Mercury Transmit preview doesn’t match Comp Viewer with ACES (AE 25.2.2)
When an ACES-managed project uses the “ACES/sRGB” View Transform, the Comp panel is tone-mapped correctly, but the Mercury Transmit output ignores that transform and displays the image as if “None / ACES Raw” were selected, causing noticeable contrast and gamma differences between the two monitors.
Environment
- OS: Windows11 Home 10.0.26100 Build 26100
- After Effects: 25.2.2 (Build 2) – UI language en_US
Display setup:
- Monitor (BenQ EW3280U) #1 – UI preview (sRGB)
- Monitor (CG2420) #2 – Mercury Transmit output (Rec.709)
Project / Color settings
- Color Engine → “OCIO color managed”
- OCIO Config → built-in “ACES 1.2”
- Working Color Space → “ACES – ACEScg”
- Display Color Space → default “ACES/Raw” (no option for ACES/sRGB)
- Comp panel View Transform → “ACES/sRGB”
Steps to reproduce
- Create a new 32-bit float comp with the settings above.
- Add a color chart or any high-contrast image.
- Enable Mercury Transmit and send a full-screen preview to Monitor #2.
- Compare the Comp panel (Monitor #1) with the Mercury Transmit output (Monitor #2).
Expected result
Both monitors should show identical colors because the same ACES → sRGB view transform should be applied everywhere.
Actual result
- Comp panel: correctly tone-mapped (ACES → sRGB).
- Mercury Transmit: appears un-mapped, equivalent to “View Transform: None” (lower contrast and gamma shift).
Temporary workaround
Place an OCIO Color Space Transform effect on a top-level adjustment layer:
- Input: ACES – ACEScg
- Output: sRGB
This forces both outputs to match but defeats automatic view-transform handling.
Questions / request
- Is this a known issue in 25.2.2 or a limitation of Mercury Transmit?
- It seems Transmit references Display Color Space (“ACES/Raw”) instead of the active View Transform. Is this by design or a bug?
- Any official guidance or planned fix would be greatly appreciated.
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