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.

What it usually doesn’t contain 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 renamed 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 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 files are a go-to choice for motion-graphics template packs (intros, lower-thirds, slideshows): the designer keeps the AET untouched as the master, and you begin each new video by opening it and doing Save As to create your AEP before customizing text, logos, colors, and media, and although both AET and AEP contain the same technical elements—compositions, layers, keyframes, effects, expressions, cameras/lights, and settings—and both refer to external footage, the AET protects the template while the AEP serves as the editable, ongoing production file.

An AET file is meant to retain the structure and logic of a motion-graphics project but not necessarily its media, holding compositions with their resolution, FPS, duration, and nesting order, and keeping the full layer stack—text, shapes, solids, adjustments, precomps, and placeholders—plus each layer’s settings such as position, scale, rotation, opacity, masks, mattes, blending modes, and parenting, along with all animation info including keyframes, easing curves, markers, and any motion-driving expressions.

In addition, the template captures 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 When you liked this article along with you would want to be given more information about AET file online tool i implore you to stop by our web site. .