An AET file serves as a reusable After Effects template, intended for repeated use so you open it, save a new project, and customize that copy, while the template stores the construction plan of the animation including comps, timelines, layers, keyframes, effects, expressions, camera/light settings, render configurations, and all the folder/interpretation organization that holds the project together.

Because an AET does not normally embed the raw media, it instead holds paths to video, image, and audio files stored elsewhere, explaining why template downloads often include a zipped assets/Footage folder and why After Effects may report missing files if items get left out, and since some AETs depend on specific fonts or plugins, opening them on another computer can cause font substitutions until everything is installed, with the reminder that AET is not an exclusive extension, so checking the file’s "Opens with" settings or remembering where it came from helps confirm the correct application and required companion files.

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 AETs are commonly chosen for packaged motion-graphics templates such as intros, lower-thirds, and slideshows: the creator keeps the AET as the master and each time a new video is needed you open it, immediately Save As a new project (becoming your own AEP), then swap text, colors, logos, and media, and although both formats can store the same project elements—comps, layers, keyframes, effects, expressions, cameras/lights, and settings—and both usually reference external footage, the AET is built to protect the master for repeatable work while the AEP serves as the editable file you keep updating.

When you loved this informative article and you would want to receive more info relating to AET file online tool kindly visit the website. An AET file generally stores everything needed to preserve the structure and behavior of a motion-graphics setup but not the raw media itself, keeping all compositions with their resolution, frame rate, duration, nesting, plus the full timeline of layers—text, shapes, solids, adjustments, precomps, and footage placeholders—along with each layer’s properties like position, scale, rotation, opacity, masks, mattes, blending modes, and parenting, as well as animation data such as keyframes, easing, markers, and any expressions that automate motion.

The template also records 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.