An AET file is generally an After Effects template master, working like a master AEP that you open to generate new projects while leaving the template intact, and it contains the project’s full structure—compositions, timeline layouts, layered elements, animated keyframes, effects, expressions, camera/light setups, render/project settings, and the internal folder organization and interpretations.
An AET typically doesn’t pack in the raw media; instead it references external clips, graphics, and audio, which is why these templates are usually distributed as a ZIP with a Footage/assets directory and why After Effects may prompt for missing files if anything was not included, and because AETs may rely on specific fonts or third-party plugins, opening one on a new computer can lead to font substitutions until the required items are added, while remembering that file extensions aren’t exclusive, so the safest way to confirm the correct app is checking “Opens with” or considering where the file originated.
An AEP file represents the evolving project file you edit, whereas an AET is a template designed for reuse, meaning you open an AEP to keep working on that same animation but open an AET to start a new variation without modifying the master template.
That’s why AET templates are frequently used for ready-made motion graphics such as intros, lower-thirds, and slideshows: the creator treats the AET as the permanent master, and you open it only to Save As a new AEP before customizing elements like text, color, media, and logos, and while both formats store the same structures—compositions, layers, keyframes, effects, expressions, cameras/lights, and settings—and both typically link to external footage, the AET exists to preserve the original design whereas the AEP is your editable working file.
In case you loved this information and you want to receive much more information concerning AET file opener please visit our website. An AET file captures the structural and behavioral setup of an After Effects project without always embedding media, including compositions with their resolution, frame rate, duration, and nesting, alongside the full timeline build of layers like text, shapes, solids, adjustment layers, precomps, and placeholders, each with properties such as position, scale, rotation, opacity, masks, mattes, blending modes, and parenting, plus animation data like keyframes, easing, markers, and any expressions that automate movement.
The template also preserves effects and their specific settings—color correction, blurs, glows, distortions, transitions—and any 3D layout using cameras, lights, and 3D properties, plus the project’s render/preview options and organizational details like bins, labels, interpretation settings, and proxies, yet it typically doesn’t embed real footage, audio, fonts, or plugins, which means opening it elsewhere can prompt missing-file or missing-effect notices until you relink or install the required resources.
