An AET file is most often an After Effects template file, functioning as a reusable starter setup similar to an AEP but meant to be opened repeatedly without overwriting the original, so After Effects treats it like a master you open and then save as a new project, containing the full “recipe” for the animation—comps, timelines, layer stacks, keyframes, effects, expressions, cameras/lights, render settings, and organizational elements like folders and interpretations.

An AET normally doesn’t store raw media; instead it holds references to external video, audio, and images, which is why template packs often come zipped with an assets/Footage folder and why missing-file dialogs appear if media gets excluded, and since AETs may require certain fonts or plugins, opening them on another system can trigger alerts until you install or relink what’s needed, with the added note that file extensions can overlap, so confirming the true source via “Opens with” or the file’s origin folder is the best way to know what program created it.

Here is more information on AET file online tool visit our own page. An AEP file acts as your active After Effects project, letting you import assets, edit compositions, and tweak effects over time, whereas an AET is designed as a template to be reused, making the key distinction that you update an AEP directly but open an AET only to produce a fresh project based on it without altering the master.

That’s why AET formats are commonly packaged in motion-graphics template sets like intros, lower-thirds, and slideshows: the AET remains the creator’s master, and for each new video you open it, Save As a new AEP, then swap in your own text, media, logos, and colors, and even though both formats store the same project components—comps, layers, keyframes, effects, expressions, cameras/lights, and settings—and both usually reference external files, the AET safeguards the layout while the AEP becomes the editable end-user project.

An AET file normally contains the structural and behavioral blueprint of an After Effects project rather than the actual media, including compositions with resolution, frame rate, duration, and nesting, plus the complete timeline layout with layers for text, shapes, solids, adjustment items, precomps, and placeholders, alongside properties like position, scale, rotation, opacity, masks, mattes, blending modes, parenting, and all animation data—keyframes, easing, markers, and expressions when used.

Additionally, the template captures effects and their configurations, such as color correction, blurs, glows, distortions, and transitions, together with any 3D setup—cameras, lights, 3D layer settings—and render/preview preferences, plus project structure like folders, labels, interpretation settings, and proxies, though it usually omits embedding raw media, fonts, or plugins, depending on linked paths that can lead to missing-footage or missing-effect warnings when the file is opened elsewhere.