An AET file is commonly treated as a reusable AE starting project, letting users open it and save a fresh project each time to preserve the template, and it contains the full design of the animation—compositions, timelines, layer structures, keyframes, effects, expressions, cameras, lights, render settings, along with organizational components such as folder layouts and interpretation rules.

To check out more in regards to AET file reader have a look at our internet site. An AET typically doesn’t embed the raw media; instead it references external clips, graphics, and audio, which is why these templates are usually distributed as a ZIP with a Footage/assets directory and why After Effects may prompt for missing files if anything was moved, and because AETs may rely on specific fonts or third-party plugins, opening one on a new computer can lead to missing-effect notices until the required items are added, while remembering that file extensions aren’t exclusive, so the safest way to confirm the correct app is checking “Opens with” or considering where the file originated.

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 so common 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 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 keeps track of 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.