diff --git a/app/core/gimpprojection-construct.c b/app/core/gimpprojection-construct.c
index d66968310a..e1f016705d 100644
--- a/app/core/gimpprojection-construct.c
+++ b/app/core/gimpprojection-construct.c
@@ -261,9 +261,10 @@ gimp_projection_initialize (GimpProjection *proj,
         }
       else
         {
-          TileManager *tiles = gimp_pickable_get_tiles (GIMP_PICKABLE (proj));
+          TileManager *tiles  = gimp_pickable_get_tiles (GIMP_PICKABLE (proj));
+          const Babl  *format = gimp_pickable_get_format (GIMP_PICKABLE (proj));
 
-          buffer = gimp_tile_manager_create_buffer (tiles, NULL);
+          buffer = gimp_tile_manager_create_buffer (tiles, format);
         }
 
       gegl_buffer_clear (buffer, GEGL_RECTANGLE (x, y, w, h));
diff --git a/app/core/gimpprojection.c b/app/core/gimpprojection.c
index 3b718f67ff..406606c25c 100644
--- a/app/core/gimpprojection.c
+++ b/app/core/gimpprojection.c
@@ -306,9 +306,10 @@ gimp_projection_get_buffer (GimpPickable *pickable)
 
   if (! proj->buffer)
     {
-      TileManager *tiles = gimp_projection_get_tiles (pickable);
+      TileManager *tiles  = gimp_projection_get_tiles (pickable);
+      const Babl  *format = gimp_projection_get_format (pickable);
 
-      proj->buffer = gimp_tile_manager_create_buffer (tiles, NULL);
+      proj->buffer = gimp_tile_manager_create_buffer (tiles, format);
 
       if (proj->sink_node)
         {
diff --git a/app/gegl/gimptilebackendtilemanager.c b/app/gegl/gimptilebackendtilemanager.c
index a5f0aba401..edeb8b5f82 100644
--- a/app/gegl/gimptilebackendtilemanager.c
+++ b/app/gegl/gimptilebackendtilemanager.c
@@ -376,17 +376,12 @@ gimp_tile_backend_tile_manager_new (TileManager *tm,
   gint             mul    = gimp_gegl_tile_mul ();
   GeglRectangle    rect   = { 0, 0, width, height };
 
-  g_return_val_if_fail (format == NULL ||
-                        babl_format_get_bytes_per_pixel (format) ==
-                        babl_format_get_bytes_per_pixel (gimp_bpp_to_babl_format (bpp)),
-                        NULL);
+  g_return_val_if_fail (format != NULL, NULL);
+  g_return_val_if_fail (babl_format_get_bytes_per_pixel (format) == bpp, NULL);
 
   if (tm->validate_proc)
     mul = 1;
 
-  if (! format)
-    format = gimp_bpp_to_babl_format (bpp);
-
   ret = g_object_new (GIMP_TYPE_TILE_BACKEND_TILE_MANAGER,
                       "tile-width",  TILE_WIDTH  * mul,
                       "tile-height", TILE_HEIGHT * mul,
diff --git a/app/tests/test-gimptilebackendtilemanager.c b/app/tests/test-gimptilebackendtilemanager.c
index 299336e16c..8e29891637 100644
--- a/app/tests/test-gimptilebackendtilemanager.c
+++ b/app/tests/test-gimptilebackendtilemanager.c
@@ -60,12 +60,13 @@ basic_usage (void)
   GeglTileBackend *backend;
   GeglBuffer      *buffer;
   guint16          actual_data[4];
+  const Babl      *format = babl_format ("R'G'B'A u8");
 
   /* Write some pixels to the tile manager */
   tm = tile_manager_new (rect.width, rect.height, 4);
   pixel_region_init (&pr, tm, rect.x, rect.y, rect.width, rect.height, TRUE);
 
-  buffer = gimp_tile_manager_create_buffer (tm, NULL, TRUE);
+  buffer = gimp_tile_manager_create_buffer (tm, format, TRUE);
   gegl_color_set_rgba (magenta, 1.0, 0.0, 1.0, 1.0);
   gegl_buffer_set_color (buffer, NULL, magenta);
   g_object_unref (magenta);
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ basic_usage (void)
    * TileManager backend. Use u16 to complicate code paths, decreasing
    * risk of the test accidentally passing
    */
-  backend = gimp_tile_backend_tile_manager_new (tm, NULL, FALSE);
+  backend = gimp_tile_backend_tile_manager_new (tm, format, FALSE);
   buffer  = gegl_buffer_new_for_backend (NULL, backend);
   gegl_buffer_get (buffer,
                    &pixel_rect, 1.0 /*scale*/,