diff --git a/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/CompositingVideoSinkProvider.java b/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/CompositingVideoSinkProvider.java
index 6111657e91..17150ae13e 100644
--- a/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/CompositingVideoSinkProvider.java
+++ b/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/CompositingVideoSinkProvider.java
@@ -201,6 +201,7 @@ public final class CompositingVideoSinkProvider
   private final CopyOnWriteArraySet<CompositingVideoSinkProvider.Listener> listeners;
 
   private Clock clock;
+  private List<Effect> videoEffects;
   private @MonotonicNonNull VideoFrameReleaseControl videoFrameReleaseControl;
   private @MonotonicNonNull VideoFrameRenderControl videoFrameRenderControl;
   private @MonotonicNonNull Format outputFormat;
@@ -208,15 +209,15 @@ public final class CompositingVideoSinkProvider
   private @MonotonicNonNull HandlerWrapper handler;
   private @MonotonicNonNull PreviewingVideoGraph videoGraph;
   private @MonotonicNonNull VideoSinkImpl videoSinkImpl;
-  private @MonotonicNonNull List<Effect> videoEffects;
   @Nullable private Pair<Surface, Size> currentSurfaceAndSize;
   private int pendingFlushCount;
   private @State int state;
 
   private CompositingVideoSinkProvider(Builder builder) {
     this.context = builder.context;
-    this.previewingVideoGraphFactory = checkStateNotNull(builder.previewingVideoGraphFactory);
-    this.listeners = new CopyOnWriteArraySet<>();
+    videoEffects = ImmutableList.of();
+    previewingVideoGraphFactory = checkStateNotNull(builder.previewingVideoGraphFactory);
+    listeners = new CopyOnWriteArraySet<>();
     clock = Clock.DEFAULT;
     state = STATE_CREATED;
   }
@@ -280,7 +281,6 @@ public final class CompositingVideoSinkProvider
   @Override
   public void initialize(Format sourceFormat) throws VideoSink.VideoSinkException {
     checkState(state == STATE_CREATED);
-    checkStateNotNull(videoEffects);
     checkState(videoFrameRenderControl != null && videoFrameReleaseControl != null);
 
     // Lazily initialize the handler here so it's initialized on the playback looper.
@@ -317,7 +317,9 @@ public final class CompositingVideoSinkProvider
     } catch (VideoFrameProcessingException e) {
       throw new VideoSink.VideoSinkException(e, sourceFormat);
     }
-    videoSinkImpl.setVideoEffects(checkNotNull(videoEffects));
+    if (!videoEffects.isEmpty()) {
+      videoSinkImpl.setVideoEffects(videoEffects);
+    }
     addListener(videoSinkImpl);
     state = STATE_INITIALIZED;
   }
diff --git a/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/VideoSinkProvider.java b/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/VideoSinkProvider.java
index 2bc65552b0..45b02c1e3e 100644
--- a/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/VideoSinkProvider.java
+++ b/libraries/exoplayer/src/main/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/VideoSinkProvider.java
@@ -63,8 +63,7 @@ public interface VideoSinkProvider {
   void setPendingVideoEffects(List<Effect> videoEffects);
 
   /**
-   * Initializes the provider for video frame processing. Can be called up to one time and only
-   * after video effects are {@linkplain #setVideoEffects(List) set}.
+   * Initializes the provider for video frame processing. Can be called up to one time.
    *
    * @param sourceFormat The format of the compressed video.
    * @throws VideoSink.VideoSinkException If enabling the provider failed.
diff --git a/libraries/exoplayer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/CompositingVideoSinkProviderTest.java b/libraries/exoplayer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/CompositingVideoSinkProviderTest.java
index 7433cda17b..af40e47379 100644
--- a/libraries/exoplayer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/CompositingVideoSinkProviderTest.java
+++ b/libraries/exoplayer/src/test/java/androidx/media3/exoplayer/video/CompositingVideoSinkProviderTest.java
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ import androidx.media3.common.VideoFrameProcessor;
 import androidx.media3.common.VideoGraph;
 import androidx.test.core.app.ApplicationProvider;
 import androidx.test.ext.junit.runners.AndroidJUnit4;
-import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -54,26 +53,15 @@ public final class CompositingVideoSinkProviderTest {
   @Test
   public void initialize() throws VideoSink.VideoSinkException {
     CompositingVideoSinkProvider provider = createCompositingVideoSinkProvider();
-    provider.setVideoEffects(ImmutableList.of());
 
     provider.initialize(new Format.Builder().build());
 
     assertThat(provider.isInitialized()).isTrue();
   }
 
-  @Test
-  public void initialize_withoutEffects_throws() {
-    CompositingVideoSinkProvider provider = createCompositingVideoSinkProvider();
-
-    assertThrows(
-        IllegalStateException.class,
-        () -> provider.initialize(new Format.Builder().setWidth(640).setHeight(480).build()));
-  }
-
   @Test
   public void initialize_calledTwice_throws() throws VideoSink.VideoSinkException {
     CompositingVideoSinkProvider provider = createCompositingVideoSinkProvider();
-    provider.setVideoEffects(ImmutableList.of());
     provider.initialize(new Format.Builder().build());
 
     assertThrows(
@@ -83,7 +71,6 @@ public final class CompositingVideoSinkProviderTest {
   @Test
   public void isInitialized_afterRelease_returnsFalse() throws VideoSink.VideoSinkException {
     CompositingVideoSinkProvider provider = createCompositingVideoSinkProvider();
-    provider.setVideoEffects(ImmutableList.of());
     provider.initialize(new Format.Builder().build());
 
     provider.release();
@@ -94,7 +81,6 @@ public final class CompositingVideoSinkProviderTest {
   @Test
   public void initialize_afterRelease_throws() throws VideoSink.VideoSinkException {
     CompositingVideoSinkProvider provider = createCompositingVideoSinkProvider();
-    provider.setVideoEffects(ImmutableList.of());
     Format format = new Format.Builder().build();
 
     provider.initialize(format);
@@ -107,7 +93,6 @@ public final class CompositingVideoSinkProviderTest {
   public void setOutputStreamOffsetUs_frameReleaseTimesAreAdjusted()
       throws VideoSink.VideoSinkException {
     CompositingVideoSinkProvider provider = createCompositingVideoSinkProvider();
-    provider.setVideoEffects(ImmutableList.of());
     provider.initialize(new Format.Builder().build());
     VideoSink videoSink = provider.getSink();
     videoSink.registerInputStream(