PreviewMonitor documentation
How to install the PreviewMonitor plugin, enable it in Premiere Pro or After Effects, and stream your program monitor to an iPhone over Wi-Fi.
PreviewMonitor turns an iPhone into a wireless reference monitor for a video edit. You see the same frame your Program Monitor is showing, at the size and on the class of screen your audience will actually watch it on.
The two halves
PreviewMonitor is two pieces that have to be installed separately.
| Half | What it is | Where it runs |
|---|---|---|
| The desktop plugin | A Mercury Transmit device that captures the program-monitor preview, encodes it, and streams it over your local network | The Mac or PC running Adobe Premiere Pro or After Effects |
| The iPhone app | The receiver. Decodes the stream, draws safe-zone overlays, and sends transport commands back | An iPhone on the same Wi-Fi network |
Neither half is useful alone. Install the plugin first, then connect the app to it.
What it is for
- Judging framing and legibility of captions on a phone-sized screen while you cut.
- Checking a grade on an OLED phone display instead of guessing from a desktop panel.
- Handing the phone to a client or director so they watch the edit while you keep working.
- Driving playback from the phone: play/pause, step a frame, jump to the In or Out point.
Everything stays on your local network. There is no account, no cloud upload, and no internet round-trip — the stream goes straight from your machine to the phone over Wi-Fi.
Start here
Check the requirements — Adobe host version, OS, iPhone, and network.
Enable the device in Premiere Pro or After Effects. The plugin does nothing until it is ticked.
Connect the iPhone — auto-discovery, QR code, or manual IP.
Take your first stream and learn the live screen.
Free and Pro
Live streaming is free. There is no paywall at connect time, and no trial to start before the picture appears.
A Pro subscription raises the ceilings: the Resolution Limit goes from a 360p cap to uncapped (including Source), audio goes from 10-second on-demand samples to continuous, pinch-zoom goes from 4x to 30x, the TikTok and Reels layout sets unlock, and the Universal Safe Zone color and opacity become editable.
See Free vs Pro for the full breakdown and the pricing.
Where to go next
- Guides — task-shaped walkthroughs for social editors, colorists, After Effects artists, client review, and studio IT.
- The iPhone App — every screen and control in the receiver.
- The Desktop Plugin — the Setup window, trusted devices, transport control, logs.
- Reference — settings, network, picture and color, hard limits.
- Troubleshooting — start here when something does not appear.
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