Workflow Tip: Sharing Direct Video & Image Preview Links for Client Review Without Heavy Zip Downloads

Hi everyone,

I am running into a strange issue when queuing a 1920x1080 59.94fps composition from After Effects 2026 directly into Adobe Media Encoder via Dynamic Link.

Whenever I select H.264 with the default Match Source - Adaptive High Bitrate preset and switch Bitrate Encoding from VBR 1-pass to VBR, 2 pass, the Target Bitrate [Mbps] slider and numeric input box remain completely locked/grayed out at 21.40 Mbps, even though the Maximum Bitrate [Mbps] slider right below it is unlocked and editable.

Full screenshot of Export Settings dialog: https://media2url.com/m/084ff780766b4b (captured via screenshot to url)

What I have tried so far:

• Switching Hardware Encoding to Software Encoding in the Video tab (still keeps Target Bitrate locked until I toggle the Frame Rate checkbox under Basic Video Settings).
• Exporting a ProRes 422 master first and dragging that MOV into Media Encoder standalone — when I do that, both Target and Maximum Bitrate sliders work normally.

Is there a specific Dynamic Link setting or Level (e.g., Level 4.2 vs 5.1) that locks Target Bitrate when queuing directly from an After Effects comp?