An AET file is typically used as a reusable AE template, acting like a master version of an AEP that you open to create fresh projects without touching the original, and inside it holds the blueprint for the animation such as compositions, timelines, layered elements, keyframes, effects, expressions, cameras, lights, global settings, and the project’s internal organization including folders and interpretation rules.

What an AET generally doesn’t bundle is the full media; instead it stores links or paths to footage, images, and audio kept elsewhere, which explains why templates are often zipped with a Footage or assets folder and why missing-file prompts appear if media was renamed, plus the fact that AETs can depend on certain fonts or plugins means opening them on a different computer may cause alerts until everything is installed, and since file extensions aren’t exclusive, verifying the file’s "Opens with" setting or checking its source location is the most reliable way to confirm its creator and needed companion files.

An AEP file is your ongoing After Effects project, while an AET is a reusable template, so in practice the difference lies in purpose: you open an AEP to continue that same project, but you open an AET to begin a new project instance so the original stays clean.

That’s why AET files are popular for motion-graphics template packs like intros, lower-thirds, and slideshows: the creator preserves the AET as the untouched master and you open it only to Save As a separate AEP for each new video, replacing text, images, colors, and logos, and even though both AET and AEP hold the same kinds of data—comps, layers, keyframes, effects, expressions, cameras/lights, and settings—and both normally reference external media, the AET’s job is to safeguard the template while the AEP becomes the project you actively modify.

In case you have just about any questions relating to exactly where along with the best way to use AET file opener, you possibly can e mail us at our web site. An AET file preserves 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.

Beyond that, the template includes your effects and their parameters, from color correction and blurs to glows, distortions, and transitions, as well as any 3D configuration with cameras, lighting, and 3D layer options plus render/preview settings, and it also preserves project organization like folders, label colors, and interpretation settings, though it usually doesn’t pack raw media, audio, fonts, or plugins—only file paths—so opening it elsewhere may cause missing-footage or missing-plugin alerts until dependencies are restored.