An AET file functions chiefly as an AE template project, 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.
If you have any concerns regarding where and how to use AET file error, you can get hold of us at our web-page. What it usually does not store is the raw media itself; instead it keeps references or paths to external footage, images, and audio, which is why templates are often delivered as a ZIP with an assets/Footage folder and why you’ll see missing-file prompts if items were left out or not synced, and because AETs may rely on specific fonts or third-party plugins, opening one on another machine can trigger warnings until everything is installed or relinked, with the final reminder that although AET typically means an After Effects template, file extensions aren’t exclusive, so checking “Opens with” in file properties or recalling where the file came from is the safest way to confirm what program created it and what extra files it should include.
An AEP file acts as the main After Effects project for ongoing work, while an AET is a template meant to be reused, so the workflow contrast is simple: edit an AEP directly as it evolves, but use an AET to create a new project that preserves the original 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.
An AET file retains the structure and animation logic of an After Effects project but not always the media assets, containing compositions with defined resolution, FPS, duration, and nesting, plus the complete layer arrangement—text, shapes, solids, adjustments, precomps, and placeholders—with layer properties like position, scale, rotation, opacity, masks, mattes, blending modes, parenting, and the project’s animation data including keyframes, easing, markers, and any expressions used to automate motion.
In addition, the template retains all effects and their configured values—whether color correction, blurs, glows, distortions, or transitions—plus any 3D setup involving cameras, lights, and 3D layer controls, along with render/preview preferences and project-level organization such as folders, labels, and interpretation rules, but it usually avoids bundling actual footage, audio, fonts, or plugins, relying instead on linked paths that can produce missing-asset or missing-effect warnings on another machine.
