diff --git a/crates/snapbox/src/data/format.rs b/crates/snapbox/src/data/format.rs
index f22eec32..cc573b52 100644
--- a/crates/snapbox/src/data/format.rs
+++ b/crates/snapbox/src/data/format.rs
@@ -23,3 +23,23 @@ impl DataFormat {
         }
     }
 }
+
+impl From<&std::path::Path> for DataFormat {
+    fn from(path: &std::path::Path) -> Self {
+        let file_name = path
+            .file_name()
+            .and_then(|e| e.to_str())
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+        let (file_stem, mut ext) = file_name.split_once('.').unwrap_or((file_name, ""));
+        if file_stem.is_empty() {
+            (_, ext) = file_stem.split_once('.').unwrap_or((file_name, ""));
+        }
+        match ext {
+            #[cfg(feature = "json")]
+            "json" => DataFormat::Json,
+            #[cfg(feature = "term-svg")]
+            "term.svg" => Self::TermSvg,
+            _ => DataFormat::Text,
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/snapbox/src/data/mod.rs b/crates/snapbox/src/data/mod.rs
index d9519698..20e9cca3 100644
--- a/crates/snapbox/src/data/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/snapbox/src/data/mod.rs
@@ -161,7 +161,8 @@ impl Data {
     pub fn read_from(path: &std::path::Path, data_format: Option<DataFormat>) -> Self {
         match Self::try_read_from(path, data_format) {
             Ok(data) => data,
-            Err(err) => Self::error(err, data_format.unwrap_or_default()).with_path(path),
+            Err(err) => Self::error(err, data_format.unwrap_or_else(|| DataFormat::from(path)))
+                .with_path(path),
         }
     }
 
@@ -176,25 +177,14 @@ impl Data {
         let data = match data_format {
             Some(df) => data.is(df),
             None => {
-                let file_name = path
-                    .file_name()
-                    .and_then(|e| e.to_str())
-                    .unwrap_or_default();
-                let (file_stem, mut ext) = file_name.split_once('.').unwrap_or((file_name, ""));
-                if file_stem.is_empty() {
-                    (_, ext) = file_stem.split_once('.').unwrap_or((file_name, ""));
-                }
-                match ext {
+                let inferred_format = DataFormat::from(path);
+                match inferred_format {
                     #[cfg(feature = "json")]
-                    "json" => data.coerce_to(DataFormat::Json),
+                    DataFormat::Json => data.coerce_to(inferred_format),
                     #[cfg(feature = "term-svg")]
-                    "term.svg" => {
+                    DataFormat::TermSvg => {
                         let data = data.coerce_to(DataFormat::Text);
-                        let inner = match data.inner {
-                            DataInner::Text(text) => DataInner::TermSvg(text),
-                            other => other,
-                        };
-                        inner.into()
+                        data.is(inferred_format)
                     }
                     _ => data.coerce_to(DataFormat::Text),
                 }
diff --git a/crates/snapbox/src/data/normalize.rs b/crates/snapbox/src/data/normalize.rs
index ca0455ca..afa3229e 100644
--- a/crates/snapbox/src/data/normalize.rs
+++ b/crates/snapbox/src/data/normalize.rs
@@ -79,10 +79,12 @@ impl Normalize for NormalizeMatches<'_> {
             DataInner::Error(err) => err.into(),
             DataInner::Binary(bin) => Data::binary(bin),
             DataInner::Text(text) => {
-                let lines = self
-                    .substitutions
-                    .normalize(&text, &self.pattern.render().unwrap());
-                Data::text(lines)
+                if let Some(pattern) = self.pattern.render() {
+                    let lines = self.substitutions.normalize(&text, &pattern);
+                    Data::text(lines)
+                } else {
+                    DataInner::Text(text).into()
+                }
             }
             #[cfg(feature = "json")]
             DataInner::Json(value) => {
@@ -94,10 +96,12 @@ impl Normalize for NormalizeMatches<'_> {
             }
             #[cfg(feature = "term-svg")]
             DataInner::TermSvg(text) => {
-                let lines = self
-                    .substitutions
-                    .normalize(&text, &self.pattern.render().unwrap());
-                DataInner::TermSvg(lines).into()
+                if let Some(pattern) = self.pattern.render() {
+                    let lines = self.substitutions.normalize(&text, &pattern);
+                    DataInner::TermSvg(lines).into()
+                } else {
+                    DataInner::TermSvg(text).into()
+                }
             }
         };
         new.source = data.source;