diff --git a/dialogs/preferencesdialog.cpp b/dialogs/preferencesdialog.cpp
index 78312b4c2..859ae57db 100644
--- a/dialogs/preferencesdialog.cpp
+++ b/dialogs/preferencesdialog.cpp
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include "io/config.h"
 #include "io/path.h"
 #include "rendering/audio.h"
+#include "panels/panels.h"
 #include "mainwindow.h"
 
 #include <QMenuBar>
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ QString KeySequenceEditor::export_shortcut() {
   if (ks != action->property("default")) {
     return action->property("id").toString() + "\t" + keySequence().toString();
   }
-  return 0;
+  return nullptr;
 }
 
 PreferencesDialog::PreferencesDialog(QWidget *parent) :
@@ -173,6 +174,7 @@ void PreferencesDialog::save() {
   bool restart_after_saving = false;
   bool reinit_audio = false;
   bool reload_language = false;
+  bool reload_effects = false;
 
   // Validate whether the specified CSS file exists
   if (!custom_css_fn->text().isEmpty() && !QFileInfo::exists(custom_css_fn->text())) {
@@ -184,9 +186,13 @@ void PreferencesDialog::save() {
     return;
   }
 
+  // Validate whether the effects panel should refresh itself
+  if (olive::CurrentConfig.effect_textbox_lines != effect_textbox_lines_field->value()) {
+    reload_effects = true;
+  }
+
   // Check if any settings will require a restart of Olive
-  if (olive::CurrentConfig.effect_textbox_lines != effect_textbox_lines_field->value()
-      || olive::CurrentConfig.use_software_fallback != use_software_fallbacks_checkbox->isChecked()
+  if (olive::CurrentConfig.use_software_fallback != use_software_fallbacks_checkbox->isChecked()
       || olive::CurrentConfig.thumbnail_resolution != thumbnail_res_spinbox->value()
       || olive::CurrentConfig.waveform_resolution != waveform_res_spinbox->value()) {
 
@@ -290,6 +296,10 @@ void PreferencesDialog::save() {
     init_audio();
   }
 
+  if (reload_effects) {
+    panel_effect_controls->Reload();
+  }
+
   // reload language file if it changed
   if (reload_language) {
     olive::Global->load_translation_from_config();
diff --git a/project/effectfields/stringfield.cpp b/project/effectfields/stringfield.cpp
index 609a62362..322f40f6f 100644
--- a/project/effectfields/stringfield.cpp
+++ b/project/effectfields/stringfield.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 #include "stringfield.h"
 
+#include <QtMath>
+
+#include "ui/texteditex.h"
+#include "io/config.h"
+
 StringField::StringField(EffectRow* parent, const QString& id) :
   EffectField(parent, id, EFFECT_FIELD_STRING)
 {
@@ -10,3 +15,24 @@ QString StringField::GetStringAt(double timecode)
 {
   return GetValueAt(timecode).toString();
 }
+
+QWidget *StringField::CreateWidget()
+{
+  TextEditEx* text_edit = new TextEditEx();
+
+  text_edit->setUndoRedoEnabled(true);
+
+  // the "2" looks like a magic number, but it's just one pixel on the top and the bottom
+  text_edit->setFixedHeight(qCeil(text_edit->fontMetrics().lineSpacing()*olive::CurrentConfig.effect_textbox_lines
+                                  + text_edit->document()->documentMargin()
+                                  + text_edit->document()->documentMargin() + 2));
+
+  connect(text_edit, SIGNAL(textModified(const QString&)), this, SLOT(UpdateFromWidget(const QString&)));
+
+  return text_edit;
+}
+
+void StringField::UpdateFromWidget(const QString &s)
+{
+  SetValueAt(Now(), s);
+}
diff --git a/project/effectfields/stringfield.h b/project/effectfields/stringfield.h
index a7ca70668..043dbbb67 100644
--- a/project/effectfields/stringfield.h
+++ b/project/effectfields/stringfield.h
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ public:
   StringField(EffectRow* parent, const QString& id);
 
   QString GetStringAt(double timecode);
+
+  virtual QWidget *CreateWidget() override;
+private slots:
+  void UpdateFromWidget(const QString& b);
 };
 
 #endif // STRINGFIELD_H
diff --git a/ui/texteditex.cpp b/ui/texteditex.cpp
index f56bcf1cc..e4c525dd4 100644
--- a/ui/texteditex.cpp
+++ b/ui/texteditex.cpp
@@ -72,6 +72,8 @@ TextEditEx::TextEditEx(QWidget *parent) : QTextEdit(parent)
 {
   setContextMenuPolicy(Qt::CustomContextMenu);
   connect(this, SIGNAL(customContextMenuRequested(const QPoint&)), this, SLOT(text_edit_menu()));
+
+  connect(this, SIGNAL(textChanged()), this, SLOT(queue_text_modified()));
 }
 
 void TextEditEx::text_edit_menu() {
@@ -90,3 +92,8 @@ void TextEditEx::open_text_edit() {
     setHtml(result);
   }
 }
+
+void TextEditEx::queue_text_modified()
+{
+  emit textModified(toHtml());
+}
diff --git a/ui/texteditex.h b/ui/texteditex.h
index aca586034..20d3d08f9 100644
--- a/ui/texteditex.h
+++ b/ui/texteditex.h
@@ -23,31 +23,16 @@
 
 #include <QTextEdit>
 
-/*
 class TextEditEx : public QTextEdit {
   Q_OBJECT
 public:
-  TextEditEx(QWidget* parent = 0);
-  void setPlainTextEx(const QString &text);
-  const QString& getPreviousValue();
-  const QString& getPlainTextEx();
+  TextEditEx(QWidget* parent = nullptr);
 signals:
-  void updateSelf();
-private slots:
-  void updateInternals();
-  void updateText();
-private:
-  QString previousText;
-  QString text;
-};
-*/
-
-class TextEditEx : public QTextEdit {
-public:
-  TextEditEx(QWidget* parent);
+  void textModified(const QString& s);
 private slots:
   void text_edit_menu();
   void open_text_edit();
+  void queue_text_modified();
 };
 
 #endif // TEXTEDITEX_H