ACEScg Explained
ACEScg: Overview
ACEScg is part of the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES), developed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to standardize color workflows in film and visual effects. As a scene-referred, linear light working space, ACEScg supports an extended RGB gamut that exceeds most display-referred spaces, preserving detail in highlights and shadows during heavy grading and compositing.
ACEScg: Technical Specifications
ACEScg uses the AP1 primaries and a D60 white point, encoded in 32-bit floating point for precision. Its linear transfer curve ensures mathematically accurate color blending and lighting calculations in CGI. By remaining scene-referred, ACEScg avoids clipping and quantization artifacts, enabling seamless exchange across camera formats and VFX pipelines.
ACEScg: Workflow Integration
In a typical ACES pipeline, footage is first transformed via an input device transform (IDT) into the ACES scene-referred domain, then converted to ACEScg for VFX and compositing. After creative work, an output device transform (ODT) maps ACEScg to display-referred spaces (SDR, HDR, P3). ACEScg’s adoption by major studios and post houses has made it the de facto standard for high-fidelity color management in modern productions.