diff --git a/croppa/main.py b/croppa/main.py
index ef8ae80..0cd425c 100644
--- a/croppa/main.py
+++ b/croppa/main.py
@@ -931,7 +931,6 @@ class VideoEditor:
                 'tracking_points': {str(k): v for k, v in self.tracking_points.items()},
                 'feature_tracker': self.feature_tracker.get_state_dict(),
                 'template_matching_enabled': self.template_matching_enabled,
-                'tracking_template': self.tracking_template,
                 'template_region': self.template_region
             }
 
@@ -1023,10 +1022,10 @@ class VideoEditor:
             # Load template matching state
             if 'template_matching_enabled' in state:
                 self.template_matching_enabled = state['template_matching_enabled']
-            if 'tracking_template' in state and state['tracking_template'] is not None:
-                self.tracking_template = state['tracking_template']
-            if 'template_region' in state:
+            if 'template_region' in state and state['template_region'] is not None:
                 self.template_region = state['template_region']
+                # Recreate template from region when needed
+                self.tracking_template = None  # Will be recreated on first use
 
             # Validate cut markers against current video length
             if self.cut_start_frame is not None and self.cut_start_frame >= self.total_frames:
@@ -2146,7 +2145,11 @@ class VideoEditor:
     def track_template(self, frame):
         """Track the template in the current frame"""
         if self.tracking_template is None:
-            return None
+            # Try to recreate template from saved region
+            if self.template_region is not None:
+                self._recreate_template_from_region(frame)
+            if self.tracking_template is None:
+                return None
         
         try:
             # Convert to grayscale
@@ -2178,6 +2181,37 @@ class VideoEditor:
             print(f"Error in template tracking: {e}")
             return None
     
+    def _recreate_template_from_region(self, frame):
+        """Recreate template from saved region coordinates"""
+        try:
+            if self.template_region is None:
+                return False
+            
+            x, y, w, h = self.template_region
+            print(f"DEBUG: Recreating template from region ({x}, {y}, {w}, {h})")
+            
+            # Ensure region is within frame bounds
+            if (x >= 0 and y >= 0 and 
+                x + w <= frame.shape[1] and 
+                y + h <= frame.shape[0]):
+                
+                # Extract template from frame
+                template = frame[y:y+h, x:x+w]
+                if template.size > 0:
+                    self.tracking_template = template.copy()
+                    print(f"DEBUG: Template recreated with size {template.shape}")
+                    return True
+                else:
+                    print("DEBUG: Template region too small")
+                    return False
+            else:
+                print("DEBUG: Template region outside frame bounds")
+                return False
+                
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"Error recreating template: {e}")
+            return False
+    
     def _set_template_from_region(self, screen_rect):
         """Set template from selected region"""
         x, y, w, h = screen_rect