diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
index 3497785c5..3b6e4b960 100644
--- a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
+++ b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
@@ -11,12 +11,14 @@ Addresses issue # .
 
 
 **Checklist:**
+The below is a list of things what will be considered when reviewing PRs. It is not prescriptive, and does not
+imply that PRs which touch any of these will be rejected but gives a rough indication of where there is a potential 
+for hangups (i.e. factors which could turn a 5 min review into a half hour or longer and shunt it to the bottom
+of the TODO list).
 
-- [ ] Tested with numpy=1.14
-- [ ] Tested on python 2.7 and 3.6
-- [ ] Tested with wx=3.x and wx=4.x [if UI code]
 - [ ] Does the PR avoid variable renaming in existing code, whitespace changes, and other forms of tidying? [There is a place for code tidying, but it makes reviewing 
-much simpler if this is kept separate from functional changes]
+much simpler if this is kept separate from functional changes. The auto-formatting performed by some editors is particulaly egregious and can lead to files with thousands
+of non-functional changes with a few functional changes scattered amoungst them]
 
 If an enhancement (or non-trivial bugfix):
 
diff --git a/PYME/LMVis/renderers.py b/PYME/LMVis/renderers.py
index 281800619..f596e3860 100644
--- a/PYME/LMVis/renderers.py
+++ b/PYME/LMVis/renderers.py
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@
 #import pylab
 import numpy as np
 
+import logging
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
 renderMetadataProviders = []
 
 SAMPLE_MD_KEYS = [
@@ -272,6 +275,12 @@ def Generate(self, settings):
             # for recipe usage, if provided with 'all', replace colour list with a list of all available channels
             colours = self.colourFilter.getColourChans()
 
+            if len(colours) == 0:
+                # hack to make this do something sane / backwards compatible
+                # when colour info is missing (see comment on #1305)
+                logger.warning("Renderer called with colours=['all',] but datasource has no colour information. Most likely the result of a missing ProcessColour module.")
+                colours=[None,]
+
         oldC = self.colourFilter.currentColour
 
         ims = []