diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/render/hdrMode.test.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/render/hdrMode.test.ts
index b8ab196be4..257f7640f2 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/render/hdrMode.test.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/render/hdrMode.test.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import type { ExtractionResult, VideoColorSpace } from "@hyperframes/engine";
-import { resolveEffectiveHdrMode } from "./hdrMode.js";
+import { resolveEffectiveHdrMode, resolveHdrEncodingMode } from "./hdrMode.js";
 
 function makeLog() {
   return { error: vi.fn(), warn: vi.fn(), info: vi.fn(), debug: vi.fn() };
@@ -145,3 +145,12 @@ describe("resolveEffectiveHdrMode", () => {
     );
   });
 });
+
+describe("resolveHdrEncodingMode", () => {
+  it("keeps forced HDR encoding enabled for an SDR-only composition", () => {
+    expect(resolveHdrEncodingMode({ transfer: "hlg" }, 0)).toEqual({
+      hasNativeHdrContent: false,
+      encoderHdr: { transfer: "hlg" },
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/render/hdrMode.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/render/hdrMode.ts
index 4c74381a4f..67be443516 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/render/hdrMode.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/render/hdrMode.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,19 @@ import type { ExtractionResult, HdrTransfer, VideoColorSpace } from "@hyperframe
 import type { ProducerLogger } from "../../logger.js";
 import type { RenderConfig } from "../renderOrchestrator.js";
 
+export function resolveHdrEncodingMode(
+  effectiveHdr: { transfer: HdrTransfer } | undefined,
+  nativeHdrResourceCount: number,
+): {
+  hasNativeHdrContent: boolean;
+  encoderHdr: { transfer: HdrTransfer } | undefined;
+} {
+  return {
+    hasNativeHdrContent: Boolean(effectiveHdr && nativeHdrResourceCount > 0),
+    encoderHdr: effectiveHdr,
+  };
+}
+
 export function resolveEffectiveHdrMode(input: {
   hdrMode: RenderConfig["hdrMode"];
   outputFormat: NonNullable<RenderConfig["format"]>;
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
index c5d2528d3c..1903da6d71 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ import {
 } from "./render/renderEventPublisher.js";
 import { normalizeErrorMessage } from "../utils/errorMessage.js";
 import { formatCaptureFrameName } from "../utils/paths.js";
-import { resolveEffectiveHdrMode } from "./render/hdrMode.js";
+import { resolveEffectiveHdrMode, resolveHdrEncodingMode } from "./render/hdrMode.js";
 import {
   buildRenderPerfSummary,
   pushWorkerDedupPerfs,
@@ -2094,7 +2094,10 @@ export async function executeRenderJob(
     // worker resolution, because the DE inversion below must not fire for
     // comps that route to the layered/HDR paths.)
     const nativeHdrIds = new Set([...nativeHdrVideoIds, ...nativeHdrImageIds]);
-    const hasHdrContent = Boolean(effectiveHdr && nativeHdrIds.size > 0);
+    const { hasNativeHdrContent: hasHdrContent, encoderHdr } = resolveHdrEncodingMode(
+      effectiveHdr,
+      nativeHdrIds.size,
+    );
     // DE priority inversion eligibility — evaluated BEFORE capture calibration
     // because when every multi-worker resolution would be inverted to 1 anyway,
     // the calibration stage (a throwaway Chrome launch + timeline-spread sample
@@ -2532,7 +2535,6 @@ export async function executeRenderJob(
       hasShaderTransitions: compiled.hasShaderTransitions,
       isPngSequence,
     });
-    const encoderHdr = hasHdrContent ? effectiveHdr : undefined;
     // png-sequence has no encoder, but the rest of the orchestrator still
     // reads `preset.quality` for `effectiveQuality` and `preset.codec` for
     // unrelated bookkeeping. Fall back to the mp4 preset shape — its values