What is Tone Mapping / ACES (ACEScg)?

Tone mapping adapts high-dynamic-range brightness values for a chosen image output. It changes the appearance of contrast and highlights. ACES, the Academy Color Encoding System, provides color management with defined encodings and transforms. ACEScg is a linear working color space within that system. These terms describe different things. For product imagery, a coordinated workflow helps you assess material colors and lighting under controlled conditions. In fireplace and stove imagery, for example, bright flames and darker product surfaces need to remain legible together.

Color management complements material work; see physically based rendering.

Why color management matters for brand imagery

Coordinated outputs: A shared color workflow helps with the transition from stills to video. Output format and target display still need separate checks. Our modular furniture product video is an example of a product shown in motion.
Controlled lighting appearance: A suitable output transform can shape the transition into highlights. It cannot recover detail already lost; exposure and material values remain important.
Collaboration: Documented input spaces, configurations, and viewing transforms reduce ambiguity between 3D software and post-production. Image approval remains part of the work in our 3D rendering studio.

3D rendering of a bright living room with a brown leather sofa and a view of the surrounding nature through large windows

From Technical Term to Visual Experience

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View Work

Scene values, ACEScg, and output

Scene-referred: Values describe light in the scene. Rendering and many compositing operations use linear working spaces. ACEScg uses AP1 primaries; ACES2065-1 uses AP0 and has a different role, including interchange and archiving. See the ACES encoding overview.
Output-referred: The image has been prepared for defined viewing conditions. Color space, transfer function, brightness, and viewing environment belong together. sRGB, Rec.709, and HDR are not interchangeable labels for the same output pipeline.
Version matters: ACES 1 used the terms RRT and ODT; their combination is an Output Transform. ACES 2 retains that umbrella term with a redesigned output transform. It includes more than a single tone curve. The current ACES documentation explains the structure and versions.

ACES, sRGB, and Filmic serve different purposes

Criterion	ACES / ACEScg	sRGB	Filmic / AgX
Objective	Color management system; ACEScg is one of its working spaces.	Defined RGB color space and transfer function, often used for image output.	Viewing transforms with tone mapping, used in software such as Blender.
Gamut and dynamic range	Working space, file format, and output transform have different roles.	Does not describe a complete HDR-to-SDR rendering pipeline.	Shapes the output; not a universal working color space.
Consistency	Requires coordinated versions, inputs, and outputs.	Profiles and interpretation in the target application must match.	The same transform and settings need to be available.
Deployment	Can support shared rendering, compositing, and grading workflows.	Common for finished web product images too, not just sketches.	Image assessment and look development within a suitable color workflow.
Common issue	Wrong input space, a different configuration, or a repeated output transform.	Incorrect profile or confusion between linear data and display-ready imagery.	A different view transform changes the look even when render data stays the same.

A shared OpenColorIO configuration for ACES can provide transforms across applications, provided the software and versions support it. Filmic is not a blanket description of Blender's current default: Blender 4.0 introduced AgX as the default for new files. Changes to an existing production should be tested deliberately.

A color workflow for product and interior imagery

Set the goals: Agree on product references, visual direction, output channels, and viewing conditions.
Choose a working space: ACEScg is one option when the renderer and subsequent workflow support it. Convert data correctly when needed; simply relabeling its color space is not equivalent.
Identify inputs: Use the actual source color space for photographs and color textures. Treat normal, roughness, and displacement maps as data, not color photographs. A camera input transform is not a universal setting for every texture.
Develop the lighting: Assess lights and HDRI lighting through the intended output view. Canyon House shows how space, materials, and lighting shape an image. Fireplace and stove imagery also requires balancing flame light with product surfaces.
Define output: Select the appropriate output or view transform for the target. Distinguish linear intermediate files from finished, display-ready images.
Review: Compare results with agreed product and material references. For animations and product videos, document the handoffs from rendering to post-production and delivery.
Deliver: Agree on format, profile, and resolution for product visualizations. Interactive models in a 3D viewer have their own material and output pipeline. FOR Home Haus is an example of designed brand spaces; color assessment needs to suit the output medium.

Diagnosing color differences

Washed out or unusually contrasty: Check whether an output transform is already baked into the file and applied again. Incorrect input profiles or exposure can also be responsible.
Lost highlights: Inspect the linear source, exposure, and output. Tone mapping cannot recover values that were clipped earlier.
Differences between applications: Compare input and working spaces, OCIO versions, configuration, view, and look. A shared ACES configuration helps only when applications use it appropriately.
Differences on the web: Check export profiles, formats, browser, display, and any 3D viewer settings. sRGB is a common choice, but modern browsers are not inherently limited to it. Identical appearance on arbitrary devices cannot be guaranteed.

Tone mapping and ACES FAQ

What is tone mapping, and do I need ACES for it?

Tone mapping adapts brightness values for an intended output. ACES provides a structured color workflow, but it is not the only option. What matters is a consistent, tested process from source material to final file. Tone mapping is not lossless compression and does not guarantee an identical appearance on every screen.

What is the difference between ACES and ACEScg?

ACES is a color management system with several encodings and transforms. ACEScg is a linear working color space with AP1 primaries used for computer graphics. It is neither a tone curve nor a finished display profile. Output requires an appropriate transform.

What do IDT, RRT, and ODT mean today?

IDT refers to an input transform, for example for camera footage. RRT and ODT come from ACES 1 terminology; together they form an Output Transform. ACES 2 also uses the term Output Transform, with a redesigned structure. The steps you need depend on the source, ACES version, and application.

Why do renders look different in a browser and in 3D software?

Possible causes include incorrect input or output profiles, a repeated transform, different viewing settings, or a different display. Browsers can support spaces beyond sRGB. Compare the finished file under defined conditions and, for a 3D viewer, check its materials, lighting, and tone-mapping settings.

How do I avoid applying the output transform twice?

Document whether a file contains linear scene data or has already been prepared for display. Apply the output transform at the intended stage and interpret the file correctly in the next application. Do not disable all color management indiscriminately: appropriate display conversion is still needed.

When is an ACES workflow useful?

ACES can help when multiple applications or teams exchange image data and color processing needs to remain traceable. Other properly configured color workflows can also deliver high-quality product imagery. The tools, data, and output targets determine what fits. Test a change with representative images instead of assuming it will save time.