diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/edit/props.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/edit/props.rs
index 9b6921d3f..2ec716818 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/edit/props.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/edit/props.rs
@@ -267,9 +267,11 @@ pub(super) fn paint_list(s: &mut Session, p: &Value, fills: bool, add: bool) ->
     let doc = s.doc_mut()?;
     for i in ids {
         let n = doc.get_mut(i)?;
-        // A removal that names no paint changes nothing, the characters' own fills included.
+        // A removal that names no paint among the rows shown changes nothing, the characters' own
+        // fills included; characters coloured differently show no rows at all ("Click + to
+        // replace mixed content").
         if !add {
-            let shown = if fills { crate::cmd::lists::character_fills(n).map_or(n.fills.len(), |f| f.len()) } else { n.strokes.len() };
+            let shown = if fills { crate::cmd::lists::character_fills(n).map_or(0, |f| f.len()) } else { n.strokes.len() };
             if index.unwrap_or(shown.saturating_sub(1)) >= shown {
                 continue;
             }
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/image.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/image.rs
index 9f6b942a4..865e4d19a 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/image.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/image.rs
@@ -184,9 +184,10 @@ fn replace(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
     Ok(json!({"image": image, "width": width, "height": height, "changed": changed}))
 }
 
-/// The index of a layer's top visible image fill (fills paint bottom to top).
+/// The index of a layer's top visible image fill among the fills it shows (fills paint bottom to
+/// top): a text's characters' shared list, so none while they are coloured differently.
 pub fn top_image_fill(n: &Node) -> Option<usize> {
-    n.fills.iter().rposition(|f| f.visible && matches!(f.kind, PaintKind::Image(_)))
+    crate::cmd::lists::character_fills(n)?.iter().rposition(|f| f.visible && matches!(f.kind, PaintKind::Image(_)))
 }
 
 fn crop(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
@@ -195,17 +196,17 @@ fn crop(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
     // A selection with nothing to crop is refused as unavailable, not as bad input.
     let refuse = |why: &str| EngineError::Disabled(cmd.into(), why.into());
     let [id] = ids[..] else { return Err(refuse("select one layer to crop its image")) };
-    // A text's fills are its characters' (the Design panel's rows): the crop edits that list.
-    if crate::cmd::lists::has_character_fills(s.doc()?.get(id)?) {
-        crate::cmd::lists::take_character_fills(s.doc_mut()?.get_mut(id)?);
-    }
     let doc = s.doc()?;
     let n = doc.get(id)?;
+    // A text's fills are its characters' (the Design panel's rows): the crop edits that list, and
+    // characters coloured differently have no row to crop ("Click + to replace mixed content").
+    let shown =
+        crate::cmd::lists::character_fills(n).ok_or_else(|| refuse("the characters have different fills, so there is no one fill to crop"))?;
     let index = match get(p, "index") {
         None | Some(Value::Null) => top_image_fill(n).ok_or_else(|| refuse("the layer has no image fill to crop"))?,
         Some(_) => req_index(cmd, p, "index")?,
     };
-    let mut paint = n.fills.get(index).cloned().ok_or_else(|| bad(cmd, "no fill at that index"))?;
+    let mut paint = shown.get(index).cloned().ok_or_else(|| bad(cmd, "no fill at that index"))?;
     let PaintKind::Image(img) = &mut paint.kind else { return Err(bad(cmd, "that fill is not an image")) };
     // An image already in Crop mode only enters crop mode: no edit, no undo step.
     if img.scale_mode != ImageScaleMode::Crop {
@@ -213,6 +214,8 @@ fn crop(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
         img.crop = Some(img.placement_crop(f64::from(data.width), f64::from(data.height), n.width, n.height));
         img.scale_mode = ImageScaleMode::Crop;
         let n = s.doc_mut()?.get_mut(id)?;
+        // The characters' shared list becomes the layer's, so the crop shows on every one of them.
+        crate::cmd::lists::take_character_fills(n);
         if let Some(f) = n.fills.get_mut(index) {
             *f = paint;
         }
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/text_fill_tests.rs b/crates/engine/src/text_fill_tests.rs
index 3e77b47d8..348fcc9e7 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/text_fill_tests.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/text_fill_tests.rs
@@ -69,6 +69,16 @@ fn a_layer_fill_edit_reaches_every_character() {
     s.execute("text.style", &json!({"id": t, "start": 1, "end": 5, "textFills": ["#FFFF00"]})).unwrap();
     s.execute("fill.remove", &json!({"ids": [t], "index": 7})).unwrap();
     assert_eq!(fills_shown(&s, t), ["123456", "FFFF00", "FFFF00", "FFFF00", "FFFF00"], "nothing removed, nothing taken");
+    // Characters coloured differently show no fill rows at all: a removal with or without an
+    // index leaves the layer's hidden fill and the characters' own alone, and there is no row to
+    // crop (the command is unavailable, as the menu has it).
+    s.execute("fill.remove", &json!({"ids": [t], "index": 0})).unwrap();
+    s.execute("fill.remove", &json!({"ids": [t]})).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(fills_shown(&s, t), ["123456", "FFFF00", "FFFF00", "FFFF00", "FFFF00"], "mixed: nothing to remove");
+    assert_eq!(node(&s).fills.len(), 1, "the layer's own fill stays");
+    assert!(matches!(s.execute("image.crop", &json!({"ids": [t]})), Err(crate::EngineError::Disabled(..))), "mixed: nothing to crop");
+    assert_eq!(fills_shown(&s, t), ["123456", "FFFF00", "FFFF00", "FFFF00", "FFFF00"], "and nothing taken");
+    assert_eq!(crate::cmd::image::top_image_fill(&node(&s)), None, "the menu finds no image to crop either");
     s.execute("text.style", &json!({"id": t, "start": 0, "end": 5, "textFills": ["#00FF00"]})).unwrap();
     s.execute("fill.copy", &json!({"id": t})).unwrap();
     let copied = s.clipboard.paint.clone().and_then(|(_, p)| p.solid_color()).map(|c| c.to_hex());