diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/PropertyValueConverterBase.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/PropertyValueConverterBase.cs
index 6befdf86b4..23a5b3f08c 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/PropertyValueConverterBase.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/PropertyValueConverterBase.cs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.PropertyEditors
     /// <summary>
     /// Provides a default overridable implementation for <see cref="IPropertyValueConverter"/> that does nothing.
     /// </summary>
-    public class PropertyValueConverterBase : IPropertyValueConverter
+    public abstract class PropertyValueConverterBase : IPropertyValueConverter
     {
         public virtual bool IsConverter(PublishedPropertyType propertyType)
         {
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/ImageCropperValue.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/ImageCropperValue.cs
index 857d22288c..999a529c68 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/ImageCropperValue.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/ImageCropperValue.cs
@@ -161,6 +161,8 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.PropertyEditors.ValueConverters // fixme MOVE TO MODELS O
             // merge the crop values - the alias + width + height comes from
             // configuration, but each crop can store its own coordinates
 
+            if (Crops == null) return;
+
             var configuredCrops = configuration?.Crops;
             if (configuredCrops == null) return;
 
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/ImageCropperValueConverter.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/ImageCropperValueConverter.cs
index db272269eb..413e66afb7 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/ImageCropperValueConverter.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/ImageCropperValueConverter.cs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.PropertyEditors.ValueConverters
     /// <summary>
     /// Represents a value converter for the image cropper value editor.
     /// </summary>
-    [DefaultPropertyValueConverter]
+    [DefaultPropertyValueConverter(typeof(JsonValueConverter))]
     public class ImageCropperValueConverter : PropertyValueConverterBase
     {
         /// <inheritdoc />
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/JsonValueConverter.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/JsonValueConverter.cs
index 4ea73e829e..42c128dca5 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/JsonValueConverter.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/PropertyEditors/ValueConverters/JsonValueConverter.cs
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.PropertyEditors.ValueConverters
         /// <returns></returns>
         public override bool IsConverter(PublishedPropertyType propertyType)
         {
-            var propertyEditor = Current.PropertyEditors[propertyType.EditorAlias];
+            var propertyEditor = Current.PropertyEditors[propertyType.EditorAlias]; // fixme inject!
             if (propertyEditor == null) return false;
             return propertyEditor.ValueEditor.ValueType.InvariantEquals(ValueTypes.Json);
         }
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/Runtime/WebRuntimeComponent.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/Runtime/WebRuntimeComponent.cs
index e6ea06e752..6cbed8dc6e 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web/Runtime/WebRuntimeComponent.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/Runtime/WebRuntimeComponent.cs
@@ -137,8 +137,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Runtime
             composition.Container.GetInstance<PropertyValueConverterCollectionBuilder>()
                 .Remove<TinyMceValueConverter>()
                 .Remove<TextStringValueConverter>()
-                .Remove<MarkdownEditorValueConverter>()
-                .Remove<ImageCropperValueConverter>();
+                .Remove<MarkdownEditorValueConverter>();
 
             // add all known factories, devs can then modify this list on application
             // startup either by binding to events or in their own global.asax