplate` in a fresh `dir`.
+fn media_template(case: &str) -> PathBuf {
     let temp_root = std::env::temp_dir().canonicalize().unwrap();
-    let dir = temp_root.join(format!("ec-qa-template-media-control-{}", std::process::id()));
+    let dir = temp_root.join(format!("ec-qa-template-{case}-{}", std::process::id()));
     let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
     std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).unwrap();
     std::fs::write(dir.join("build.jsx"), BUILD).unwrap();
@@ -708,11 +709,24 @@ fn template_values_fill_a_media_replacement_control_with_a_file_path() {
     let params = serde_json::json!({"comp": "Lower Third", "layer": layer, "name": "Clip"}).to_string();
     ok(&dir, &["exec", "essential.addMedia", &params, "t.ecproj", "--save"]);
     ok(&dir, &["exec", "essential.exportTemplate", r#"{"comp":"Lower Third","path":"lt.ectemplate"}"#, "t.ecproj"]);
+    dir
+}
 
-    std::fs::write(dir.join("values.json"), r#"{"Clip":"other.png"}"#).unwrap();
-    ok(&dir, &["render-frame", "--template", "lt.ectemplate", "--values", "values.json", "--time", "1", "--out", "out.png"]);
+/// Renders the template's frame with `values` and checks that the control shows `other.png`.
+fn assert_renders_the_replacement(dir: &PathBuf, values: &str) {
+    std::fs::write(dir.join("values.json"), values).unwrap();
+    ok(dir, &["render-frame", "--template", "lt.ectemplate", "--values", "values.json", "--time", "1", "--out", "out.png"]);
     let px = image::open(dir.join("out.png")).unwrap().to_rgba8().get_pixel(8, 8).0;
-    assert!((px[0] as i32 - 200).abs() <= 2 && (px[1] as i32 - 20).abs() <= 2 && (px[2] as i32 - 40).abs() <= 2, "replacement media rendered: {px:?}");
+    assert!(
+        (px[0] as i32 - 200).abs() <= 2 && (px[1] as i32 - 20).abs() <= 2 && (px[2] as i32 - 40).abs() <= 2,
+        "{values}: replacement media rendered: {px:?}"
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn template_values_fill_a_media_replacement_control_with_a_file_path() {
+    let dir = media_template("media-control");
+    assert_renders_the_replacement(&dir, r#"{"Clip":"other.png"}"#);
 
     // A control that is not given a path is rejected with a clear message.
     std::fs::write(dir.join("bad.json"), r#"{"Clip":5}"#).unwrap();
@@ -721,3 +735,35 @@ fn template_values_fill_a_media_replacement_control_with_a_file_path() {
     assert!(reply["error"].as_str().unwrap().contains("media control"), "{reply}");
     let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
 }
+
+/// The object forms `{"path"|"file"|"media": …}` take a file path too, and the control is found
+/// by name the way `essential.set` finds it: exactly, then ignoring case (#1787).
+#[test]
+fn template_media_control_takes_a_path_object_and_a_name_in_any_case() {
+    let dir = media_template("media-forms");
+    for values in [
+        r#"{"Clip":{"path":"other.png"}}"#,
+        r#"{"Clip":{"file":"other.png"}}"#,
+        r#"{"Clip":{"media":"other.png"}}"#,
+        r#"{"clip":"other.png"}"#,
+        r#"{"CLIP":{"path":"other.png"}}"#,
+    ] {
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_file(dir.join("out.png"));
+        assert_renders_the_replacement(&dir, values);
+    }
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+}
+
+/// A media path that cannot be imported fails the render with an error naming the control and
+/// the path, and writes no frame (#1787).
+#[test]
+fn template_media_control_reports_a_path_that_cannot_be_imported() {
+    let dir = media_template("media-missing");
+    std::fs::write(dir.join("missing.json"), r#"{"Clip":"missing.png"}"#).unwrap();
+    let (code, reply) = cli(&dir, &["render-frame", "--template", "lt.ectemplate", "--values", "missing.json", "--time", "1", "--out", "missing-out.png"]);
+    assert_eq!(code, 1, "{reply}");
+    let error = reply["error"].as_str().unwrap();
+    assert!(error.contains("control `Clip`: cannot import missing.png"), "{reply}");
+    assert!(!dir.join("missing-out.png").exists(), "{reply}");
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+}